Error when double clicking MS Office doc... won't open

[presmmbb]

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for the help.

This issue has really got me stumped, so I'm hoping that you guys and gals here at Daniweb can help.

So, heres the problem: Whenever I double click a MS Office file (word, excel, ect), the associated program shell starts up and then I get an error which says

"Windows cannot find 'file location/name.ext'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again."

now here is the funny part, if I click "OK" and leave the shell open and try to double click on the file again, it opens with no problem. If I close the shell and retry, I get the same error.

I tried going through MS Support, but they are of no help. Their suggestion was to create a new user account and copy everything in to it, change store locations for all my other programs, etc. (Yes they had me create a new user account and see if the problems happens there, it did not). Now, for the obvious reasons, I dont want to go through the hassle of doing this, so Im hoping you guys had a solution for me.

Here are my system stats:

Dell XPS M1730
Vista Ultimate 32bit
MS Office 2007 Ultimate
4gb ram, 360 gb hd, 1gb vid card (nvidea 8800M gtx sli).

Thanks again

[kuno]

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for the help.

This issue has really got me stumped, so I'm hoping that you guys and gals here at Daniweb can help.

So, heres the problem: Whenever I double click a MS Office file (word, excel, ect), the associated program shell starts up and then I get an error which says now here is the funny part, if I click "OK" and leave the shell open and try to double click on the file again, it opens with no problem. If I close the shell and retry, I get the same error.

I tried going through MS Support, but they are of no help. Their suggestion was to create a new user account and copy everything in to it, change store locations for all my other programs, etc. (Yes they had me create a new user account and see if the problems happens there, it did not). Now, for the obvious reasons, I dont want to go through the hassle of doing this, so Im hoping you guys had a solution for me.

Here are my system stats:

Dell XPS M1730
Vista Ultimate 32bit
MS Office 2007 Ultimate
4gb ram, 360 gb hd, 1gb vid card (nvidea 8800M gtx sli).

Thanks again

The file C:\Windows\System\Shell32.dll is thew one responsible for displaying the followingboxes:

1. Start Menu : Start > Run
2. Find File
3. Open With
4. "Windows cannot find program " ". This program is needed for opening files of type " .extension". Location field > Locate button.

It also contains the errors that show if you are trying to open something from a shortcut, but the target at which the shortcut points is missing or renamed.

Have you tried the Start > Run option and typed in the command to open the application and then details of the file it has to open?

Have you tried the Start > Run to open something like windows calculator? (Start > Run > Calc)

Please tell us what the name of the application is that you are trying to play the files with.

1. Boot into "Safe Mode" by hitting the F8 key as the computer is about to show the first Windows Screen.
2. Put in your Windows Installation CD Rom
3. Do a Start > Run and type SFC.
4. The System File Checker will open
5. Click on "search for one file only" and type "shell32.dll" (without the " ").
6. Usually it knows where to look and you can just click the "Start" button, but sometimes you may have to direct it to look at your CD or (if you have them) the folder C:\Windows\Options\Cabs (maybe C:\Options\Cabs).
7. It should prompt you to allow it to replace shell32.dll. Allow this.
8. Shut down and reboot normally.

Something that you have installed seems to be corrupting this file. It could be an application such as a media player, or could be a Windows update. This will be virtually impossible to determine, but installing and testing in stages will tell you what you have installed when this error first arises

[presmmbb]

Kuno,

Either I didnt explain the problem well enough, or you didnt read it well enough.

The problem isnt with opening the program, its with opening individual documents or spreadsheets or presentations or etc.

The program itself opens fine, it just doesnt open the file (doc, sheet, etc.) and gives the error in reference to the file (doc, sheet, etc.) not the program. The program opens fine, it just doesnt open the file.

And yes, I have uninstalled and reinistalled MS Office and the problem persists on my user account, but not on others.

I hope that clarifies that situation. Let me know if you need further clarification!

All the best,

[presmmbb]

Oh, I am pretty sure this is a registry issue. Except I've got no clue where to look.

Thanks!

[presmmbb]

Problem Fixed!

Thank you to the 60 ppl who considered helping ;).

Here is the fix for those of you who have the same problem.

The problem is caused by the MS Outlook Business Contact Manager plugin for word.

Open Registry (start - Run - "regedit") browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Word\Addins and (make sure to backup the key before deleting) delete the "BcmHistoryAddin.BcmConnect" folder. (aka "FriendlyName"="Business Contact Manager for Outlook").

This fixed the problem for me. (Verified by adding the key back to the reg and the problem came back, deleted again and the problem went away.)

Good luck!