Open document dialog hangs

[Quasimodo]

This problem jumped out to bite me this morning - before that, it wasn't
there. I'm running Office 2003 on Windows XP Pro.

When I start Word, Excel or Access and try to open a file (either using the
"open file" button on the toolbar or from the File|Open menu), the dialogue
window pops up, but any attempt to navigate to a different folder causes the
application to hang - Task Manager reports that it is "not responding". The
CPU load is low - less than 10%.

The only way out is to use Task Manager to terminate the application;
shortly afterwards I take the option to send an error report to Microsoft. If
required, I can send a copy of the files which are attached to the error
report:

- Manifest.txt (2KB);
- Appcompat.txt (227KB);
- Winword.exe.mdmp (1059KB);
- Winword.exe.hdmp (7023KB).

If I double-click on the file I want to open in an Explorer window, the
application starts up and opens the file with no problem as far as I can see,
so it is possible to work on the files I need to, but the problem with the
"open file" dialogue is more than a little annoying!

Can anyone shed some light on this, please?

I would prefer to avoid re-installing Office if possible, but if that is the
only way out...

 

[garfield-n-odie [MVP]]

Two things to try:
1. Right-click on the My Computer icon on the Windows
desktop, left-click on Disconnect Network Drive, and disconnect
any mapped drives that are not currently available.
2. See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918165 "Problems in
Windows Explorer or the Windows shell after you install security
update MS06-015".

 

[Quasimodo]

Thanks very much for the quick reply, Garfield. When I logged on to the
discussion group, I saw the post immediately before mine, reporting the same
symptoms - sorry, I should have looked at the messages before I posted

I don't have any network drives mapped, so I carried on to try the registry
edit - I have an HP scanner installed. Unfortunately that didn't work, so I
tried the alternative approach of renaming VERCLSID.exe to disable it, and
that *did* work. To be honest, I'd prefer to disable the HP share-to-web
daemon, but it isn't immediately obvious how to do that - there isn't any
entry for it in the Control Panel | Add or Remove Programs list...

Anyway, at least I can open documents in Office now!

Thanks for your help

Ian Park

 

[rlm]

Quasimodo,
Did you happen to notice if you were having trouble with IE & win explorer?
My problem is close to the same as yours, the pop up window doesn't even open
just sits there thinking. In IE when I type an address in the bar it doesn't
go, but if I go to my MSN favorites & search, I can get anywhere that way. In
Windows Explorer when I click anything in the left pane it locks, if I double
click in the right OK.

 

[Quasimodo]

Hi rlm

I hadn't tried the things you mention in your email, but having
re-introduced the problem (by re-activating VERCLSID.EXE), I did, and I was
able to replicate your problem. It certainly looks as though the culprit is
the interaction between the security fix MS06-015 (which installed when I
shut down on Monday night) and the HP Share-to-web software. The short-term
fix is to rename the file VERCLSID.EXE in WINDOWS\system32 to something like
VERCLSID.NORUN - I tried doing the registry edit which Garfield pointed to,
but that didn't work, and I can't see how to remove the HP share-to-web
programme.

I hope you have better luck!

Ian

 

[rlm]

Hi,
Thanks I'll try that today.

Hi rlm

I hadn't tried the things you mention in your email, but having
re-introduced the problem (by re-activating VERCLSID.EXE), I did, and I was
able to replicate your problem. It certainly looks as though the culprit is
the interaction between the security fix MS06-015 (which installed when I
shut down on Monday night) and the HP Share-to-web software. The short-term
fix is to rename the file VERCLSID.EXE in WINDOWS\system32 to something like
VERCLSID.NORUN - I tried doing the registry edit which Garfield pointed to,
but that didn't work, and I can't see how to remove the HP share-to-web
programme.

I hope you have better luck!

Ian