OFF97: Errors Appear When You Access an FTP Site

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Access 97 for Windows
• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

In the products listed above, when you click Open on the File menu, select a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site, and then click Open, error messages similar to the following may appear:

   Cannot connect to the FTP server on the computer named
   'ftp.microsoft.com'.

   -and-

   The folder 'ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/' isn't accessible. The folder may
   be located on an unavailable volume or protected with a password.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if you are connected to the Internet by a proxy server, and the FTP proxy settings are not set correctly in Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 3.0, 3.01 or 3.02.

RESOLUTION

To prevent this problem from occurring, correct the FTP proxy settings. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the Start menu, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Internet.

3. Click the Connection tab.

4. Under Proxy Server, click Settings.

5. Under Servers, clear (uncheck) the "Use the same proxy server for all protocols" check box.

6. In the FTP box, type the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for your FTP gateway server. The following example illustrates the syntax to use:

         ftp://ftpgate
   

7. Clear the Port box to the right of the FTP box.

8. Click OK. Then, click OK again and close the Control Panel window.

If you still cannot connect to an FTP site, check with your network administrator and determine whether you are referring to the correct FTP gateway server. Or, click Open on the File menu, click "Add/Modify FTP Locations" in the Look In box, click the name of the FTP server to which you want to connect, and then click Remove. After you remove the location, type the FTP servers name in the "Name of FTP Site" box and click OK. Note that you may need to quit and restart the program before you connect to an external FTP site.

STATUS

The behavior is by design of Microsoft Office 97 and Microsoft Internet Explorer, versions 3.0, 3.01 and 3.02.

MORE INFORMATION

In the products listed at the beginning of this article, you can use the Open dialog box to connect to an FTP site on the Internet and a local intranet. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Open.

2. In the Look In box, if the FTP site to which you want to connect is listed, click the name of the FTP site.

   If the FTP site is NOT listed, click "Add/Modify FTP Locations." Then, type the name of the FTP site you want to access, select a logon type, and then click OK. In the Open dialog box, click the name of the FTP site you want to access and click Open.

When you access an external FTP site through Microsoft Internet Explorer, only the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) proxy settings must be correct. This is true because Microsoft Internet Explorer uses the HTTP protocol (the standard protocol for accessing information on the World Wide Web) to emulate FTP when you connect to an FTP site.

The programs listed at the beginning of this article require that the FTP proxy settings be correct when you access an external FTP site. This is because these programs do not use the HTTP protocol to emulate FTP; instead, the FTP proxy settings are used. If you select the "Use the same proxy server for all protocols" check box in the Internet icon in the Control Panel, you may be unable to access external FTP sites with Microsoft Office 97 programs.