PowerPoint and Excel Not Accepted as Valid Upgrade Programs

ID: Q115812

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Office for Windows, versions 4.2, 4.3

SYMPTOMS

When you upgrade to Microsoft Office from Microsoft Excel version 5.0, or Microsoft PowerPoint version 4.0, the Setup program does not recognize either as a valid upgrade application. The Setup program does not detect that either program is installed on your computer, and you receive the following error message when you select the directory that contains the application, or insert Disk 1 of the application:

Setup was unable to recognize a valid application in this directory

In the Setup program for the U.S. (domestic) versions of Microsoft Office, you can continue with the Setup program and ignore this error message. However, in the Setup program for an international version of Microsoft Office, the Setup program does not allow you to continue, and you can not install Microsoft Office.

CAUSE

Microsoft Office version 4.0 shipped with Microsoft Word version 6.0, but did not ship with Microsoft Excel version 5.0 or PowerPoint version 4.0. Therefore, when you upgrade to Microsoft Office version 4.2 or 4.3, the Setup program checks for Microsoft Word for Windows version 6.0, as a valid upgrade application, but does not check for either Microsoft Excel or Microsoft PowerPoint.

WORKAROUND

When you receive this error message in the U.S. version of the Microsoft Office Setup program, you can choose the Continue button, and Microsoft Office is installed.

To correct this problem when you are running an international version of the Microsoft Office Setup program, you must obtain an updated version of the COMPLINC.DLL that shipped with this version of Office. For more information about obtaining the updated file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q116234 Office: International English Compliance Checker

To correct this problem when you are running an international version of the Microsoft Office Setup program, you can obtain an updated version of the COMPLINC.DLL file that corrects this problem. For more information about obtaining the updated file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q116234 Office: International English Compliance Checker

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft Office setup program uses compliance checking to verify that you are eligible to upgrade from a previous version of Microsoft Office. There are two levels of compliance checking: strict and lenient. Strict compliance checking prevents you from installing Microsoft Office if you cannot verify that you are eligible to upgrade. Lenient compliance checking searches for or requests verification, but it does not prevent you from installing the application if you do not provide appropriate verification.

The U.S. (domestic) versions of Microsoft Office uses lenient compliance checking, so that you can install Microsoft Office even if you do not provide the requested verification.

All international versions of Microsoft use strict compliance checking. To upgrade an international version of Microsoft Office, you must have Microsoft Office or one of the Microsoft Office applications installed, or have Disk 1 from the disk sets of one of these applications.

When you install Microsoft Office version 4.2 or 4.3, (U.S. version), the Setup program searches your system for Microsoft Word for Windows version 6.0. If Setup does not find this application, you receive a message requesting you to insert Disk 1 (the Setup disk) from the Microsoft Word for Windows application. You can either insert the appropriate disk or continue installing Microsoft Office. If you continue without providing an appropriate disk or hard disk location, another message is displayed to notify you that you have not provided proper verification. If you again choose to continue without providing the appropriate disk or hard disk location, Setup continues and no further compliance checking messages appear.

However, when you install Microsoft Office version 4.2 or 4.3 (international version), and you do not have a previous version of Microsoft Office or Microsoft Word for Windows version 6.0, the Setup program does not continue, and you cannot install Microsoft Office. The Setup program does not detect Microsoft Excel version 5.0, or Microsoft PowerPoint version 4.0, even though you are eligible for the Microsoft Office upgrade when you own one of these applications.

Additional query words: winppt macppt


Keywords          : 
Version           : 4.20 4.30
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: June 16, 1999