INFO: Troubleshooting In-Place Activation in Internet Explorer

ID: Q174893

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 3.0, 3.01, 3.02, 4.0 for Windows 95
Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 3.0, 3.01, 3.02, 4.0 for Windows NT 4.0

SUMMARY

When you click a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) link to a Microsoft Office file (such as a Microsoft Excel document), Internet Explorer may not open the file in the browser. This article describes how to troubleshoot in-place activation in Internet Explorer.

MORE INFORMATION

In-place activation is a function that opens a program file in Internet Explorer and displays the toolbars from the associated program. For more information about in-place activation, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q162059 Office Documents Open in Internet Explorer

To troubleshoot in-place activation in Internet Explorer, follow these steps:

Disable in-place activation. To do so, click Start, click Run, type the appropriate command in the Open box, and then press ENTER.

Windows 95-based Computer


   &lt;windir&gt;\system\regsvr32.exe /u &lt;windir&gt;\system\docobj.dll

where <windir> is the name of your Windows directory.

Windows NT 4.0-based Computer


   %systemroot%\system32\regsvr32.exe /u %systemroot%\system32\docobj.dll

Verify that the Microsoft Office file opens correctly using the program that is associated with the file. To do so, click the link to the file. If the program does not start, or the file does not load correctly, there is a problem with the file association in the program or the formatting of the file. For further assistance contact Microsoft Office Technical Support, and do not continue with the remaining steps. If the program does start, and the file loads correctly, continue to the next step.

NOTE: Before performing step 3, prepare to note any errors or error messages that may be displayed. Errors may indicate a formatting issue, or a damaged file. Note that this information may be useful if you need to contact Microsoft Office Technical Support.

Once the file is open in the appropriate program, click File, click Save As, click Desktop in the Save File In box, and then click OK.

Quit the program, and then quit Internet Explorer.

Re-enable in-place activation. To do so, click Start, click Run, type the appropriate command in the Open box, and then select ENTER.

Windows 95-based Computer


   c:\&lt;windir&gt;\system\regsvr32.exe    c:\&lt;windir&gt;\system\docobj.dll

where <windir> is the name of your Windows directory.

Windows NT 4.0-based Computer


   %systemroot%\system32\regsvr32.exe %systemroot%\system32\docobj.dll

Start Internet Explorer, and then click Open on the File menu.

Click Browse, click All Files in the Files Of Type box, click Desktop

in the Look In box, and then double-click the Microsoft Office file you saved in step 3.

If Internet Explorer opens the file correctly, then in-place activation is working correctly, and the issue is probably related to a formatting issue on the HTML page or with the file itself. For information about troubleshooting an HTML page, view the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/author

For assistance troubleshooting issues with an Office file, contact Microsoft Office Technical Support. If Internet Explorer does not open the file correctly, you may need to reinstall the program or Internet Explorer. For information about reinstalling an Office program, consult the documentation included with Office. For information about reinstalling Internet Explorer, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q170993 How to Install Internet Explorer and Troubleshoot Setup Problems

Additional query words:


Keywords          : kbinterop kbother msiew95 msient 
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0,3.01,3.02,4.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: July 23, 1999