ACC2000: Error Message "The dynamic-link library Commdlg failed..."

ID: Q224149

The information in this article applies to:

ERROR MESSAGE

When you try to print from Microsoft Access, you see the following error:

The dynamic-link library Commdlg failed: error code '0xl'. The printer driver for the selected printer may be incorrectly installed.
NOTE: Microsoft Office 2000 has built-in functionality that allows you to get more information about difficult-to-troubleshoot alerts or error messages. If you want to enable this functionality for this and other error messages in Microsoft Office 2000, please download the Microsoft Office 2000 Customizable Alerts file from the Microsoft Office Update Web site at the following address:
http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloadDetails/alerts.htm
NOTE: If you reached this article by clicking the Web Info button in an error message, you already have Customizable Alerts enabled.


CAUSE

You may receive this error for one of the following reasons:


WHAT TO TRY

You do not have a default printer

If you do not have a default printer, use the Add Printer wizard to install a default printer. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. On the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Printers.


  2. Double-click Add Printer, and follow the instructions. (Note that some printers have their own setup routines that bypass the Add Printer wizard. Follow the instructions in your documentation.)


If having a default printer does resolve it, there may be a problem with your Win.ini file, which contains configuration information for your system.

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Files for your printer driver are missing or damaged

If files for your print driver are missing or damaged, reinstall the printer driver. When you reinstall your printer driver, Windows writes the correct entries for the "Ports," "Printer Ports," and "Windows" sections in the Win.ini file. To reinstall the printer driver, follow these steps:
  1. On the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Printers.


  2. Right-click your default printer, and click Delete. If asked to remove extra files left on the system, click Yes.


  3. Double-click Add Printer, and follow the instructions to reinstall your printer driver.


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The "Devices" section of the Win.ini file contains incomplete or incorrect information

-or-

The "Devices" section of the Win.ini file is missing

To resolve either of these problems, correct the entry in the Win.ini file. To do so, follow these steps.

NOTE: If your printer driver information is missing from the Win.ini file, you must know the name of your printer driver in order to complete these steps.
  1. On the Start menu, click Run, and then type Sysedit. This opens the System Configuration Editor.


  2. In the System Configuration Editor, click the window named Win.ini.


  3. Look for duplicate entries or sections. If you find any, delete them.


  4. The "Devices" section should list the friendly name of your printer, followed by an equal sign, the driver name, comma, and then the port or network path.


  5. If the "Devices" section is missing, add it. The following is an example of what the "Devices" section should look like:


    6. 
   [Devices]
   HP LaserJet 4/4M=HPPCL5MS,LPT1:
   HP LaserJet IIISi=HPPCL5MS,\\Server\Sharename
  6. If you make changes, click Save on the File menu, and then try to print again.


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The Win.ini file exceeds the 64 KB size limit or is corrupted

If you still receive the error after you have checked for a default printer, have reinstalled your printer driver, and have verified the entry in your Win.ini file, you could try reinstalling the Win.ini file. Use the following method only after you have tried all the other solutions suggested in this article. To reinstall the Win.ini file, follow these step:
  1. On the Start menu, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.


  2. In the Named box, type win.ini.


  3. In the Look In list, click your hard disk drive.


  4. Click to select the Include Subfolders check box, and then click Find Now.


  5. Once you have located the Win.ini file, check the file size in the Size column. If it is larger than 64 KB, the Win.ini file is too large. This could be the cause of the error message.


  6. Right-click the Win.ini file, click Rename, and type win.old to rename the file.


  7. Insert your Windows 95/98 CD-ROM.


  8. In the Run Setup Again? dialog box, click Restore Windows files that are changed or corrupted, and then follow the on-screen directions. This method creates a new, complete Win.ini with all of the required sections.


IMPORTANT: If you rename or delete the Win.ini file, and then restart without running Windows Setup, Windows 95/98 automatically creates a new Win.ini file. However, the new Win.ini file in this case contains only the "Desktop" and "Embedding" sections. The "Devices" section, and all other sections configured by your system are not included.

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Additional query words: OFF2000 


Keywords          : kbdta 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb


Last Reviewed: June 17, 1999
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