OFF: "Cannot Find Share.exe" Installing MS Office Under Windows 95/98

ID: Q166673

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you install one of the products listed in the banner section of this article, you may receive the following error message:

Cannot find share.exe


CAUSE

This problem occurs when the following conditions are true:

The Setup programs for Microsoft Office 4.2, Microsoft Office 4.3, and the stand-alone versions of Microsoft Excel 5.0, Microsoft Word 6.0, and Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0, require that the Share.exe file be installed. Microsoft Windows 95 OSR2 and Microsoft Windows 98 use a virtual device driver and do not require Share.exe. If Share.exe is not on the computer when you attempt to install the programs listed at the beginning of this article, you may not be able to install the program.


WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

To resolve this problem, install either a "c" version or a later version of the program. For example: 

   "c" versions
   ------------
   Microsoft Office 4.2c
   Microsoft Office 4.3c
   Microsoft Excel 5.0c
   Microsoft Word 6.0c
   Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0c
   Microsoft Access 2.0c

   later versions
   --------------
   programs included in Microsoft Office 95
   programs included in Microsoft Office 97

To obtain the "c" version of your program, call the Microsoft Order Desk at (800) 360-7561 [and request the "c" version of the Office program you are using]. If you are outside the United States, contact the Microsoft subsidiary for your area. To locate your subsidiary, see the Microsoft World Wide Offices Web page at:
http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/default.htm

Method 2

You can successfully install the programs listed at the beginning of this article on a computer running Microsoft Windows 95 by creating a zero-byte Share.exe file. To do this, use the following steps:
  1. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Notepad.


  2. On the File menu, click Save As.


  3. In the Save In box, click drive C to save the file in the root directory.


  4. In the Save As dialog box, type "share.exe" (include the quotation marks) in the File Name box, and then click Save.


  5. Restart the computer.


  6. Restart the setup program for Microsoft Office 4.2, Microsoft Office 4.3, Microsoft Excel 5.0, Microsoft Word 6.0, or Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0.



STATUS

This problem was corrected in Microsoft Office 4.2c, Microsoft Office 4.3c, Microsoft Excel 5.0c, Microsoft Word 6.0c, and Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0c for Windows.


MORE INFORMATION

Windows 95 uses the virtual device driver Vshare.386 instead of Share.exe. Share.exe is installed by Microsoft Windows 95 for backward compatibility but is not installed by Microsoft Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) or Microsoft Windows 98. The programs listed at the beginning of this article require that Share.exe be located on the computer in a folder included in the PATH statement.

Note that if Vshare.386 is loaded by Windows 95, these programs do not require Share.exe after installation.


REFERENCES

For more information about Share.exe, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q161619 Share.exe Is Not Supported in Windows 95 OSR2 or Windows 98
Q106499 XL5 Err Msg: "Must Exit Windows and Load SHARE.EXE..."
Q113355 ACC2: How Microsoft Access Uses SHARE.EXE (2.0)

Additional query words: win98 vshare osr2 oem windows win95 winworks w_works 


Keywords          : kberrmsg kbsetup xlwinsetup kbhowto offwinsetup 
Version           : WINDOWS:2.0,3.0,4.0,4.0a,4.2,4.3,5.0,5.0a,6.0,6.0a,95
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: July 21, 1999