OFF97: Overview of the Updated Microsoft Office 97 SR-2 Patch

ID: Q194377

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Office 97 for Windows, Service Release 2 (SR-2)

SUMMARY

This article describes the differences between the original and updated versions of Microsoft Office 97 SR-2, explains how to use the Microsoft Office 97 Version Checker utility, and includes a brief history of Microsoft Office 97 SR-2.

For more information about Microsoft Office 97 SR-2, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q192874 OFF97: An Overview of Microsoft Office 97 SR-2

Q192816 OFF97: SR-2 Patch Fails Even Though SR-1 Has Been Installed

Q151261 OFF97: How to Obtain and Install MS Office 97 SR-2

Q151020 OFF97: List of Fixed Problems in Office 97 for Windows, SR-2

MORE INFORMATION

What are the different versions of Microsoft Office 97 SR-2?

There are four different versions of Microsoft Office 97 SR-2.


   Version            Notes
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Original           Sr2off97.exe: posted on the Microsoft Office Update
   SR-2 Patch         web site early September 1998; removed from the
                      web site late September 1998 to make improvements
                      to the install process.

   Updated            Sr2aof97.exe: posted on the Microsoft Office Update
   SR-2 Patch         web site October 1998; includes improved install
                      process, but no actual changes to program updates.
                      Updated SR-2 Patch also included on SR-2 Patch CD.

   SR-2 Patch CD      Includes SR-1 Patch, updated SR-2 Patch, Microsoft
                      Office 97 Version Checker utility, and ValuPack
                      Components.

   SR-2 Replacement   Contains a complete installation of Microsoft
   CD                 Office 97 SR-2.

Please note that all of the versions of Microsoft Office 97 SR-2 listed above include the SAME program updates. So, if you have already installed any version of Microsoft Office 97 SR-2 it is not necessary to reinstall using the updated SR-2 Patch. The program updates contained in the different patches are exactly the same.

Why was the Original SR-2 Patch removed from the Microsoft Office Update web site?

In September 1998, Microsoft announced the availability of the SR-2 Patch and posted it on the Microsoft Office Update web site. In most cases, the SR-2 Patch installed correctly for those who downloaded it.

However, shortly after the release of the SR-2 Patch, Microsoft Product Support discovered that there were certain conditions under which the SR-2 Patch would not install correctly. Usually the problem would occur if any of the following conditions were true:

If you installed the SR-1 Patch on a computer where Microsoft Windows 98 was already installed the SR-1 Patch may not have installed correctly. In turn, this could prevent the SR-2 Patch from installing correctly.

If you installed the SR-1 Patch on a computer where Microsoft Outlook 98, Microsoft FrontPage 98, or Microsoft Project 98 was already installed, the SR-1 Patch may not have installed correctly. In turn, this could prevent the SR-2 Patch from installing correctly.

NOTE: The above issues are corrected in the currently-available SR-1 Patch. For more information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q184083 OFF97: SR-1 Patch May Not Work Under Microsoft Windows 98
After you installed the SR-1 Patch, you used the Microsoft Office Setup program to remove, and then reinstall one or more Microsoft Office components. You then did not reinstall the SR-1 Patch. As a result some of the reinstalled components are not SR-1 components.

If you installed the original version of the SR-1 Patch, the version of Microsoft Word 97 installed by the SR-1 Patch may not be recognized by the SR-2 Patch as a valid SR-1 component.

In each case listed above the computer contains a "mixed" installation of Microsoft Office 97; some of the components are SR-1 components and some are "base level" (pre-SR-1) components.

The original SR-2 Patch would not install correctly if your computer contained a "mixed" installation of Microsoft Office 97. Microsoft Product Support documented this issue in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q192816 OFF97: SR-2 Patch Fails Even Though SR-1 Has Been Installed

Even though the steps included in this article corrected the problem in most cases, they were somewhat complicated and time-consuming to follow. So that we could take steps to eliminate this problem we removed the original SR-2 Patch from the Microsoft Office Update web site in late September 1998.

How is the updated SR-2 Patch different from the original SR-2 Patch?

The updated SR-2 Patch differs from the original SR-2 Patch in three respects:

The fourth problem listed above, the SR-2 Patch may not recognize Microsoft Word 97 SR-1 as a valid SR-1 component, has been corrected.

The problem described in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base has been corrected:
Q193565 OFF97: SR-2 Patch Can't Update Admin Install Without Bookshelf
The log file created by the updated SR-2 Patch contains clearer and more detailed error messages than the log file created by the original SR-2 Patch.

There are no differences between the original SR-2 Patch and the updated SR-2 Patch with respect to program updates. Once you have correctly installed either the original or the updated SR-2 Patch, you should not have to reinstall either of the patches unless you remove and reinstall any Microsoft Office program files. The only difference between the two patches is in the installation process.

What is the Microsoft Office 97 Version Checker?

Microsoft designed the Microsoft Office 97 Version Checker to assist you in the SR-2 Patch installation process. This small utility analyzes your computer and recommends a course of action. The file name of the utility is Sr2chk.exe.

There are four different "states" that can be detected by the Microsoft Office 97 Version Checker. The message you receive indicates the course of action you should take in order to upgrade your computer to Microsoft Office 97 SR-2.


   State                              Course of Action
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

   Microsoft Office 97 "base level"   Download and run SR-1 Patch and
   is correctly installed.            then download and run SR-2 Patch.

   Microsoft Office 97 SR-1           Download and run SR-2 Patch.
   is correctly installed.

   Microsoft Office 97 SR-2           No need for further action.
   is correctly installed.

   Mixed installation of Microsoft    Download and run SR-1 Patch.
   Office 97 or                       Download and run SR-2 Patch.
   Microsoft Office 97 is not         Or call Microsoft Order Desk and
   installed at all.                  order SR-2 Replacement CD.

If the Microsoft Office 97 Version Checker recommends that you install or reinstall the SR-1 Patch, you can download it from the following address:

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/articles/sr1fact.htm

You can download the updated SR-2 Patch and the Microsoft Office 97 Version Checker from the following address:

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/articles/sr2fact.htm

The Microsoft Office 97 Version Checker is also available on the SR-2 Patch CD. You can order an SR-2 Patch CD from the following address:

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/articles/sr2directdrive.htm

Why is there no updated SR-2 Replacement CD?

The Microsoft Office Setup program included on the SR-2 Replacement CD is not affected by the problems described above. So, it was not necessary to create an updated SR-2 Replacement CD. The SR-2 Replacement CD contains all of the same program updates as the updated SR-2 Patch.

The following files are updated by SR-2:


   Acc97.inf      Gapi32.dll     Msthbbr.lex    Pptview.dll
   Accwiz.dll     Html32.cnv     Msthbus.lex    Presconf.dll
   Acme.exe       Keyex32.exe    Msthenb.dll    Qryint32.dll
   Activeex.dll   Localdv.dll    Mswrd832.cnv   Recall.dll
   Comic.ttf      Mapi32.dll     Msxbse35.dll   Rm.dll
   Comicbd.ttf    Mapisp32.exe   Newprof.exe    Scanpst.exe
   Compobj.dll    Msaccess.exe   Off97pro.inf   Scanpst.hlp
   Contab32.dll   Msconv97.dll   Off97std.inf   Schdmapi.dll
   Dao350.dll     Msexch35.dll   Oladd.fae      Schplus.sam
   Dlgsetp.dll    Msexcl35.dll   Olappt.fae     Scrptxtn.dll
   Dumpster.dll   Msgren32.dll   Ole32.dll      Sendfile.exe
   Dumpster.ecf   Msjet35.dll    Olethk32.dll   Tahoma.ttf
   Emsabp32.dll   Msjint35.dll   Olkfstub.dll   Tahomabd.ttf
   Emsmdb32.dll   Msjter35.dll   Oltask.fae     Tiffim32.flt
   Emsui32.dll    Msltus35.dll   Outllib.dll    Transmgr.dll
   Emsuix32.dll   Mso7enu.dll    Outlook.exe    Utility.mda
   Epsimp32.flt   Mso97.dll      Outlook.inf    Winword.exe
   Esconf.dll     Msoutl8.olb    Outlrpc.dll    Winword8.srg
   Etexch32.dll   Mspdox35.dll   Outlvbs.dll    Word97.inf
   Excel.exe      Mspst32.dll    Pictim32.flt   Wrd6ex32.cnv
   Excel97.inf    Msqry32.exe    Powerpnt.exe   Wwintl32.dll
   Exchange.dsm   Msrd2x35.dll   Ppintl.dll     Xlintl32.dll
   Finder.exe     Msrepl35.dll   Pp4x322.dll    _ppt.inf
   Frmrdrct.dll   Mstext35.dll   Pp7trans.dll

Additional query words: OFF97 sr2 sr2a sr2-a 97sr2_0.log 97sr2_1.log 97sr2_2.log kbofficeupdate


Keywords          : kbdta 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: July 28, 1999