Setup Hangs on Some IBM Machines

ID: Q120834

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Office for Windows, version 4.0, 4.2, 4.3
Microsoft Setup, version 1.0
Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0
Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0
Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows, version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you run the Microsoft Office Setup program on an IBM ThinkPad Notebook series computer, Setup will continue through the path information for the applications and then search for installed components. Office Setup will then appear to continue to search for installed components and it will display an hourglass (and the hard disk drive light will stay on).

At this point, if you press CRTL+ALT+DEL, Windows displays the message that Setup has stopped responding to the system.

You must restart the system (press CTRL+ALT+DEL again) to regain control of the system.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when the POWER.EXE application is loaded through the CONFIG.SYS file. The POWER.EXE file is a power management utility used by IBM ThinkPad and other notebooks. The power management utility may also be loaded at Windows startup or through the load= line in the WIN.INI file.

WORKAROUND

If the power management utility is installed during Windows startup

To prevent the power management utility from being loaded, remove it from the startup group or place a semicolon in front of the "load=" line in the WIN.INI.

If the power management utility is installed when you start your computer

To prevent the power management utility from being installed, do the following to "remark" it out of the CONFIG.SYS file:

1. Make a backup copy of the CONFIG.SYS file.

2. In a text editor such as Windows Notepad, open the CONFIG.SYS file.

3. Search for the line "C:\DOS\POWER.EXE."

4. At the beginning of the line, type "REM" (without the quotation marks)

   as in the following example:

      REM C:\DOS\POWER.EXE

KBCategory: kbsetup kb3rdparty KBSubcategory:

Additional reference words: 4.00 4.20 4.30 tsr terminate and stay resident terminate-and-stay-resident

Last Reviewed: September 10, 1996