OFF: Clicking Button on OSB Starts a New Session

• Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Windows NT, version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you click a button for a program on the Shortcut Bar for Microsoft Office 7.0 or 97, instead of switching to the currently running instance of the program, a new instance of the program is started.

CAUSE

This problem occurs on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0.

NOTE: This problem does not occur in Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows NT 3.51.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods:

• Click the button on the taskbar for the program to which you want to switch.

      -or-
  

• Press and hold the ALT key, and then press TAB repeatedly, until the icon for the program to which you want to switch is selected. Then, release ALT.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Normally, when you click a button for a program on the Office Shortcut Bar, the Office Shortcut Bar checks to see whether an instance of the program is already running. If so, that instance of the program is activated; if not, a new instance of the program is started.

However, this functionality does not work under Windows NT 4.0. Instead of checking for an instance of the program that is running, the Office Shortcut Bar automatically starts another instance of the program. This prevents you from using the Office Shortcut Bar to switch between programs.