XL: Disabling OLE Services in Windows NT Hangs MS Excel

ID: Q125588

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to start Microsoft Excel for Windows or Windows NT, on a Microsoft Windows NT workstation using a Microsoft Windows NT server, you may receive error messages if the OLE Service has been changed from the default. Specifically, Microsoft Excel will stop responding (hang) and you will receive an error message similar to one of the messages listed below.

If you are using Microsoft Excel for Windows:

An error has occurred in your application. If you choose Ignore, you should save your work in a new file. If you choose Close, your application will terminate
Choosing Ignore will repeat the error. If you choose Close, the following error message is displayed:
Excel caused a General Protection Fault in EXCEL.EXE at 0014:0D29
If you are using Microsoft Excel for Windows NT:
Dr. Watson for NT: An application error has occurred and an application error log is being generated.
Excel.exe
Exception: access violation (0xc0000005), Address 0x3f720545
The above message will be displayed very briefly and the Microsoft Excel will terminate.

NOTE: The addresses in the error messages may vary. Also, Windows NT Server's behavior may vary according to which applications are running. Note also that Microsoft Excel may sometimes open when the OLE service is not started if the Startup Type is set to Automatic.


CAUSE

These errors occur because the OLE service has been stopped (disabled) in Services (a Control Panel item) in Windows NT Workstation or Windows NT Server. The OLE service must be started before you start Microsoft Excel.


RESOLUTION

To avoid this problem, start the OLE service before you start Microsoft Excel. In addition, to prevent future occurrences of this error, set the Startup Type of the OLE service to Automatic.

To start OLE Services and set the Startup type to Automatic

  1. From the Control Panel icon, start Services.


  2. From the list of Services, select the OLE service.


  3. Choose Start.

    The Status should be "Started."


  4. Choose Startup.


  5. Change the Startup Type to Automatic, and then choose OK.


  6. Choose Close to exit the Services dialog box, and then close the Control Panel window.


You should now be able to open Microsoft Excel without receiving an error.


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.


REFERENCES

"Microsoft Windows NT Workstation System Guide," version 3.5, Pages 14, 189-192

"Microsoft Windows NT Server System Guide," version 3.5, Pages 475-479

Additional query words: crash gpf 


Keywords          : 
Version           : 5.00 5.00c 7.00
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: April 22, 1999