Yesterday, I loaded a program onto my computer (a fairly old 233 running Windows95).
Since then, and despite uninstalling the program, I can no longer use Microsoft Word although PowerPoint seems OK. Whenever, and how ever, I try to open Word, I get an “invalid page fault” error. This is very frustrating given that I use a Word a lot.
Interestingly, I am also now encountering an error whenever I try to open one particular web site (a Microsoft Outlook Web Access site where I can pick up my e-mail from work). Whenever I try to open that site, I get an error from Iexplore stating that “Iexplore caused an invalid page fault”. Even more interesting (to me at least) is that I still can successfully open that site using Netscape.
Since it may be relevant, I’ll note that now if go to the “Help button” on the top of the IE screen to ask “About Internet Explorer”, I get the same error (“Iexplore caused an invalid page fault”).
AFAIK, the program that I installed (and then uninstalled) loaded its version of ActiveX and did something with a Windows system file called Msvcrt.dll. And, the program was a retail CD which I have scanned for viruses, and contains none.
I am using Windows 95 (version 4.00.950B), Internet Explorer 5.00, and Microsoft Office 97.
I would more that grateful for any suggestions or ideas?
The uninstall mode of the program was probably poorly written and on it’s way out deleted some of the necessary system binaries that the OS or Word needs. I would re-install the offending program and let it put the files back as the simplest fix.
I don’t remember enough of Win 95 to know if you can update it on the net or do a damaged/missing file search as you can in 98/ME. I don’t think you can. See if there is a directx update option on the net for 95 under the “Tools -Windows Update” option at the top of your browser. This might also re-install your missing binary(ies).
Re-installing Win 95 and IE 5.0 over the current install would probably do the same thing.
You could try upgrading IE from 5.0 to 5.5 which I think you should probably do anyway. Also, if you have some sort of “roll back” utility you could use that to undo any changes in the last day or two. That’s saved me a number of times.
I tried re-installing, uninstalling, re-installing … no luck.
I went to the Microsoft Windows Update site and it gave me the same error when I tried to access it (i.e. I couldn’t even enter the site without a page fault error).
Then, just a few moments ago, I decided to check out the company’s website. There, buried in their FAQ section was the following question: “After installing, I find that Microsoft Office applications no longer function”. And the answer: “This is a known issue … to fix this problem do the following …”
Geez! They knew about this! For some time! The least they could have done is placed some sort of notice or sticker on the CD case or something similar. I lost a lot of hours about their “known issue”.
The company is Transparent.com and the product was A+ French. I’ll give them an A+ for being jerks. Even the fix required me to go through MS-DOS.