PRJ98: "Cannot Connect to Link" Error Opening File with Links (173167)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Project 98 for Windows
  • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 98
  • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q173167

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Project 98, when you try to open a file that was created in an earlier version of Microsoft Project and that contains links to other files, you are asked whether or not you want to update the links in the file. If you click Yes, you receive the following error message:
Microsoft Project cannot connect to link "<pathname>\Link_1."

Do you want to delete the link?
where <pathname> is the location of the file and Link_1 represents the number of the actual link.

NOTE: This error message does not appear when you run Microsoft Project 98 under Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0.

WORKAROUND

To open the files, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Update Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Files

To update OLE files, which are used by Microsoft Project when you try to open you file, install the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) update.

This file is available as a self-extracting, self-installing archive called Dcom95.exe. For more information and to download this file, visit the following Microsoft World Wide Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/com/resources/downloads.asp

Method 2: Re-Establish the Links in Each Linked File

  1. Open one of the linked files. If you receive a message asking if you want to re-establish the link, click Yes. When the link fails, you will receive a message asking you to delete the link. Click No.
  2. Save the File in Microsoft Project 98 format. (Click Save As on the File menu, select Project (*.mpp) in the Save As Type list, and then click Save.)

    The link information is retained in the file when you save it.
  3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each linked file.
  4. After all the files have been converted in Microsoft Project 98, open the original file and the links will be re-established correctly.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Microsoft Project listed earlier.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:9/17/2003
Keywords:kbbug kbpending KB173167
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.