WD97: Errors Opening File If Low Memory or Low Disk Space (173908)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q173908

SYMPTOMS

When you try to open a file, the file does not open, and one or more of the following error messages may appear:

  • The Word work file and memory are nearly full. Save your work.

    -or-

  • There is not enough memory or disk space to complete the operation.

    -or-

  • There is insufficient memory or disk space. Close extra windows and save your work.

    -or-

  • There is insufficient memory or disk space. Close an application. (<path>\<filename>)

    -or-

  • This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.

    If this problem persists, contact the program vendor.

    When you click Details, the following message is displayed:

    WINWORD caused an invalid page fault in module WINWORD.EXE at 0137:3007ead6.
Or, Word may stop responding.

CAUSE

There is insufficient random access memory (RAM) on your computer or insufficient disk space available for Word to open the file.

WORKAROUND

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

  • As a short-term solution, you can free RAM memory by quitting unneeded programs, or you can free disk space by deleting unneeded files.

    -or-

  • Restart Windows. To do this, on the Start menu, click Shut Down. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Restart The Computer, and then click Yes.
To prevent this problem from occurring in the long term, use either of the following methods:

  • Add more RAM memory to your computer.

    -or-

  • Acquire more hard disk space, either by adding a larger disk drive or by using a disk compression utility.
NOTE: When troubleshooting these problems, ensure that there are no other programs active and that there is a minimum of 20 megabytes (MB) of free hard disk space. As a general guideline, 20 MB of free space is enough to work with Word files. However, if you frequently work with large documents (10 MB or more), you may need to free some additional space.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed above.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about optimizing your computer for Word 97, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

160068 WD97: Optimizing Microsoft Word 97

For additional information about similar problems, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

135887 OFF: Cannot Start Office Programs If Available Disk Space Low

162053 WD97: Errors Initializing Visual Basic Editor

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/14/2000
Keywords:kbbug KB173908
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.