OFF97: Version Checker May Report Incorrect Version of Office 97 (244593)

CAUSE

This problem occurs if you have version 8.0h or later of the Microsoft Excel executable (Excel.exe) installed on your computer. This executable is included in the Microsoft Excel 97 updates documented in the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

231304 XL97: Patch Available for Excel 97 Virus Warning Vulnerabilities

242209 XL97: How to Obtain and Install the Excel 97 SYLK File Security Update

Specifically, the problem occurs because the Version Checker does not recognize any newer version of Excel.exe (8.0h, 8.0i, and so on) as a valid component of Microsoft Office 97 SR-2. As a result, the Version Checker reports that you have SR-1 installed, not SR-2.

RESOLUTION

If you previously installed Microsoft Office 97 SR-2 and then installed either or both of the Microsoft Excel 97 updates listed in the "Cause" section of this article, your system has Microsoft Office 97 SR-2 installed. For full year 2000 compliance, you may want to install the updates documented in the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

197237 OL97: Year 2000 Dates Are Imported and Exported Incorrectly

172733 Updated Version of Microsoft Jet 3.5 Available for Download

If you have not installed Microsoft Office 97 SR-2, you can download the latest version of the SR-2 Patch from the following location:

http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/9798/sr2off97detail.aspx

MORE INFORMATION

When you run the Microsoft Office 97 Version Checker, it can return one of five different results:

Result One

Office 97 SR2 Check
The version checker was unable to examine your system. For more information, see the log file in the Microsoft Office installation directory.

Result Two

Office 97 SR2 Check
Your system is at Office 97 base level. To upgrade to Office 97 SR-2, first run the SR-1 patch, and then run the SR-2 patch.

Result Three

Office 97 SR2 Check
Your system has Office 97 SR-1 installed. You can run the SR-2 patch.

Result Four

Office 97 SR2 Check
Your system is already at Office 97 SR-2 level. You do not need to run the SR-2 patch. You should run the SR-2 patch if you have modified your installation of Office 97.

Result Five

Office 97 SR2 Check
The Microsoft Office 97 SR-2 patch cannot be applied to your computer. Either Office 97 is not installed on this computer, or there are files from multiple versions of Office 97 on this computer. Try installing Office 97 or running the latest SR-1 patch to correct the problem. Or contact Microsoft Technical Support for further assistance.

The result you receive depends on the installation state of Microsoft Office 97 on your computer, as described in the following table.

       Installation State                            Result(s) Returned
       ----------------------------------------------------------------
       No Office 97 components installed             Results One and Five

       Office 97 installed                           Result Two

       Office 97 SR-1 installed                      Result Three

       Office 97 SR-2 installed                      Result Four

       Mixed installation of Office 97 components    Result Five

       Microsoft Excel 8.0h or later installed       Result Three

The Office 97 Version Checker correctly reports the status of your Microsoft Office 97 installation, unless you have installed a version of Microsoft Excel that is 8.0h or later.

You can check the version of your copy of Microsoft Excel by performing the following steps:

On the Start menu, point to Find, and click Files or Folders.
In the Named edit box, type Excel.exe.
In the Look in list box, select My Computer.
Select the Include Subfolders check box.
Click Find Now.
In the results pane, right-click Excel.exe.
On the shortcut menu, click Properties.
Select the Version tab.