Some Office features are lost when Windows Desktop update is not installed (290557)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office XP Professional
  • Microsoft Office XP Small Business
  • Microsoft Office XP Standard
  • Microsoft Office XP Students and Teachers
  • Microsoft Office XP Developer
This article was previously published under Q290557

SUMMARY

The absence of the Windows Desktop Update (sometimes mistakenly called "Windows Shell Update" or "Active Desktop") affects some features in Microsoft Office XP. This article describes the required version of the Windows Desktop Update, when and how the Windows Desktop Update is installed, and some of the features that are affected in Microsoft Office XP when the correct versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer and the Windows Desktop Update are not installed.

MORE INFORMATION

What Is the Windows Desktop Update?

The Windows Desktop Update component, included with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, 4.01, 4.01 Service Packs 1 and 2, and with Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), and Microsoft Windows 2000, includes the following enhancements to the classic Windows shell:

  • The Active Desktop
  • A single, customizable Explorer with Web View
  • A Web-integrated Start menu and taskbar
  • Click (rather than double-click) items to open them; point to items to select them

What Are Some Office XP Features Available with the Windows Desktop Update?

Office XP includes additional features that are available when the Windows Desktop Update is installed. These features are only available with the versions of the Windows Desktop Update that are included with Internet Explorer 4.01 with either SP1 or SP2, or with Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows 2000. The following is a list of these features:
  • The Office programs repair themselves (self-repair) when you click Start, point to Programs, and then click the Office program shortcut.
  • You can set the installation state to Installed on First Use in Office Setup for the Office programs on the Programs menu.
  • A separate icon appears on the taskbar for each open document in an Office program.
The Windows Desktop Update also corrects various problems with copying, moving, sending, or cutting files from Web folders.

When Is the Windows Desktop Update Installed?

If your operating system is Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, you must install Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 with Service Pack 1 or 2, and then click Yes when asked whether you want to install the Windows Desktop Update.

NOTE: Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 2000, and Microsoft Windows Me have the correct version of the Windows Desktop Update pre-installed.

If you installed Internet Explorer 4.01 with Service Pack 1 or 2 and chose not to install the Windows Desktop Update, you can install the Windows Desktop Update by opening Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.

For more information about how to add the Windows Desktop Update, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

165695 How to add or remove Windows Desktop update

Internet Explorer 5 Does Not Install the Windows Desktop Update

To install or upgrade the Windows Desktop Update, you must install Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 or SP2 before you install Internet Explorer 5. Additionally, you can use a transform to deploy the Windows Desktop Update with Internet Explorer 5.0.

For more information about how to install the Windows Desktop Update with a transform, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

296468 How to create Windows Installer shortcuts with one restart

Knowledge Base Articles About the Absence of Windows Desktop Update and How This Affects Office XP

The following is a comprehensive list of Knowledge Base articles about how the presence or absence of the Windows Desktop Update affects the functionality of Office XP:

296446 Only one icon appears in Taskbar when "Windows in Taskbar" is selected

290372 Disk space requirements for Microsoft Office

290379 Office Shortcut Tab is unavailable

822238 How to understand the repair feature in Office 2003

220588 Contents of the Internet Explorer 5 Ie.txt file

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/3/2006
Keywords:kbhowto KB290557
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