Problems Running FreeCell And Solitaire with Office XP Installed (304402)

SYMPTOMS

When you try to start FreeCell or Solitaire, you may receive the following error message:

This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. Quit all programs, and then restart your computer. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

If you then click Details, you may receive one of the following informational messages or one that is similar to it.

FreeCell on Non-English Versions of Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition

FREECELL caused a General Protection Fault in module CARDS.DLL at 0002:00003077.

Solitaire on All versions of Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition (Me)

SOL caused a General Protection Fault in module KRNL386.EXE at 0001:00000903.

CAUSE

This problem can occur with English and non-English language versions of Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition, and the English-language version of Windows Me if Ctfmon.exe is running. Ctfmon.exe runs if you have installed Microsoft Office XP with the Office Shared Features/Alternative User Input feature. FreeCell (Freecell.exe) and Solitaire (Sol.exe) do not provide sufficient stack space to accommodate the needs of Ctfmon.exe.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, prevent Ctfmon.exe from running. For information about how to prevent Ctfmon.exe from running, please see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

282599 OFFXP: What Is CTFMON and What Does It Do?

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

FreeCell Only

This problem was corrected in Windows Millennium Edition.