"Cannot Connect to the FTP Server" Error Message When You Access an FTP Site (817136)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office Access 2003
  • Microsoft Office Excel 2003
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
  • Microsoft Office Word 2003

SYMPTOMS

When you try to open a file from a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site in an Office 2003 program, you may receive error messages that are similar to the following:
Cannot connect to the FTP server on the computer named 'ftp.microsoft.com'.
-and-
The folder 'ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/' isn't accessible. The folder may be located in an unavailable location, protected with a password, or the filename contains a / or \.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if your computer is connected to the Internet by a proxy server, and the FTP proxy settings in Microsoft Internet Explorer are not correct.

RESOLUTION

To prevent this problem from occurring, correct the FTP proxy settings. To do this, follow these steps:

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.
  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Internet Options.
  3. In the Internet Properties dialog box, click the Connections tab, and then click LAN Settings.
  4. In the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog box, click Advanced under Proxy server.
  5. In the Proxy Settings dialog box, click to clear the Use the same proxy server for all protocols check box under Servers.
  6. In the FTP box, type the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for your FTP gateway server. The following is an example of the syntax to use:

    ftp://ftpgate

  7. Press TAB to move the insertion point to the Port box that is to the right of the FTP box. Press DELETE to clear the box, and then click OK three times to accept the changes and close the Internet Properties dialog box.
If you still cannot connect to an FTP site, ask your network administrator if you are referring to the correct FTP gateway server.

To verify the FTP server name:
  1. On the File menu, click Open.
  2. In the Look in box, click Add/Modify FTP Locations.
  3. In the Add/Modify FTP Locations dialog box, click the name of the FTP server that you want to access, and then click Remove.
  4. After you remove the location, type the FTP server name in the Name of FTP site box, and then click OK.
Note You may have to quit and restart the program before you connect to an external FTP site.

MORE INFORMATION

In Office 2003 programs, you can use the Open dialog box to connect to an FTP site on the Internet or on a local intranet. To do this:
  1. On the File menu, click Open.
  2. In the Look in box, locate the FTP site that you want to access. If it is not listed, you can add a new location. To do this:
    1. In the Look in box, click Add/Modify FTP Locations.
    2. In the Add/Modify FTP Locations dialog box, type the name of the FTP site that you want to access, select a logon type (Anonymous or User), type the password if it is required, and then click OK.

      Note If you select User, you must type the user name in the User box.
  3. In the Open dialog box, click the name of the FTP site that you want to access, and then click Open.
The contents of the FTP site are now listed in the Open dialog box. You can open folders and files as if they were stored on your local hard disk.

When you access an external FTP site through Internet Explorer, only the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) proxy settings must be correct. This is true because Internet Explorer uses the HTTP protocol, the standard protocol for accessing information on the World Wide Web, to emulate FTP when you connect to an FTP site.

Office 2003 programs require that the FTP proxy settings be correct when you access an external FTP site. This is required because these programs do not use the HTTP protocol to emulate FTP. Instead, the FTP proxy settings are used. If you click to select the Use the same proxy server for all protocols check box in the Internet Options dialog box, you may not be able to access external FTP sites with Office programs.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:3/23/2006
Keywords:kbprb kberrmsg KB817136
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