OFF: "Cannot Find Share.exe" Installing MS Office Under Windows 95/98 |
Q166673
The information in this article applies to:
-
Microsoft Office for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.2, 4.3
-
Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0, 5.0a
-
Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a
-
Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows, versions 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 4.0a
-
Microsoft Access 2.0
-
Microsoft Windows 95
-
Microsoft Windows 98
-
Microsoft Works for Windows, version 3.0
SYMPTOMS
When you install one of the products listed in the banner section of this article, you may receive the following error message:
Cannot find share.exe
CAUSE
This problem occurs when the following conditions are true:
- You are running Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) or Windows 98.
-or-
- The Share.exe file is not in your Windows\Command folder.
-or-
- The file Share.exe is on the computer, but is not in a folder included
in the PATH statement.
-or-
- The file Share.exe is corrupt.
The Setup programs for Microsoft Office 4.2, Microsoft Office 4.3, and the
stand-alone versions of Microsoft Excel 5.0, Microsoft Word 6.0, and
Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0, require that the Share.exe file be installed.
Microsoft Windows 95 OSR2 and Microsoft Windows 98 use a virtual device
driver and do not require Share.exe. If Share.exe is not on the computer
when you attempt to install the programs listed at the beginning of this
article, you may not be able to install the program.
WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, use one of the following methods.
Method 1
To resolve this problem, install either a "c" version or a later version
of the program. For example:
"c" versions
------------
Microsoft Office 4.2c
Microsoft Office 4.3c
Microsoft Excel 5.0c
Microsoft Word 6.0c
Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0c
Microsoft Access 2.0c
Later versions
--------------
programs included in Microsoft Office 95
programs included in Microsoft Office 97
To obtain the "c" version of your program, call the Microsoft Order Desk at (800) 360-7561 [and
request the "c" version of the Office program you are using]. If you are outside the United States, contact the Microsoft
subsidiary for your area. To locate your subsidiary, see the Microsoft
World Wide Offices Web page at:
http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/default.htm
Method 2
You can successfully install the programs listed at the beginning of this
article on a computer running Microsoft Windows 95 by creating a zero-byte
Share.exe file. To do this, use the following steps:
- On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Notepad.
- On the File menu, click Save As.
- In the Save In box, click drive C to save the file in the root
directory.
- In the Save As dialog box, type "share.exe" (include the quotation marks) in the File Name box, and then click Save.
- Restart the computer.
- Restart the setup program for Microsoft Office 4.2, Microsoft Office
4.3, Microsoft Excel 5.0, Microsoft Word 6.0, or Microsoft PowerPoint
4.0.
STATUS
This problem was corrected in Microsoft Office 4.2c, Microsoft Office
4.3c, Microsoft Excel 5.0c, Microsoft Word 6.0c, and Microsoft PowerPoint
4.0c for Windows.
MORE INFORMATION
Windows 95 uses the virtual device driver Vshare.386 instead of Share.exe.
Share.exe is installed by Microsoft Windows 95 for backward compatibility
but is not installed by Microsoft Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2)
or Microsoft Windows 98. The programs listed at the beginning of this
article require that Share.exe be located on the computer in a folder
included in the PATH statement.
Note that if Vshare.386 is loaded by Windows 95, these programs do not
require Share.exe after installation.
REFERENCES
For more information about Share.exe, see the following articles in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q161619 Share.exe Is Not Supported in Windows 95 OSR2 or Windows 98
Q106499 XL5 Err Msg: "Must Exit Windows and Load SHARE.EXE..."
Q113355 ACC2: How Microsoft Access Uses SHARE.EXE (2.0)
Additional query words:
win98 vshare osr2 oem windows win95 winworks w_works