Links to/from Office documents hang or fail

[pdmarks11]

I can no longer launch MS Office documents or URLs from either:

(a) Shortcuts, attached files, or plain-text URLs in Outlook or other
Office documents
(b) Select+Enter or Double-click on Office files within Windows
Explorer.

From (a) it hangs for 2-3 minutes (or more) then eventually opens (if I

don't lose patience and kill it first)

From (b) it hangs for 2-3 minutes (or more) then gives the error:

"there was a problem sending the command to the program"

Copy+pasting the URL directly to IE works fine; opening documents from
File->Open in any Office document works fine.

Microsoft.com/support has no answers. I have tried the following based
on similar problems in newsgroup postings, with no help:

- I disabled and exited firewall (ZoneAlarm) and antivirus (CA eTrust).
I also confirmed that 127.0.0.1 and 0.0.0.0 were already "trusted
networks" in ZoneAlarm.
- I used "Detect and Repair" from Word and Outlook
- I ran a complete virus scan with new signatures
- I ran a complete MS AntiSpyware scan, cleaned two minor offenders,
and rebooted
- Removed COM add-in from Outlook (Google search) and rebooted

This began on three days ago. It seemed to start soon after I changed
the IE security for "Active Scripting" in the Internet Zone to
"Prompt". However, I immediately changed it back to "Enable" and the
problem remains, so it could be coincidental.

I'm running Windows XP Pro SP2, Office 2003, IE 6.0

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You Cannot Open a New Internet Explorer Window or Nothing Happens
After You Click a Link
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q281679

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| I can no longer launch MS Office documents or URLs from either:
|
| (a) Shortcuts, attached files, or plain-text URLs in Outlook or other
| Office documents
| (b) Select+Enter or Double-click on Office files within Windows
| Explorer.
|
| >From (a) it hangs for 2-3 minutes (or more) then eventually opens (if I
| don't lose patience and kill it first)
| >From (b) it hangs for 2-3 minutes (or more) then gives the error:
| "there was a problem sending the command to the program"
|
| Copy+pasting the URL directly to IE works fine; opening documents from
| File->Open in any Office document works fine.
|
| Microsoft.com/support has no answers. I have tried the following based
| on similar problems in newsgroup postings, with no help:
|
| - I disabled and exited firewall (ZoneAlarm) and antivirus (CA eTrust).
| I also confirmed that 127.0.0.1 and 0.0.0.0 were already "trusted
| networks" in ZoneAlarm.
| - I used "Detect and Repair" from Word and Outlook
| - I ran a complete virus scan with new signatures
| - I ran a complete MS AntiSpyware scan, cleaned two minor offenders,
| and rebooted
| - Removed COM add-in from Outlook (Google search) and rebooted
|
| This began on three days ago. It seemed to start soon after I changed
| the IE security for "Active Scripting" in the Internet Zone to
| "Prompt". However, I immediately changed it back to "Enable" and the
| problem remains, so it could be coincidental.
|
| I'm running Windows XP Pro SP2, Office 2003, IE 6.0

 

[pdmarks11]

Thank you. However, this is not the problem:

- Links from web pages are fine. Only clicking links from within an
Office application is a problem.
- Launching Office applications are a problem too, not only links, from
Windows Explorer or any Office application.

To be sure, I followed the link you gave and the solution does not
apply. Any other ideas?

 

[Brian Tillman]

Thank you. However, this is not the problem:

- Links from web pages are fine. Only clicking links from within an
Office application is a problem.
- Launching Office applications are a problem too, not only links,
from Windows Explorer or any Office application.

To be sure, I followed the link you gave and the solution does not
apply. Any other ideas?

Did you try this? OPen IE and click Tools>Internet Options>Programs>Reset
Web Settings.

 

[pdmarks11]

Yes, I tried that--no change. Remember, this is only a problem for MS
Office documents.