Loss of Memory After Editing Screen-Capture Bitmap

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a

SYMPTOMS

After you edit a bitmap that you created by pressing PRINT SCREEN or ALT+PRINT SCREEN to capture the current screen display, Word for Windows may have very little available memory, and either of the following error messages may occur:

   This is an invalid embedded object.

   -or-

   Out of memory.

Note: To check available memory in Word, choose About Microsoft Word from the Help menu, and then choose the System Info button.

CAUSE

The editing of an embedded screen capture object consumes available memory, which Word should restore when you finish editing the object. However, Word does not release the memory, which leaves you with insufficient memory for subsequent Word operations.

Furthermore, Word does not release the memory when you close the file that contains the screen capture object. You must quit and restart Word to restore available system memory.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Word versions 6.0 and 6.0a for Windows. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

WORKAROUND

Paste the screen capture object in Windows Paintbrush, save it as a bitmap (.BMP) file, then insert the .BMP file in your Word document.