WD97: Invalid Page Fault in Word at Startup When Disk Space Low

• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

If you attempt to start Word 97 when you have fewer than 7 megabytes (MB) of free hard disk space, you may receive the following error:

   This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
   If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

   Clicking the Details button shows:

      WINWORD caused an invalid page fault in module WINWORD.EXE.

RESOLUTION

Acquire more hard disk space either by adding a larger disk drive, by deleting unwanted files, or by using a disk compression utility.

If you have an earlier version of Office that you are upgrading, you may be able to create extra hard disk space by removing old Office components.

   Run the Microsoft Office Upgrade Wizard, which is located in the
   ValuPack\OffClean folder on the Microsoft Office 97 compact disc, and
   choose which earlier components to remove or keep. To start the
   wizard, double-click the Offcln97.exe file and follow the
   instructions.

     When the Microsoft Office Upgrade Wizard is finished removing files,
     run the Microsoft Office 97 Setup program and click No when you are
     prompted to remove the older components.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.