These are known problems that can occur when applying the Office 97 Service Release 1 patch:
Problems that are caused by SR-1
- SR-1 patch can’t ‘see’ Office 97 on the computer due to missing registry entries
- Patch will not run if you had the ‘Kinkos’ Office 97 trial version on that computer at some stage (even if it was subsequently removed and full Office 97 was installed)
- SR-1 patch may not update properly - but not give an on screen error
- If you have Project 98 installed - applying the SR-1 will generate an error.
- SR-1 Patch will not run is you have Outlook v8.03 installed.
- If you install the Rules Wizard from either the ValuPack or from the Microsoft Web site, after installing the SR-1 patch, the new Outlhlp.cnt file for Outlook 8.02 will be overwritten with the old file designed for Outlook 8.0.
- Problems uninstalling Office after applying the Patch
- The SR-1 patch doesn’t cope with the presence of Outlook 98 betas - best to uninstall the beta, apply the patch, then reinstall Outlook 98.
- There is a general guide to Troubleshooting the SR-1 patch on the Microsoft web site.
The following are known problems that arise after installing Office 97 Service Release 1. Some only arise if you use the patch, others occur on the Enterprise Update too.
- Buttons in Close dialog incorrect (patch only)
- Adding a sub-folder in Outlook 97 gives you a "Add folder to Outlook Bar?" dialog - even if you choose "Don’t ask again" you always will be. (patch only)
- Invalid Page fault when closing a Word 97 document with an embedded Excel 97 worksheet.
- ‘Stop Hlink.dll’ error when using SR-1 on a Windows NT 4 (SP2 or SP3) and Internet Explorer 4 beta 1.
- The U.S. English Office SR-1 Patch doesn't install the E-mail Forms Fix Utility properly. If you use both the Microsoft Outlook 97 and Microsoft Exchange mail clients on the same machine install the E-mail Forms Fix Utility after installing the SR-1 Patch.
In addition, the original release of the SR-1 patch was faulty and could cause a serious problem when saving files. That patch was withdrawn on 16 August 1997 and a new patch put in place a few days later. Microsoft have a 'Patch Version Checker' program that purports to identify any version of Office patched with the faulty release - but it is of limited value. If in doubt, better to get the Enterprise Update CD and totally replace your current installation.