Installing Word 6.0 under Windows 95




Although I have now installed Windows 95, I still use Word 6.0 for Windows 3.11. When I tried to install Word 6.0, I received an error message telling me that share.exe could not be found. I am aware that Windows 95 does not need this file, and does not recognise the previous DOS version of share.exe. I have forgotten how I originally overcame the problem.
My 1.2Gb hard drive is a disgusting mess and in dire need of a complete clean-up -- reformatting and possibly repartitioning into two smaller drives to get the benefit of smaller cluster size and thus more useable disk space. So, in short, I will have to reinstall Word 6.0. Is there a simple way?
At this stage I have no intention of upgrading to Word 7.0. I use Word 7.0 at work on a Pentium 166 and find it is slower than Word 6.0 on my own Pentium 100.
- Eddie Bechta


Share.exe is a DOS program which enables file-sharing and file-locking. Windows for Workgroups and Windows 95 do not require share.exe to carry out these functions. Unfortunately, Word 6.0 is not aware of this -- its setup program expects to find this file and will not complete if it can't find it. The setup programs for Office 4.2 and 4.3, Excel 5.0 and PowerPoint 4.0 are similarly affected.
To solve the problem, Microsoft recommend that you go out and buy the latest version of the program. Hmm. But they are kind enough to point out an alternative (cheaper) method too. Although the Word setup program will not proceed if it can't find share.exe, it's not interested in whether it finds the real share.exe -- any file by that name will do.
The quickest fix, then, is to save a blank document in Notepad. Call it share.exe, save it to the root directory of Drive C:, and Word will install itself quite happily.
- Neville Clarkson


Category: Word processing
Issue: Sep 1997
Pages: 156

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