XL2000: "Can't Find Project or Library" When You Run a Macro

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This article was previously published under Q213524

Symptoms

In Microsoft Excel, when you attempt to run a Visual Basic for Applications macro to insert a Visual Basic module into a workbook or to record a new macro, you may receive the following error message:

Can't find project or library

When you click OK, the References dialog box appears. One or both of the following items are listed in the Available References list:

MISSING: Microsoft Office 9.0 Object Library

MISSING: OLE Automation

NOTE: When you record a new Visual Basic macro, you may also receive the following error message:

Unable to record.

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Cause

This problem occurs when all of the following conditions are true:

You create a workbook that contains a reference either to the Microsoft Office 9.0 Object Library or to the OLE Automation library.

NOTE: If you create the workbook in Microsoft Excel 2000 or if you use the References dialog box in Microsoft Excel 2000 to create the reference, the workbook may contain such a reference.

-and-
In Microsoft Excel 2000, you saved the workbook in the Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook format.

-and-
You opened the workbook in Microsoft Excel 5.0 or 7.0 and attempted to run a macro, to insert a Visual Basic module into the workbook, or to record a new macro.

-and-
No Microsoft Office 2000 program is installed on the computer on which you are running Microsoft Excel 5.0 or 7.0.

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Workaround

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Disable Missing References in the References Dialog Box

If the References dialog box appears when you attempt to run a macro, to insert a macro, or to record a new macro, follow these steps:

In the Available References list, clear any check boxes to the left of references that are labeled "MISSING."
After you clear all the missing references, click OK.

NOTE: Save the workbook before you close it. Otherwise, the change to the References dialog box may not be saved.

Method 2: Remove References in Microsoft Excel 2000

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You can prevent the References dialog box from appearing in Microsoft Excel 5.0 or 7.0 by removing references that are potentially missing from the workbook while it is open in Microsoft Excel 2000. The following sample macro removes references:

   Sub RemoveLibraryReferences()
       On Error Resume Next
       Dim xObject As Object
       Set xObject = ThisWorkbook.VBProject.References.Item("Office")
       ThisWorkbook.VBProject.References.Remove xObject
       Set xObject = ThisWorkbook.VBProject.References.Item("stdole")
       ThisWorkbook.VBProject.References.Remove xObject
   End Sub

When you run the macro, it programmatically removes the reference to the Microsoft Office 9.0 Object Library and OLE Automation from the workbook. You can then save the workbook in the Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook format. When you open the workbook in Microsoft Excel 5.0 or 7.0, and then run a macro, insert a module, or record a new macro, the error message does not appear.

NOTE: You cannot run this macro in Microsoft Excel 5.0 or 7.0. The macro works only in Microsoft Excel 97 or later.

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More information

When you use a workbook that is saved in the Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook format in Microsoft Excel 5.0 and 7.0, this problem may occur when the Microsoft Office 9.0 Object Library (Mso9.dll) or OLE Automation (Stdole2.tlb) is unavailable. If you install any of the Microsoft Office 2000 programs on your computer, the Mso9.dll and Stdole2.tlb files should be available.

Note that this problem occurs only if the workbook contains a reference to the Microsoft Office 9.0 Object Library or to OLE Automation. In Microsoft Excel 2000, you can view references by clicking References on the Tools menu in the Visual Basic Editor. In Microsoft Excel 5.0 or 7.0, you can view references by clicking References on the Tools menu when a Visual Basic module is the active sheet.

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