Cannot follow hyperlink to Office document

When you click a hyperlink in a Microsoft Word document or a Microsoft Excel worksheet, either the hyperlink does not go to the correct destination, or nothing happens.

This problem occurs if the following conditions are true:

• The hyperlink links to a local file that uses the "file:" protocol.
• You use the workaround that is described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
  218153 Error message when clicking hyperlink in Office: "Cannot locate the Internet server or proxy server"

How to obtain the hotfix

This issue is fixed in the Word 2002 post-Service Pack 3 Hotfix Package that is dated February 20, 2006. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To work around this issue, you can modify the Windows registry to open a Word document or an Excel worksheet without using DDE.

When ShellExecute specifies "open," the setting in the following workaround prevents "open" from using the DDE key for opening a document or worksheet. If you open a file by using Windows Explorer, DDE is used as usual.

Note If you change the open method, you may experience performance problems in Word. Or, you may not be able to open files in the same instance of Word and of Excel from the Windows shell. Only change the open method if you are using a version of Office that is not covered by the hotfix package that is described in the "Resolution" section.

Modify the registry for Word

1. Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. In Registry Editor, browse to the following subkey:
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.8\shell
3. In the shell key, double-click Default, and then type OpenDDE in the Value data box.
4. Right-click the Open key and click Rename. Type OpenDDE.
5. Right-click the Shell key, point to New, and then click Key.
6. Name the new subkey Open.
7. Double-click Default in the Open key, and then type Open without DDE in the Value data box.
8. Right-click the Open key, point to New, and then click Key.
9. Name the new subkey Command.
10. Double-click Default in the Command key, and then type
    "installation path\Winword.exe" /f "%1"
11. On the File menu, click Exit.

Note When you use the /t switch, Word is started, and the existing file is opened. When you use the /f switch, Word is started, and "Document 1" of a new document that is based on the existing file is opened.

For more information about how to use command-line switches when you start Word, visit the following Microsoft Office Online Web site: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/FX100487981033.aspx

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.