OFF2000: "'\\Server' Could Not Be Found" Error Message When You Click Hyperlink

When you click a hyperlink to a Microsoft Excel workbook, you may receive the following error message where Server is the name of the computer that you are trying to access.

This error can occur when you click a hyperlink to a Microsoft Excel workbook, and either of the following is true:

• You have not installed the Active Desktop with Microsoft Internet Explorer.
  
  -or-
• You have a Windows system policy to hide the Network Neighborhood.

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language. The global version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel. After the hotfix is installed, the global version of this fix will have the file attributes (or later):This fix is a post-Office 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP-3) fix. To install the fix, you must have Office 2000 SP-3 installed. For additional information about Office 2000 SP-3, click the following article number to see the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Additionally, you may have to install Windows Installer 2.0 to install this fix. For additional information about the Windows Installer requirement for post-Office 2000 SP-3 fixes, click the following article number to see the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To work around this issue, use either of the following methods to install the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) networking components.

Method 1: Install Active Desktop

You must install the Active Desktop, which is included in the Desktop Update for Internet Explorer. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Method 2: Unhide the Network Neighborhood Icon

Modify the system policy to display the Network Neighborhood icon. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Universal naming convention (UNC) networking components are required when you open hyperlinks that use UNC connections. For example, a hyperlink in a Microsoft Word document that links to an Excel workbook by using the format \\Computer2\Accounts\Book1.xls does not work if UNC networking components are not installed.

To verify whether UNC networking components are installed, browse directly to the same network location from the Windows Start menu. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start and then click Run. In the Open box, type \\Computer2\Accounts.
2. Click OK.

If the following error message appears the UNC networking components are not installed. Follow the steps in the "Resolution" section to install these components.