Images and text are distorted when you use Outlook 2003 to modify a RTF e-mail message that contains embedded Excel 2003 data

If you modify a Rich Text Format (RTF) e-mail message in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 that contains embedded Microsoft Office Excel 2003 data, the images, the text, or both may be distorted.

This problem was first fixed in a hotfix that is now contained in a service pack. If you installed the latest Office 2003 service pack, you do not have to install the hotfix.

Service pack information

This problem is corrected in Office 2003 Service Pack 2.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Office 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

After you install the service pack, follow the steps that are listed in the "More Information" section of the article to set the UseCachedOleSize registry key and to activate the hotfix.

Hotfix information

How to obtain the hotfix

This issue is fixed in the Excel 2003 post-Service Pack 1 Hotfix Package dated September 3, 2004. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: After you install this hotfix, follow the steps that are listed in the "More Information" section of this article to set the UseCachedOleSize registry key and to activate the hotfix.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section. This problem was first corrected in Office 2003 Service Pack 2.

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To activate this hotfix, follow these steps:

1. Quit Excel 2003.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
4. Locate and then click to select the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Options
5. After you select the key that is specified in step 4, point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.
6. Type UseCachedOleSize, and then press ENTER.
7. Right-click UseCachedOleSize, and then click Modify.
8. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
9. On the File menu, click Exit to quit Registry Editor.