What is Microsoft OLE Extension? Do I need it?

[dotlyc@sympatico.ca]

I recently used the Extensions Manager to do some troubleshooting and
before it switched settings on me, it made a note of "Missing Extensions."
One of these was something called "Microsoft OLE Extension."
Can anyone tell me what this is and what it does? Its disappearance is
a mystery and I'm not having any troubles that would seem to obviously
connected with it.
The only Microsoft software I have on my computer is Office 98, which
I'm using with OS 9.2.2. The apps appear to be working fine -- although
I've been having some problems with Word seeming to lose some preferences
at times (mostly after a hard reset). Also, I did have some trouble
opening a Powerpoint presentation that via email came from a Windows
users. It appeared to be corrupted. I've since downloaded other
Windows-based PP files without difficulty.
Internet Explorer was installed but I don't use it and put it into a
Stuffit Archive a long time ago.
I checked a list that I made in January of all the files in the System
Folder and it was there then. Now, in July, it's gone. It's not in the
Extensions (Disabled) folder either. I don't make a habit of randomly
throwing out extensions, so I don't think I did anything to make this
disappear.
So, what is it? And do I need it? I've apparently been getting along
without it for some time.

--
[email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]

[Jerry Kindall]

In article <dotlyc-2507031254210001@10.0.1.2>, <dotlyc@sympatico.ca>
wrote:

> I recently used the Extensions Manager to do some troubleshooting and
> before it switched settings on me, it made a note of "Missing Extensions."
> One of these was something called "Microsoft OLE Extension."
> Can anyone tell me what this is and what it does? Its disappearance is
> a mystery and I'm not having any troubles that would seem to obviously
> connected with it.
> The only Microsoft software I have on my computer is Office 98, which
> I'm using with OS 9.2.2. The apps appear to be working fine -- although
> I've been having some problems with Word seeming to lose some preferences
> at times (mostly after a hard reset). Also, I did have some trouble
> opening a Powerpoint presentation that via email came from a Windows
> users. It appeared to be corrupted. I've since downloaded other
> Windows-based PP files without difficulty.
> Internet Explorer was installed but I don't use it and put it into a
> Stuffit Archive a long time ago.
> I checked a list that I made in January of all the files in the System
> Folder and it was there then. Now, in July, it's gone. It's not in the
> Extensions (Disabled) folder either. I don't make a habit of randomly
> throwing out extensions, so I don't think I did anything to make this
> disappear.
> So, what is it? And do I need it? I've apparently been getting along
> without it for some time.

OLE is Object Linking and Embedding. If you try to paste an Excel
spreadsheet into a Word document, you will find that it won't work with
out this library.

I believe Adobe PageMaker also wants it.

--
Jerry Kindall, Seattle, WA <http://www.jerrykindall.com/>

When replying by e-mail, use plain text ONLY to make sure I read it.
Due to spam and viruses, I filter all mail with HTML or attachments.

[D.F. Manno]

In article <dotlyc-2507031254210001@10.0.1.2>, [email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]
wrote:

> I recently used the Extensions Manager to do some troubleshooting and
> before it switched settings on me, it made a note of "Missing Extensions."
> One of these was something called "Microsoft OLE Extension."
> Can anyone tell me what this is and what it does? Its disappearance is
> a mystery and I'm not having any troubles that would seem to obviously
> connected with it.
> The only Microsoft software I have on my computer is Office 98, which
> I'm using with OS 9.2.2.

If you're using Office, then yes, you need that extension. It should
have been installed when you installed Office.
--
D.F. Manno
[email]dommanno@netscape.net[/email]
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." (Benjamin Franklin)

[dotlyc@sympatico.ca]

In article <250720031041413504%jerrykindall@nospam.invalid> ,
[email]usenet2@jerrykindall.com[/email] wrote:

> OLE is Object Linking and Embedding. If you try to paste an Excel
> spreadsheet into a Word document, you will find that it won't work with
> out this library.

Ah. I've never done that, so that's why I haven't noticed any problems.
Thanks for the info.

--
[email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]

[dotlyc@sympatico.ca]

In article <dommanno-2A941F.14031625072003@corp-radius.supernews.com>,
"D.F. Manno" <dommanno@netscape.net> wrote:

> In article <dotlyc-2507031254210001@10.0.1.2>, [email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]
> wrote:
>

> > I recently used the Extensions Manager to do some troubleshooting and
> > before it switched settings on me, it made a note of "Missing Extensions."
> > One of these was something called "Microsoft OLE Extension."
> > Can anyone tell me what this is and what it does? Its disappearance is
> > a mystery and I'm not having any troubles that would seem to obviously
> > connected with it.
> > The only Microsoft software I have on my computer is Office 98, which
> > I'm using with OS 9.2.2.

>
> If you're using Office, then yes, you need that extension. It should
> have been installed when you installed Office.

It was installed at one time -- I can see it on the list of extensions
that I recorded in January. I would have a copy on a backup System disk I
made at the time -- can I just drag a copy to the System folder?
I can't imagine how it disappeared. I'm pretty sure that I did not
deliberately delete it -- although it's not beyond the realm of
possibility that I accidentally swept it up while deleting something else.

Can a hard reset cause an extension to spontaneously disappear? I've
never heard of such a thing.

--
[email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]

[dotlyc@sympatico.ca]

In article <250720031041413504%jerrykindall@nospam.invalid> ,
[email]usenet2@jerrykindall.com[/email] wrote:

> OLE is Object Linking and Embedding. If you try to paste an Excel
> spreadsheet into a Word document, you will find that it won't work with
> out this library.

Could this possibily have accounted for the fact that I couldn't open a
Windows Powerpoint presentation? It went through the motions of converting
the individual slides but when it came to the end (or what I thought was
the end anyway), PP froze and crashed my system.
I still have a copy of the faulty file. It might be worth trying to
open it again when I restore the OLE extension.

--
[email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]

[Jerry Kindall]

In article <dotlyc-2507031533030001@10.0.1.2>, <dotlyc@sympatico.ca>
wrote:

> In article <250720031041413504%jerrykindall@nospam.invalid> ,
> [email]usenet2@jerrykindall.com[/email] wrote:
>

> > OLE is Object Linking and Embedding. If you try to paste an Excel
> > spreadsheet into a Word document, you will find that it won't work with
> > out this library.

>
> Could this possibily have accounted for the fact that I couldn't open a
> Windows Powerpoint presentation? It went through the motions of converting
> the individual slides but when it came to the end (or what I thought was
> the end anyway), PP froze and crashed my system.
> I still have a copy of the faulty file. It might be worth trying to
> open it again when I restore the OLE extension.

You'd have to ask Microsoft to know for sure, but I'd say it's not
impossible. :)

Look for a program called Office First Run and run it. This is the
program Office uses to install all those libraries the first time. It
shouldn't matter whether you can find a copy elsewhere.

At least I seem to remember that Microsoft was using the "first run"
technique for Office 98. If not, reinstalling Office from CD should do
the trick.

--
Jerry Kindall, Seattle, WA <http://www.jerrykindall.com/>

When replying by e-mail, use plain text ONLY to make sure I read it.
Due to spam and viruses, I filter all mail with HTML or attachments.

[AES/newspost]

In article <dotlyc-2507031528480001@10.0.1.2>, [email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]
wrote:

> made at the time -- can I just drag a copy to the System folder?

In all my experience with extensions up through OS 9.2, answer is "yes"
(may have to restart to make it active).

Try just dragging it onto the System folder -- you may get a message
saying "This file should go in the Extensions folder, is it OK to put it
there?"

[Alan Baker]

In article <dotlyc-2507031254210001@10.0.1.2>, [email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]
wrote:

> I recently used the Extensions Manager to do some troubleshooting and
> before it switched settings on me, it made a note of "Missing Extensions."
> One of these was something called "Microsoft OLE Extension."
> Can anyone tell me what this is and what it does? Its disappearance is
> a mystery and I'm not having any troubles that would seem to obviously
> connected with it.
> The only Microsoft software I have on my computer is Office 98, which
> I'm using with OS 9.2.2. The apps appear to be working fine -- although
> I've been having some problems with Word seeming to lose some preferences
> at times (mostly after a hard reset). Also, I did have some trouble
> opening a Powerpoint presentation that via email came from a Windows
> users. It appeared to be corrupted. I've since downloaded other
> Windows-based PP files without difficulty.
> Internet Explorer was installed but I don't use it and put it into a
> Stuffit Archive a long time ago.
> I checked a list that I made in January of all the files in the System
> Folder and it was there then. Now, in July, it's gone. It's not in the
> Extensions (Disabled) folder either. I don't make a habit of randomly
> throwing out extensions, so I don't think I did anything to make this
> disappear.
> So, what is it? And do I need it? I've apparently been getting along
> without it for some time.

You only need the "Microsoft OLE Extension" if you use applications that
make use of OLE *and* are written for the 680x0 processors;
*pre*-PowerMac programs.

That's what it does: make OLE services available to non-PPC programs.

--
Alan Baker
Vancouver, British Columbia
"If you raise the ceiling 4 feet, move the fireplace from that wall
to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect
if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard."

[dotlyc@sympatico.ca]

In article <alangbaker-F51455.01544527072003@news.telus.net>, Alan Baker
<alangbaker@telus.net> wrote:

> In article <dotlyc-2507031254210001@10.0.1.2>, [email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]
> wrote:
>

> > I recently used the Extensions Manager to do some troubleshooting and
> > before it switched settings on me, it made a note of "Missing Extensions."
> > One of these was something called "Microsoft OLE Extension."

> > So, what is it? And do I need it? I've apparently been getting along
> > without it for some time.

>
> You only need the "Microsoft OLE Extension" if you use applications that
> make use of OLE *and* are written for the 680x0 processors;
> *pre*-PowerMac programs.
>
> That's what it does: make OLE services available to non-PPC programs.

Okay, this is helpful. I dug around a bit and came up with an old
newsgroup article that says "Microsoft OLE Extension is not a part of
Office 98, but is
sometimes installed by other programs. It is obsolete and should be deleted."
If I ever had a non-PPC program that needs it, I don't use it now
because I've had no problem using any of the Office programs. I think I'll
just leave it alone for now.
Thanks.

--
[email]dotlyc@sympatico.ca[/email]