Updating office and getting an error message (Office for Windows)

Anonymous
2020-02-11T19:34:37+00:00

I have tried to open a word / excel document. 

It says it is updating, please wait a moment. 

After a few minutes I get a message saying: 

WINWORD.EXE - Application Error - This application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142). Click OK to close the application.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-04-05T18:55:26+00:00

    I ran Systems File Checker last night. So far, so good. Since this is an intermittent problem, time will tell. I'll post results in a few days.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-04-05T18:52:30+00:00

    Thanks. Very helpful!

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-04-04T12:30:15+00:00

    I was having the ipdating problem with office PRIOR to getting 365. Had same problem with stand alone outlook.

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  4. Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2021-04-04T09:02:12+00:00

    I find that I am having problems with Win 10. MS Edge, and Powerpoint. It worked fine till 3 am today (3/30). Then an update went through the computer and a restart.  I can access the MS tools only if I go through the tools on the MS site. My subscription is paid annually through the same university I have been at for the last three years. I can access it on my phone, but not the laptop. 

    Rebecca,

    Since the issue is not only with Office programs, you may have to repair the Windows system files. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e.

    If you find that a specific Windows update is causing trouble, you can try uninstalling it. 

    On the other hand, if Windows Update appears not to be working the way it should, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-update-troubleshooter-for-windows-10-19bc41ca-ad72-ae67-af3c-89ce169755dd.

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  5. Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2021-04-04T08:55:56+00:00

    I'm thinking of getting rid of 365 and buying local versions of office. Seems no one at Microsoft or volunteers can resolve the issue.

    Are you getting the "Application Error - This application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)" error message?

    I doubt that replacing a subscription with a perpetual license would fix the issue.

    Anyway, you may want to try a few more steps, if you haven't already done so. If repairing Office fails, try running the System File Checker. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e (and note that the steps are slightly different for Windows 10).

    If the problem remains, you may have to uninstall Office using the Uninstall support tool (Option 2 in the article at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/uninstall-office-from-a-pc-9dd49b83-264a-477a-8fcc-2fdf5dbf61d8) and then start fresh with a reinstallation.

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