>Let me expand a bit on where I want to go with this because having to add the class name defeats the purpose. I want to be able to let the user select a file and then just do a GETOBJECT() to open the appropriate program, Word, Excel, etc. So I don't want to have to name the class to use in GETOBJECT(). Yes, I know I could grab the .doc or .xls extension from the file and create the appropriate type of object with CREATEOBJECT(), but I'd rather be able to use GETOBJECT() and have it figure it out.

But I think Bret's point is that the association may not be right on the student machines. What happens if you double-click a DOC in Explorer on those machines? Does Word open? If not, there's your problem.

Tamar