mso20win32client.dll – Abending. Exception code: 0x012d9312, Crystal Reports, Office 365

Question

Environment:

• OS: Windows 10 1709
• Office 365: Ver. 1708
• Crystal Reports: 11.5

Over 200 laptops all created from the same image and kept up to date with patching, running the same applications.

Only 5% of our laptops are impacted but the problem has been steadily increasing since first reported. In Sept. 2018, we had 3 laptops with the problem. In Jan. 2019 we have 15 laptops with the problem. Adding about 3 a month.

Statement of Problem:

When Crystal Reports Print preview does an export to any of the listed file types, pdf, xls, etc. The following error is displayed, “The Operating System is not configured to run the application.”

The Windows Logs Application log in event viewer reports the following:

Faulting application name: CIM.EXE, version: 5.1.0.2, time stamp: 0x5b6c76ff
Faulting module name: mso20win32client.dll, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x5b6bbdaa
Exception code: 0x012d9312
Fault offset: 0x0012d8be
Faulting process id: 0xe1c
Faulting application start time: 0x01d4786440f7c042
Faulting application path: C:\SFA\CIM\CIM.EXE
Faulting module path: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Office16\mso20win32client.dll
Report Id: 68110840-d0fc-4792-9024-74d8a369843f
Faulting package full name: 
Faulting package-relative application ID:

Background:

Problem first appeared on 9/7. Coincidentally, KB4023057 first started installing on our laptops on 9/6. Office 365 was updated from ver. 1701 to 1708 with the August Windows updates.

Corrections:

Problem can be corrected in 3 ways, none of which suit our needs.

Downleveling Office 365 to 1701. Immediately clears the problem. Updating Ofc 365 to 1708 the problem is still there. Updating Office to 1801 or 1803 does not clear the problem.

Creating a new user profile clears the problem. The first users reporting the problem were created a new profile. In 2 months these same users now have the same problem. Re-imaging had the same results. The problem is limited to the impacted User Profile it does not apply to other user profiles on the same laptop.

Running the application Run As Administrator and then responding to the resulting UAC as the impacted user account, clears the problem. As this has to be done every time the application is launched it is not an accepted solution.

What does not correct the problem:

• Giving the User Account local Administrator rights does not correct the problem.
• Updating the impacted laptop to Windows OS 1803 or 1809, does not correct the problem.
• Uninstalling KB4023057 and/or the Flash Player updates does not correct the problem.
• Updating Ofc 365 to 1801 or 1803 does not correct the problem.
• Changing the Online Content or Signin to Office User Policies does not correct the problem.

To compound the problem:

Four users have had the problem go away after KB4023057 updates or Flash Player Updates. These same users have had the problem come back, sometimes months later. This is a program that our users use frequently.

Thoughts on the issue:

It appears to be a permissions/security issue. Possibly from changes in security with the Office 365 updates and Windows monthly updates. The UAC could be being blocked and the DLL can't programatically raise the UAC.

Any ideas would be appreciated.