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SuperNova 25 and Office 2021 (32‑bit) Compatibility Issue

Office applications become unresponsive when launched alongside SuperNova

Overview

Some users running SuperNova version 25 in combination with Microsoft Office 2021 (32‑bit) may experience a compatibility issue where Office applications—such as Word, Excel, or Outlook—fail to open and become unresponsive immediately on startup. When this occurs, users are unable to use Office applications while SuperNova is running.

This issue is caused by a conflict between the 32‑bit Office suite and SuperNova’s dol_hook module, which is responsible for application accessibility integration.

Symptoms
  • Office applications freeze or stop responding on launch
  • Word, Excel, Outlook, or other Office programs never fully open
  • Issue only occurs when SuperNova 25 is running
  • No error message is displayed
Affected Versions
  • SuperNova 25
  • Microsoft Office 2021 (32‑bit edition)
Primary Workaround: Upgrade Office to 64‑bit

The most reliable and recommended solution is to upgrade Microsoft Office 2021 from 32‑bit to 64‑bit, or install a more modern 64‑bit version of Microsoft Office.

This resolves the compatibility issue entirely and ensures full functionality with SuperNova.

Alternative Workaround: Create dol_hook Exclusions

If upgrading Office is not immediately possible, you can manually create exclusion entries in the Windows Registry to prevent SuperNova’s dol_hook module from attaching to Office processes.

To do this create the following registry keys replacing APPLICATION with the respective office suite process (winword/excel/outlook):

Key 1:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Dolphin\dol_hook]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Dolphin\dol_hook\APPLICATION]
"interfaces"=dword:00000000
"functions"=dword:00000000
"process"=dword:00000000

Key 2:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Dolphin\dol_hook]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Dolphin\dol_hook\APPLICATION]
"interfaces"=dword:00000000
"functions"=dword:00000000
"process"=dword:00000000

Disclaimer: Dolphin Computer Access Ltd. cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Before attempting the following, create a backup copy of your Windows Registry and a system restore point. Failure to do this may result in a non-recoverable system.

This article was last edited 09/06/2026.