Hi @WichitaLawyer 
Sorry that it appears the error only decides to show up when using Smokeball. Not to worry, please take a look at the steps below and give them a go, in order.

1. Restart your computer
2. Enter 'Control Panel' into your computer search bar  →  Programs / Programs and Features  →  Find Microsoft 365 →  Right Click  →  Change → Select Quick Repair

Once this has completed repairing, please try re-opening Smokeball and see if that resolved the problem.

If it did not resolve the problem….Please see our Support Article with the next steps: 
My Smokeball is not connecting with Microsoft Applications

If you prefer, our friendly Support Team is always available to assist you with this! However, trying the steps mentioned above first, can help you resolve the issue yourself. Don't hesitate to reach out if you need any further assistance. 

same issue and this “fix” did not work for me.  Been having major issues with the software for a week and a half now on all of our computers.

Hi @LordAndOrder,

If the repair didn't work, you will need to uninstall the software and reinstall it to fix the issue. 
Please go back into programs and features as seen in the screenshot above, find Smokeball, right click and uninstall. Then, restart your computer.
To re download it, please download the correction version of Smokeball:

US:https://www.smokeball.com/download
AU: https://www.smokeball.com.au/download

This is of course, considering, you would like to fix the issue yourself. And also keeping in mind, it may not resolve the issue. But for most cases, if it is a Microsoft issue, that should resolve it. 

Alternatively, we encourage you to submit a ticket to the US Support Team that includes as much detail as possible as to what exactly is occurring for you.