Microsoft KB Archive/172327

= WD97: Can't Merge Documents with Tracked Changes =

Article ID: 172327

Article Last Modified on 1/20/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q172327



For a Microsoft Word 2000 version of this article, see 189241.



SYMPTOMS
If you attempt to use the Merge Documents feature to merge the tracked changes in two or more copies of the same document, you may receive the following error message:

The merged documents contain unmarked changes. Do you want to merge up to the first untracked change?

NOTE: If you click OK, Microsoft Word merges only up to the first unmarked change and selects it. Word does not add new material that is not marked as inserted text. If you click Cancel, Word cancels the merge.



CAUSE
This problem occurs when there are differences in the two documents that are not marked as tracked changes.



WORKAROUND
To complete the merge, you can either mark all differences between the copies as tracked changes, or compare documents by using the Compare Documents command. Use one of the following methods appropriate for your situation.

Method 1: Create a New Original Document to Compare
 In a blank, new Word document, point to Track Changes on the Tools menu, and then click Highlight Changes. In the Highlight Changes dialog box, click to select Track changes while editing and click OK. On the Insert menu, click File. In the Insert File dialog box, click to select the original document you want to compare to and click OK.

NOTE: All of the text inserted from the original file will now appear as tracked changes. On the Tools menu, point to Track Changes and click Accept or Reject Changes. In the Accept or Reject Changes dialog box, click Accept All. Click Yes to the following message:

Do you want to accept all remaining changes without reviewing them?

</li> Click Close to close the Accept or Reject Changes dialog box.</li> On the File menu, click Save and save the new file with a different name than the original file.</li></ol>

Use the new document to compare instead of the original.

Method 2: Accept or Reject All Changes in Original and Changed Documents
To compare documents correctly, you must turn off the Track Changes feature, accept (or reject) all tracked changes, and then run Compare Documents. To do this, follow these steps:
 * 1) Open the first document.
 * 2) On the Tools menu, point to Track Changes, and then click Highlight Changes.
 * 3) In the Highlight Changes dialog box, click to clear the Track Changes While Editing check box, and then click OK.
 * 4) On the Tools menu, point to Track Changes, and then click Accept Or Reject Changes.
 * 5) Use the Accept and Reject buttons to review the changes in the document.
 * 6) Save and close the document.
 * 7) Repeat steps 1 through 6 for the second document.

You can now compare the first document with the second document.

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STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

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MORE INFORMATION
To avoid this problem when comparing documents for changes, make sure that the original document to compare to does not contain tracked changes.

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