PSS ID Number: 290929
Article Last Modified on 4/20/2005
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Word 2002
This article was previously published under Q290929
For a Microsoft Word 2003 version of this article, see 822645.
For a Microsoft Word 2000 version of this article, see 236319.
For a Microsoft Word 97 version of this article, see 168198.
SUMMARY
This article is part 1 of a series of three Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that present a systematic approach to eliminating exception error messages in Microsoft Word 2002.
For more information and troubleshooting steps, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
290930 Part 2: Troubleshooting problems when Word 2002 has encountered a problem and has to close
290931 Part 3: Troubleshooting problems when Word 2002 encounters a problem and closes
MORE INFORMATION
Microsoft Word 2002 and Microsoft Office XP include two new tools for handling applications that stop responding (hang) when you start them. These tools are Microsoft Office Application Recovery and Microsoft Office Safe Mode. With these new features, most invalid page faults and exception errors will be concealed during the recovery process. However, you will still have the ability to view what caused the error.
When Word stops responding, the Microsoft Office Application Recovery tool displays the following error message:
At this point you, you can attempt to recover your work and restart Microsoft Word.
To determine the cause of the error, while the error message is displayed, click click here. The error signature will appear.
This error signature identifies the program and file that caused Word to stop responding. If you want to view technical information about the error report, click click here when you see the following message:
To view technical information about the error report click here.
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
296493 You receive an error message when you start the program or work with a document in Word 2003 or Word 2002
289508 How to view error signatures if an Office program experiences a serious error and quits
The following topics are covered in part 1 of this article:
What are the types of errors that may appear?
Getting clues from the error message.
Getting clues from when the error occurs.
What are the types of errors that may appear?
There are three general types of error messages you may encounter when working with Microsoft Word 2002. They are:
What are exception errors?
An exception error signifies that something unexpected has happened within the Windows environment, typically an improper memory access. For example, an application or a Windows component might read or write to a memory location that has not been allocated to it (memory that it does not "own"), potentially overwriting and corrupting other program code in that area of memory.
Fatal exception errors are typically of the form:
Fatal exception errors are codes returned by a program in the following cases:
- Access to an illegal instruction has been encountered.
- Invalid data or code has been accessed.
- The privilege level of an operation is invalid.
When any of these occurs, the processor returns an exception to the operating system, which in turn is handled as a fatal exception error. In many cases the exception is non-recoverable, and the system must be restarted or shut down, depending on the severity of the error.
In the following example of a fatal exception error:
the <XY> represents the actual processor exception from 00 to 0F. The xxxx:xxxxxxxx represents the :<actual address where the exception occurred>.
For more information about fatal exception errors, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
150314 What are fatal exception errors
What are illegal operation errors?
With Microsoft Word 2002, the most common type of error message that is displayed is an invalid page fault (IPF). The error message is similar to:
NOTE: In Windows XP, this error is similar to the following:
NOTE: To view the details of the error signature, click the link in the text contained in the error dialog box "To see what data this error report contains, click here."
When an invalid page fault occurs, an unexpected event occurs in Windows. An invalid page fault typically indicates that a program improperly attempted to use random access memory; for example, when a program or a Windows component reads or writes to a memory location that is not allocated to it. When this occurs, the program can potentially overwrite and corrupt other program code in that area of memory. For more information about illegal operation errors, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
82710 Causes of general protection faults and troubleshooting tips
What are kernel errors?
Kernel errors are also invalid page faults that occur between an application (for example, Microsoft Word) and Windows. A typical error message is similar to the following example:
NOTE: In Windows XP, this error is similar to the following example:
When you click Click Here next to To see what data this error report contains, you see the ModName listed as Kernel32.dll. For more information about troubleshooting kernel errors, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
290361 How to troubleshoot Office Kernel32.dll errors in Windows 98
Getting clues from the error message
The first clue to the cause of an IPF is in the IPF error message that is displayed. The error message is similar to:
Note the module name that is listed. If the module name is Winword.exe, then you must continue searching for the cause. Sometimes, however, the module name is a printer driver file, a video driver file, or some other non-Word component. If you can gather clues about the component that is causing the IPF, then you can target the specific cause of the problem.
If the module name is something that sounds familiar to you, such as a printer driver or a video driver, see the "Troubleshooting IPFs That Occur While Printing or Formatting the Document" section of this article, in part 2:
290930 Part 2: Troubleshooting problems when Word 2002 has encountered a problem and has to close
If the module name does not sound familiar or if you are unsure which component it is a part of, you can query in the Microsoft Knowledge Base on the module name. You can search the Microsoft Support Web site from the following Web address:
After you get to the Search Support page, use query parameters specific to your error message.
For more information about searching for information in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
129725 Obtaining Knowledge Base articles on the World Wide Web
Sometimes, removing and reinstalling the file mentioned in the IPF corrects the problem. If this does not correct the problem, or if you aren't sure how to remove and reinstall the file, continue the troubleshooting steps listed in this article, or contact Microsoft Technical Support for assistance.
For information about contacting Microsoft Technical Support, please see the "Microsoft Support Options" section in part 3 of this article:
290931 Part 3: Troubleshooting problems when Word 2002 encounters a problem and closes
NOTE: In Windows XP, this error is similar to the following:
NOTE: To view the details of the error signature, click the link in the text contained in the error dialog box "To see what data this error report contains, click here."
Getting clues from when the error occurs
Sometimes, noting when the error occurs can help determine the cause of the problem. For example, if the error occurs when printing the document, you can skip to the "Is the Printer Driver Damaged?" section of this article and try those steps first. If the error occurs when you start Word, skip to the "Troubleshooting IPFs That Occur During Startup" section. Otherwise, continue troubleshooting.
If the error is not resolved after you try those steps, continue troubleshooting at the beginning of this article and work through the steps systematically. The goal is to find clues to the cause of the problem and resolve it quickly by trying the most likely solutions first.
Back to Top
Determining the Scope of the Problem
A key part of troubleshooting IPFs is to determine how widespread the problem is. Try to answer the following questions:
Is the problem reproducible (can you make it happen whenever you want), or does it occur at random?
Does the problem only occur in Word or in other applications as well?
Are there specific, known issues about Word that describe your problem?
Does the problem only happen with a particular document (or collection of documents)?
Does the problem only occur at a particular time, such as when starting Word or printing?
The following sections discuss each question and possible resolutions.
Is the Problem Reproducible?
Can you make the error occur again in a reasonable amount of time? To solve an IPF, try a solution and then attempt to make the IPF occur again. If the error goes away, you can assume you have solved the problem. If the error still occurs, you need to continue troubleshooting the problem.
If the error is not easily reproducible, try each solution one at a time. After you try one solution, go back to Word and work with the program for a while until you feel comfortable that the problem has been solved.
If the problem has not been solved, try another possible solution. Along the way, keep track of the solutions you have tried and their results. Remember, if the IPF occurs when you do specific things in Word or the document, you may get some clues about which solutions to try first.
Back to Determining the Scope
Does the Problem Occur in Other Applications?
If the problem occurs in other applications besides Word, most likely the problem is not with Word but with Windows, a component of Windows, or a piece of software that is running in the background. Although some of the troubleshooting tips and possible solutions in this article may help, the focus of this article is to resolve IPFs that are specific to Word.
For more information about troubleshooting errors that are not specific to Word, please see the "Windows 98 Support" section of this article.
Back to Determining the Scope
Are There Specific, Known Issues Causing This Problem?
Some known issues with Word 2002 may cause IPFs under specific circumstances. For more information about specific causes of IPFs in Word 2002, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Word 2002 IPF
For more information about finding articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
129725 Obtaining Knowledge Base articles on the World Wide Web
If none of the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base describes your problem, please continue troubleshooting your problem using the information in this article.
Back to Determining the Scope
Does the Problem Only Affect a Certain Document?
If the IPF is specific to a certain document, the document may be damaged. To test this, try creating a new empty document based on Normal.dot and reproducing the error in the new document.
To create a new document based on Normal.dot, do the following steps:
- On the File menu, click New.
- In the New task pane, click Blank Document, and then click OK.
If the error also occurs in the new document, then the problem is not related to a damaged document. Skip to the next section of this article to continue troubleshooting the problem.
If the error does not occur in a new document, the original document may be damaged. Damaged documents often exhibit behavior that is not part of the program's design (for example, infinite repagination, incorrect document layout and formatting, unreadable characters on the screen, error messages during processing, system stops responding or crashes when you load or view the file, or any other unusual behavior that cannot be attributed to the normal operation of the program). Some of this behavior can be caused by factors other than document corruption.
To help rule out other factors, use the following troubleshooting steps:
- Check for similar behavior in other documents.
- Check for similar behavior in other programs.
- Take the document in question to another computer and attempt to duplicate the behavior.
Back to Determining the Scope
Does the problem only occur at a particular time?
For example, does the problem occur when you start Word or does the problem occur when you print or work with a document?
Start Word with the defaults:
During startup, two of the events that occur are the loading of the Registry Data key and the Normal.dot global template. If either of these items is damaged, Word may fail to start. You can temporarily bypass these items by starting Word with the /a switch. To do this, follow these steps:
- On the Windows Start menu, click Run.
- Click Browse.
- Locate the folder where the Winword.exe file is located.
NOTE: The default location is:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10
- Select the Winword.exe file and then click Open.
- Click in the Open box. Press the END key to move the insertion point AFTER the closing quotation mark surrounding the path and file name.
- Type a space followed by /a, so that the command line looks like the following example:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\WinWord.exe" /a
- Click OK.
If Word starts correctly, the problem is with a damaged Registry Data key or a Normal.dot global template. Follow the steps in the next section of this article, "Reset Word Back to Default Settings."
If Word fails to start correctly, continue to start Word with the /a switch where indicated, skip the "Reset Word Back to Default Settings" section, and continue troubleshooting.
Reset Word Back to Default Settings:
The following three items need to be done in order to reset Word back to its default state:
- Delete the Word Data key.
NOTE: Deleting the Data key resets several options back to their default settings, including the File menu MRU (most recently used) list, and many settings in the Options dialog box.
- Quit all Microsoft Office applications.
- On the Windows Start menu, click Run.
- In the Open box, type regedit, and click OK.
- Expand (click the plus sign) the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Data
- In the left pane, click the Data folder. Press DELETE on the keyboard to delete the Data registry key.
- When you are prompted with the following message, click Yes to confirm the deletion:
- On the Registry menu, click Exit.
- Start Word the way you normally do. When you start Word, messages similar to the following appear:
Followed by:
-or-
If Word starts and functions correctly, you have resolved the problem. The problem was a damaged registry key. Please note, you may need to change a few settings to restore your favorite options in Word.
If Word fails to start or function correctly, you may have a damaged Global template (Normal.dot). Follow the steps in the next section of this article, "Rename the Global template (Normal.dot)."
- Rename the global template (Normal.dot).NOTE: Renaming the Normal.dot template resets several options back to their default settings, including custom styles, custom toolbars, macros, and AutoText entries. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you rename the Normal.dot file rather than deleting it.
Certain installations may yield more than one legitimate Normal.dot file. These situations include multiple versions of Word running on the same computer or several workstation installations on the same computer. In these situations, pay special attention so that you rename the correct copy of Normal.dot.
The default location for the global template (Normal.dot) is in the following location:
Microsoft Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me):
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates
Microsoft Windows 98 or Windows Me with profiles enabled:
C:\Windows\Profiles\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Template
Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates
Use the following steps to rename the Normal.dot template:
- For Microsoft Windows 98:
- Quit all Microsoft Office applications.
- On the Windows Start menu, point to Find, and click Files Or Folders.
- In the Named box, type Normal.dot.
- In the Look in list, select your local hard disk drive (or an alternate template location if you are running Word from a network server).
- Click Find Now to search for the file.
- For each occurrence of Normal.dot that appears in the Find dialog box, right-click the file and click Rename on the menu that appears. Type a new file name (for example, OldNormal.dot) and press ENTER.
- Quit Find and restart Word the way you normally do (without using the /a switch).
-or-
- For Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows Me:
- Quit all Microsoft Office applications.
- On the Windows Start menu, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
- In the Search for files or folders named box, type Normal.dot.
- If you want to specify the location to start the search, click a folder in the Look in list.
- Click Search Options, select Advanced Options, and then select Search Subfolders.
- Click Search Now.
- In the Search Results window, right-click the Normal.dot file, and then click Rename on the menu that appears. Type a new file name (for example, OldNormal.dot), and then press ENTER.
- Close the Search Results window, and restart Word the way you normally do (without using the /a switch).
-or-
- For Windows XP:
- Quit all Microsoft Office applications.
- Click Start, and then click Search.
- Click All Files and Folders.
- Click More advanced options, and then click to select the Search hidden files and folders check box.
- In the All or part of the file name box, type normal.dot, and then click Search.
- In the right pane of the Search Results dialog box, right-click Normal.dot, and then click Rename on the shortcut menu that appears. Type a new file name (for example, OldNormal.dot), and then press ENTER.
- Close the Search Results window, and then restart Microsoft Word the way that you normally do (without using the /a switch).
If Word starts correctly, you have resolved the problem. The problem was a damaged Normal.dot template. You may need to change a few settings to restore your favorite options. If the Normal.dot file that you renamed contained customizations such as styles, macros, or AutoText entries that cannot be recreated easily, you may be able to copy those customizations from the old Normal.dot file to the new Normal.dot file using the Organizer.
For more information about using the Organizer, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type using the Organizer in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.
If Word fails to start correctly, continue troubleshooting using the steps in the following section of this article.
Back to Default Settings
- Clear the Startup Folders Word has the ability to automatically load templates, WLLs (Word libraries), and COM add-ins at startup. These files give Word added functionality. If one of these files is damaged, it can cause an IPF when you start Word. To correct this problem, follow these steps:
- Quit all Microsoft Office applications.
- Using the Windows Explorer or My Computer, go to the Office Startup folder and the Word Startup folder.
The default location for the Office Startup folder is:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Startup
The default location for the Word Startup folder is:
In Microsoft Windows 98, or Windows Me:
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP
In Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\Startup
- Drag the contents of this folder to another location, such as your desktop.
- Start Word as you normally do (without using the /a switch) and try to reproduce the problem.
If Word starts correctly, you know that one of the files you took out of the Startup folder is damaged or conflicts with Word 2002. Add the files back to the Startup folder one at a time until you determine which file is damaged or has the conflict.
If Word fails to start correctly, continue troubleshooting using the steps in part 2 of this article.
For more information about troubleshooting invalid page faults in Word 2002, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
290930 Part 2: Troubleshooting problems when Word 2002 has encountered a problem and has to close
Additional query words: tshoot troubleshoot ipf wd20 wd2000 inf
Keywords: kbtshoot kbhowto KB290929
Technology: kbWord2002 kbWord2002Search kbWordSearch
