Microsoft KB Archive/289634

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PSS ID Number: 289634

Article Last Modified on 6/3/2005


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 2002


This article was previously published under Q289634

SUMMARY

This article describes the steps you can take to correct problems that you may experience when you start Microsoft Word or when you work in Word, that are not document-specific issues.

NOTE: If you have problems with a document or template, the problems may be related specifically to that document or template. Try to reproduce the problems in a new document. If you can reproduce the problems in a new document, try the steps described in the "More Information" section of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

Start Word by Using the /a Switch

When you start Microsoft Word by using the /a switch, Word temporarily uses the default built-in settings for all options and prevents add-ins, preferences, customizations, and macros from being loaded.

NOTE: If you make changes to preferences, customizations, or macros during this session of Word, the changes you made will be lost when you quit Word.

Also, Microsoft Office XP programs have a new Safe Mode startup option. For additional information about Office Safe Mode, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

291013 WD2002: About Office Safe Mode in Word


To start Word by using the /a switch, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start and then click Run.
  2. In the Run dialog box, do one of the following:

    • In the Open box, type winword.exe /a.

      -or-
    • Follow these steps to browse and select the Winword.exe file:

      1. Click Browse.
      2. In the Browse dialog box, click to select Winword.exe, and then click Open. This step fills in the Open box in the Run dialog box.

        NOTE: The Winword.exe file is located in the following folder by default:

        C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10
      3. In the Open box, move the insertion point to the end of the path statement.

        NOTE: The path to the Winword.exe file in the Run dialog box is enclosed in quotation marks. Be sure to move the insertion point to the right of the closing quotation mark.
      4. Type a space, and then type /a. The statement in the Open box should look similar to the following:

        "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\Winword.exe" /a
  3. Click OK to close the Run dialog box and start Microsoft Word.


If starting Microsoft Word with the /a switch corrects the problem, remove each of the components that are loaded during Word startup. Remove these components one at a time and in the listed order.

NOTE: Microsoft Product Support Services has a Troubleshoot Utility (included in the Support.dot file) that automates the process of removing and restoring the following components that are loaded during Word startup.

For additional information about Support.dot, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

289506 HOW TO: Install and Use the Support.dot Template in Microsoft Word 2002


Components that are loaded during the startup of Microsoft Word include the following:

Word Auto Macros

Certain macros, called "auto" macros, run automatically when Word is started. The following table lists these auto macros. To start Microsoft Word without running the auto macros, hold the SHIFT key while starting Word. To do this, click Start, point to Programs, hold the SHIFT key, and then click Microsoft Word.

Macro Storage location Automatically Runs
AutoExec In the Normal template or in a global add-in When you start Word
AutoNew In a template When a new document that is based on the template is created
AutoOpen In document or template When a document that is based on the template or that contains the macro is opened
AutoClose In document or template When a document that is based on the template or that contains the macro is closed
AutoExit In the Normal template or a global add-in When you quit Word



Word recognizes a macro with a name that begins with "Auto" as a macro that automatically runs when the situation to which it applies occurs. You can temporarily prevent an auto macro from running by holding SHIFT while performing the action that causes the macro to run.

If the problem is resolved by holding SHIFT when you start Word, an auto macro is the problem. To prevent this problem, follow these steps:

  1. Start Word the way you normally do.
  2. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Macros.
  3. In the Macros dialog box, a list of macros may appear. If any macro listed begins with "Auto", you may want to remove this macro.
  4. To remove an auto macro, click to select the macro, and then click Delete.


NOTE: An auto macro could have been added by a Word add-in. To determine what template contains the auto macro, change the Macros in box to a listed template. After you determine which template contains the auto macro, you may want to remove that template from your system. Removing a template that was added by a Word add-in may disable the add-in's functionality.

  1. Click Cancel to close the Macros dialog box.
  2. On the File menu, click Exit to close Microsoft Word.

If the problem is resolved after you restart Word, the auto macro was the problem.

Back to Components

Global Template (Normal.dot)

To prevent formatting, autotext, and macros that are stored in the global template (Normal.dot) from affecting the behavior of Microsoft Word and documents that are opened, rename your global template (Normal.dot). Renaming allows you to quickly determine whether the global template is causing the problem or behavior.

IMPORTANT: Renaming the Normal.dot template resets several options back to the default settings, including custom styles, custom toolbars, macros, and AutoText entries. For this reason, Microsoft strongly recommends that you do not delete your Normal.dot file.

Certain kinds of configurations may create more than one Normal.dot file. These situations include cases in which multiple versions of Word are running on the same computer, or cases in which several workstation installations exist on the same computer. In these situations, be sure to rename the correct copy of Normal.dot.

To rename the Normal.dot file, follow these steps.

  • Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0:
    1. Quit all instances of Word, including Microsoft Outlook if Word is set as your e-mail editor.
    2. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
    3. In the Named box, type Normal.dot.
    4. In the Look in box, select your local hard disk (or an alternate user template location if you are running Word from a network server).
    5. Click Find Now to search for the file.
    6. For each occurrence of the Normal.dot file that appears in the Find program, right-click the file. Click Rename on the shortcut menu that appears. Give the file a new name, such as OldNormal.dot or Normal-1.dot, and then press ENTER.
    7. On the File menu, click Close to quit the Find dialog box, and then restart Word normally (without using the /a switch).
    -or-
  • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) or Microsoft Windows 2000:
    1. Quit all instances of Word, including Outlook if Word is set as your e-mail editor.
    2. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
    3. In the Search for files or folders named box, type Normal.dot.
    4. In the Look in box, select your local hard disk (or an alternate user template location if you are running Word from a network server).
    5. Click Search Now to search for the file.
    6. For each occurrence of the Normal.dot file that appears in the Search Results dialog box, right-click the file. Click Rename on the shortcut menu that appears. Give the file a new name, such as OldNormal.dot or Normal-1.dot, and then press ENTER.
    7. On the File menu, click Close to quit the Search program, and then restart Word normally (without using the /a switch).
  • Microsoft Windows XP:
    1. Quit all instances of Word, including Outlook if Word is set as your e-mail editor.
    2. Click Start and then click Search.
    3. Under What do you want to search for, click All files and folders.
    4. In the All or part of the file name box, type Normal.dot.
    5. In the Look in box, select your local hard disk (or an alternate user template location if you are running Word from a network server).
    6. Click Search to search for the file.
    7. For each occurrence of the Normal.dot file that appears in the Search Results dialog box, right-click the file. Click Rename on the shortcut menu that appears. Give the file a new name, such as OldNormal.dot or Normal-1.dot, and then press ENTER.
    8. On the File menu, click Close to quit the Search Results program, and then restart Word normally (without using the /a switch).

If Word starts correctly, you resolved the problem. In this case, the problem is 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 contains customizations, such as styles, macros, or AutoText entries that cannot be easily re-created, you may be able to copy those customizations from the old Normal.dot file to the new Normal.dot file by using the Organizer.

For more information about using the Organizer, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type Organizer in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

If the problem is not resolved, you may want to use your old global template (Normal.dot) instead of the new global template. To use your old Normal.dot template, rename the new Normal.dot template. Then rename your file from step 6 back to Normal.dot.

Back to Components

Add-ins (WLLs) and Templates in the Word and Office Startup Folders

When you start Word, Word automatically loads templates and add-ins that are located in the Startup folders. Errors in Word may be the result of conflicts or problems with an add-in. To determine whether an item in a Startup folder is causing the problem, you can temporarily empty the folder.

Word loads items from the Office Startup folder and the Word Startup folder. To remove items from the Startup folders, follow these steps:

  1. Quit all instances of Word. If you use Word as your e-mail editor, be sure to quit Outlook also.
  2. On your Windows desktop, double-click My Computer, and then locate your Office Startup folder. The default location is:


C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\Startup

  1. Drag each item from the Startup folder to the desktop. (Or create a folder on your desktop and drag each item to this new folder.)


NOTE: To create a new folder on the desktop, right-click a blank area on the desktop, point to New, and then click Folder.

  1. Find the Word Startup folder, and then drag each item from the Startup folder to the desktop. (Or create a folder on your desktop and drag each item to this new folder.)


The default location for the Word Startup folder is:

On Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition (Me) without profiles enabled:

C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\Startup

On Windows 98 and Windows Me with profiles enabled or Windows NT 4.0:

C:\Windows\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\Startup

On Windows 2000 or Windows XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\Startup

  1. Start Word.

If you can no longer reproduce the problem, and you removed multiple items from the Startup folder or folders, you can attempt to isolate the problem by adding the files back to the appropriate Startup folder, one by one. Try to reproduce the problem after each addition to determine which file causes the problem.

Back to Components

COM Add-Ins

COM add-ins can be installed in any location and are installed by programs that interact with Word. To view the list of installed COM add-ins, follow these steps:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize.
  2. Click the Commands tab.
  3. In the Category list, click Tools.
  4. Using the mouse, drag the COM Add-Ins command to a toolbar.
  5. Click Close.
  6. Click the new COM Add-Ins button to view the COM add-ins that are loaded with Word.

If add-ins are listed in the COM Add-Ins dialog box, temporarily turn off each of the add-ins. To do this, click to clear the check box for each listed COM add-in, and then click OK. When you restart Word, Word starts without loading the COM add-ins.

If the problem is resolved after you turn off the COM add-ins, one of the listed COM add-ins is the cause of the problem. If you have multiple COM add-ins listed, you may want to determine which one is causing the specific problem by turning the COM add-ins back on, one at a time, and then restarting Word.

Back to Components

Word Data Key in the Windows Registry

Because most of the frequently used options (click Options on the Tools menu) and some printer information are stored in the Data key, one troubleshooting step is to delete the Data key. Word then rebuilds this Data key by using the default settings the next time that Word is started.

NOTE: Deleting the Data key resets several options back to the default settings, including the most recently used file list on the File menu and many settings that you customize in the Options dialog boxes.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To delete the Data key, follow these steps.

  1. Quit all Microsoft Office programs.
  2. Click Start, and then click Run.
  3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
  4. Locate the following key in the Windows registry by expanding the appropriate folders:


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Data

  1. Click to select the Data folder.
  2. On the Registry menu, click Export Registry File, type a file name, and then click Save.
  3. With the Data folder selected, click Delete on the Edit menu to delete the Data key.
  4. Click Yes to the following message:


Are you sure you want to delete this key?

  1. On the File menu, click Exit to quit the Registry Editor.
  2. Start Microsoft Word the way that you normally do. Do not use the /a switch to start Word.

If Word starts correctly and functions correctly, you have resolved the problem. The problem was a damaged Data key. You may need to change a few settings to restore your favorite options in Microsoft Word.

If the problem is not resolved, quit Microsoft Word and then add the Data key information back to your Windows registry. To do this, locate the Data key that you exported in step 6, and double-click it. Click Yes to the following message:

Are you sure you want to add the information in C:\path\filename.reg to the registry?


The problem may result from an incorrect or damaged printer driver. For additional information about troubleshooting problems caused by an incorrect or damaged printer driver, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

291336 WD2002: Part 1: How to Troubleshoot Printing Problems in Word


291344 WD2002: Part 2: How to Troubleshoot Printing Problems in Word


290929 Part 1: Troubleshooting problems when Word has encountered a problem and needs to close


290930 Part 2: Troubleshooting problems when Word has encountered a problem and needs to close


308994 OAER: Error Message When You Try to Change Printer Properties from Office Program


Back to Components

Word Options Key in the Windows Registry

This key stores those options that you can set from Word, either by changing menu options or by running the RegOptions macro. These are the editable options.

The settings fall into two groups: default settings and optional settings. Default settings are established during Setup, and you can change them by modifying options in Word.

Optional settings are not created during Setup; to add them you can run the RegOptions macro. WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To delete the Options key, follow these steps:

  1. Quit all Microsoft Office programs.
  2. Click Start, and then click Run.
  3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
  4. Locate the following key in the Windows registry by expanding the appropriate folders:


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Options

  1. Click to select the Options folder.
  2. On the Registry menu, click Export Registry File, type a file name (for example, type Options), and then click Save.
  3. With the Options folder selected, click Delete on the Edit menu to delete the Options key.
  4. Click Yes to the following message:


Are you sure you want to delete this key?

  1. On the File menu, click Exit to quit the Registry Editor.
  2. Start Word the way you normally do. Do not use the /a switch to start Word.

If Word starts correctly and functions correctly, you have resolved the problem. The problem was a damaged Options key. You may need to change a few settings to restore your favorite options in Word.

If the problem is not resolved, quit Word and then add the Options key information back to your Windows registry. To do this, locate the Options key that you exported in step 6, and then double-click it. Click Yes to the following message:

Are you sure you want to add the information in C:\<path>\filename.reg to the registry?


Back to Components


Additional query words: inf

Keywords: kbtshoot kbRegistry kbAddIn kbinfo kbhowto KB289634
Technology: kbWord2002 kbWord2002Search kbWordSearch



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