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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

In Microsoft Word, many problems are often associated with settings or drivers that are outside of the core Word files. This article lists some generic steps that you can try before you contact technical support.

MORE INFORMATION

The following areas are covered in this article:

Make Sure You Have a Printer Installed

If your fonts are missing, make sure you have a printer installed and that it is not the generic/text only printer driver. The fonts that Word displays in the Font list are based on the type of printer that you have installed. If you have the generic/text only printer driver set as the default driver, you may see only one font--the Roman 10 cpi font--in the Font list. If you have a non-generic printer driver set as the default, all of the TrueType fonts that are installed on your computer appear in the Font list.

In Word, to see which printer you are using, click Print on the File menu. If Generic/Text Only appears in the Name box, select another printer. If another printer is not available in the Name box, install a printer by using the appropriate steps for your situation.

Microsoft Windows 2000

1. Quit all instances of Word. If you use Word as your e-mail editor, be sure to quit Microsoft Outlook also.
   
   
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
   
   
3. Double-click Add Printer.
   
   
4. In the Add Printer Wizard, click Next.
   
   
5. Select either Local Printer or Network Printer, and then click Next.
   
   
6. If you receive a message asking whether you want to install a printer manually, click Next.
   
   
7. Select the port that you want to use, and then click Next.
   
   
8. In the Manufacturers list, select the appropriate printer manufacturer. In the Printers list, click the printer model that you want. Click Next.
   
   
9. Select any options that you want, and then click Next. Repeat this procedure for each panel of the wizard until you reach the end. Click Finish.
   
   

Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0

1. Quit all instances of Word. If you use Word as your e-mail editor, be sure to quit Microsoft Outlook also.
   
   
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
   
   
3. Double-click Add Printer.
   
   
4. In the Add Printer Wizard, click Next.
   
   
5. Select either Local Printer or Network Printer, and then click Next.
   
   
6. In the Manufacturers list, select the appropriate printer manufacturer. In the Printers list, click the printer model that you want. Click Next.
   
   
7. Select the port that you want to use, and then click Next.
   
   
8. Click Next.
   
   
9. Click Finish.
   
   

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Determine Whether the Behavior Is Document-Specific

If you are experiencing a problem with a specific document, check the following:

Word associates a wide variety of formatting with the last paragraph mark, especially section and style formatting. If you copy everything except the last paragraph mark to a new document, the corruption may be left behind in the original document. In the new document, reapply the section formatting or style formatting. To copy everything except the last paragraph, follow these steps:

1. Open the document in Word.
   
   
2. Press CTRL+END.
   
   
3. Press CTRL+SHIFT+HOME.
   
   
4. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
   
   
5. On the File menu, click New.
   
   
6. Select Blank Document, and then click OK.
   
   
7. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
   
   

NOTE: If your document contains section breaks, copy only the text between the sections breaks. Do not copy and paste the section breaks, because this can bring the corruption into your new document.

For additional information about troubleshooting damaged documents, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q211634 WD2000: Troubleshooting Damaged Documents

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Make Sure You Are Not Using the Recover Text Converter When You Open the File

To prevent only text from being recovered when you open your files and to open your documents in the format of Word documents, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Open.
   
   
2. In the Files of type list, click Word Documents, or click All Files.
   
   

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q211227 WD2000: Formatting Lost, Symbols Appear When Opening Document

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Insert Your Document into Another File

The final paragraph mark in a Word document contains information about the document. If the document is damaged, you may be able to retrieve the text of the document if you can omit this final paragraph mark.

To access a document but leave its final paragraph mark behind, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click New. Select Blank Document and click OK.
   
   
2. On the Insert menu, click File.
   
   
3. Select the file that you want to open and insert, and click Insert.
   
   

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Get an Up-to-Date Virus Scanner

Sometimes problems may be related to a virus. You can prevent or disinfect your computer of most viruses by running anti-virus software that contains the latest update, and by scanning your system often. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q233396 WD2000: How to Reduce the Chances of Macro Virus Infection

Q49500 List of Antivirus Software Vendors

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Start Word with the /a Switch

The /a switch is a troubleshooting tool that is used to determine where a problem may exist when you are working with Microsoft Word. When you use the /a switch to start Word, the switch prevents add-ins and global templates from being loaded automatically. The /a switch also locks the setting files; that is, the setting files cannot be read or modified when you use this switch. To start Word with the /a switch, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
   
   
2. In the Run dialog box, click Browse.
   
   
3. Open the following folder:

   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office

   NOTE: If you installed Word in a different folder, use that path instead. Click the Winword.exe file, and then click Open.
   
   

4. You should see a path similar to the following in the Open box:

   "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe"

   
   
   

5. Click in the Open box, and move the insertion point to after the closing quotation mark at the end of the path statement.
   
   
6. Type a space, and then type /a. The path statement should now look similar to the following:

   "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe" /a

   NOTE: The /a switch must be typed outside of the quotation marks. If it is typed inside the quotation marks, an error message similar to the following appears when you attempt to run the command:
   
   

   Cannot find the file 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe /a' (or one of its components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that all required libraries are available.

7. Click OK to start Word with the /a switch.
   
   

Q244843 WD2000: What Does the Word Startup Switch '/a' Really Do?

Q232605 WD2000: How to Ignore User Settings When You Start Word

If the problem does not occur when you start Word with the /a switch, perform the next four procedures to determine the source of the problem (Empty the Startup folder, Rename the Global Template, Rename the Data Key in the Windows Registry, and Rename the Options Registry Key) .

Back to list of topics

Empty the Startup Folder

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 2000 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 Microsoft Outlook also.
   
   
2. On your Windows Desktop, double click My Computer and locate your Office Startup folder. The default location is:

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

   
   
   

3. 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.
   
   
4. Find the Word Startup folder. The default location for the Word Statup folder is:

   On Windows 95 and Windows 98 without profiles enabled:

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

   On Windows 95 and Windows 98 with profiles enabled and on Windows NT 4.0:

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

   On Windows 2000:

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

   
   
   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.)

5. 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 list of topics

Rename the Global Template

To prevent formatting, AutoText, and macros that are stored in the global template (Normal.dot) from affecting the behavior of the program or documents that are opened, rename your Normal.dot file.

NOTE: Renaming your Normal.dot template allows you to quickly determine whether the Normal template is causing the problem or behavior. 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 rename the Normal.dot file rather than delete it.

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 all copies of Normal.dot.

To rename your global template (Normal.dot), follow the steps for your version of Windows:

Windows 2000

1. Quit all instances of Word. If you use Word as your e-mail editor, be sure to quit Microsoft Outlook also.
   
   
2. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
   
   
3. In the Search for Files or Folder 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 Normal.dot that appears in the Search Results window, right-click the file, and then click Rename on the menu that appears. Give the file a new name, such as OldNormal.dot or Normal-1.dot, and then press ENTER.
   
   
7. Close the Search Results window. Restart Word normally (without using the /a switch).
   
   

Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0

1. Quit all instances of Word. If you use Word as your e-mail editor, be sure to quit Microsoft Outlook also.
   
   
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 Normal.dot that appears in the Find dialog box, right-click the file, and then click Rename on the menu that appears. Give the file a new name, such as OldNormal.dot or Normal-1.dot, and then press ENTER.
   
   
7. Close the Find dialog box. Restart Word normally (without using the /a switch).
   
   

If Word starts correctly, you have 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 recreated, 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.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q242368 WD2000: Toolbars, Menu Bar Missing, or Settings Not Retained When You Start Word 2000

Back to list of topics

Rename the Data Key in the Windows Registry

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT or Windows 2000, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).


NOTE: Renaming the Data key resets several options back to the default settings, including the Most Recently Used (MRU) file list on the File menu, and many settings that you customize when you click Options on the Tools menu. Word rebuilds the Data key by using built-in default settings the next time that you start Word.

To rename the Data key, follow these steps:

1. Quit all Windows programs.
   
   
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
   
   
3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
   
   
4. Locate the following key by double-clicking the appropriate folders:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Data

   Select the Data folder, and then click Rename on the Edit menu.
   
   

5. Type a new name for the Data folder (for example, type OldData, and then press ENTER.
   
   
6. On the Registry menu, click Exit to close the Registry Editor. Restart Word normally (without using the /a switch).
   
   

If Word starts correctly, you have resolved the problem. The problem is a damaged Data key. You may need to change a few settings to restore your favorite options. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q211793 WD2000: How to Reset User Options and Registry Settings

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Rename the Options Registry Key

This key stores the 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 must run the RegOptions macro. For additional information about the RegOptions macro, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q212242 WD2000: Where Settings Are Stored in the Registry

NOTE: Most of the following settings are not present in the registry until you make a change in Word and then quit Word.

To rename the Options key, follow these steps:

1. Quit all Windows programs.
   
   
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
   
   
3. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
   
   
4. Locate the following key by double-clicking the appropriate folders:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Options

   Select the Options folder, and then click Rename on the Edit menu.
   
   

5. Type a new name for the Options folder (for example, type OldOptions), and then press ENTER.
   
   
6. On the Registry menu, click Exit to close the Registry Editor. Restart Word normally (without using the /a switch).
   
   

If Word starts correctly, you have resolved the problem. The problem is a damaged Options key. You may need to redefine some settings to restore your favorite options. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q211793 WD2000: How to Reset User Options and Registry Settings

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Check the Printer Driver

If your computer stops responding (hangs), or if you have other types of printing problems, try to use the generic/text only printer driver. To select the generic printer driver, use the appropriate steps for your situation.

NOTE: You need your Windows CD-ROM to install this printer driver.

Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0

Windows 2000

NOTE: When you set the generic/text only printer driver as the default, TrueType fonts won't be available in Word.

Back to list of topics

Update the Video Driver

To determine which video driver you are using, follow these steps.

NOTE: These steps may vary, based on the operating system that you are using and also on the video driver that you have installed.

Windows 2000

1. Quit all instances of Word. If you use Word as your e-mail editor, be sure to quit Microsoft Outlook also.
   
   
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
3. Double-click the Display icon.
   
   
4. Click the Settings tab.
   
   
5. Click Advanced.
   
   
6. Click the Adapter tab.
   
   
7. Click Properties.
   
   
8. Note the name of the manufacturer.
   
   
9. Click the Driver tab.
   
   
10. Note the driver version, and then click Cancel three times.
    
    

Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0

1. Quit all instances of Word. If you use Word as your e-mail editor, be sure to quit Microsoft Outlook also.
   
   
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
3. Double-click the Display icon.
   
   
4. Click the Settings tab.
   
   
5. Click Advanced.
   
   
6. Click the Adapter tab.
   
   
7. Note the name of the manufacturer and the software version, and then click Cancel two times.
   
   

Contact the manufacturer of your video driver, and request the latest version. To install the upgraded video driver, follow the instructions that are supplied with the video driver.

For information about how to contact your video manufacturer, click the appropriate article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

Q60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

Q60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

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Try to Run in Safe Mode (Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows 95) or VGA Mode (Windows NT)

Windows 2000

For additional information about running Windows 2000 in safe mode, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q202485 Description of Safe Boot Mode in Windows 2000

Q239780 Safe-Mode Boot Switches for Windows 2000 Boot.ini File

Q199175 Situations in Which Windows 2000 May Not Start in Safe Mode

For more information about starting Windows 2000 in safe mode, click Microsoft Windows 2000 Help on the Help menu, type Start Windows 2000 in safe mode in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

Windows 98

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q192926 How to Perform Clean-Boot Troubleshooting for Windows 98

Q180902 How to Start a Windows 98-Based Computer in Safe Mode

Windows 95

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q156126 Troubleshooting Windows 95 Using Safe Mode

Q122051 How Windows 95 Performs a Safe-Mode Start

Windows NT 4.0

To run Windows NT in VGA Mode, start or restart your computer, and then click the VGA Mode option on the Startup menu.

For additional information about troubleshooting Office programs under Windows NT 4.0, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q200116 OFF2000: Troubleshooting Office Programs Under Windows NT 4.0

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Run Detect and Repair

Microsoft Word 2000 takes full advantage of the self-repairing features offered by the Windows Installer. So, if a critical resource is missing, such as a file or registry key that is required to start an Office program, the Windows Installer detects this and repairs the program. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q235620 OFF2000: How the Auto-Repairing Feature Works

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Repair Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office

In some situations, Word or Office program files may have become damaged. The easiest way to correct a Word or Office installation is to run Repair Office (or Repair Word). Although this is very fast and frequently corrects the problem, there are situations in which it does not correct the problem, and a more complete removal and reinstallation may be necessary.

To perform a repair of Word or Office, follow these steps:

1. Close all Microsoft Office programs, and turn off any anti-virus software.
   
   
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
   
   
4. Click the Office or stand-alone version of Word that you have installed, and then click Add/Remove.
   
   For example, click Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Office 2000 Standard, Microsoft Office 2000 Premium, or Microsoft Office 2000 Professional.
   
   
5. After you enter the Setup program, click Repair Office (or Repair Word).
   
   

The Setup program checks the installed files and replaces or installs any files from an earlier version that are the wrong size, damaged, or missing. After Setup is complete, restart Word normally (without using the /a switch), and try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem is corrected, you may have identified the problem as being a damaged or missing file.

Back to list of topics

Remove and Reinstall Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office

If repairing Word or Office does not correct the problem, you may need to remove Word or Office and then reinstall it. The following procedure removes as much of Word or Office as possible. After you remove Word or Office, reinstall your program.

CAUTION: This procedure may result in data loss. Before you perform these steps, back up any important files, including custom templates, documents, and the Normal.dot file.

Windows 2000

1. Quit all Microsoft Office programs, and turn off any anti-virus software.
   
   
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
   
   
4. Click Change or Remove Programs.
   
   
5. Click the Office or stand-alone version of Word that you have installed, and then click Remove.
   For example, click Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Office 2000 Standard, Microsoft Office 2000 Premium, or Microsoft Office 2000 Professional.
   
   
6. Click Yes to confirm the removal.
   
   
7. If you are asked whether you want to remove shared components, click Remove All.
   
   
8. If you are prompted to restart Windows, click Yes.
   
   
9. After Windows restarts, close any programs that load at startup, including anti-virus software, and then install Word or Office again.
   
   NOTE: When you reinstall Word or Office, you must enter the CD-Key from the back of the CD jewel case or from your Certificate of Authenticity.
   
   

Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0

1. Close all Microsoft Office programs, and turn off any anti-virus software.
   
   
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
   
   
4. Click the Office or stand-alone version of Word that you have installed, and then click Add/Remove.
   
   For example, click Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Office 2000 Standard, Microsoft Office 2000 Premium, or Microsoft Office 2000 Professional.
   
   
5. Click Remove All, and then click Yes to confirm the removal.
   
   
6. If you are asked whether you want to remove shared components, click Remove All.
   
   
7. If you are prompted to restart Windows, click Yes.
   
   
8. After Windows restarts, close any programs that load at startup, including anti-virus software, and then install Word or Office again.
   
   NOTE: When you reinstall Word or Office, you must enter the CD-Key from the back of the CD jewel case or from your Certificate of Authenticity.
   
   

Back to list of topics

Microsoft Support Options

If you cannot resolve this issue, several support options are available to assist you.

Quickly Find Answers Yourself Online

Use Microsoft Online Support to search the Microsoft Knowledge Base and other technical resources for fast, accurate answers. You can also customize the site to control your search.

To begin your search, browse to the following Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/

Microsoft Product Support

Contact a Microsoft Product Support professional to assist you with troubleshooting problems.

For more information about obtaining help with troubleshooting Microsoft Windows, click Help Topics on the Help menu in Windows Explorer. On the Contents tab, double-click to open the Troubleshooting book. Then double-click to open the Contact Microsoft Technical Support book to view your support options.

For more information about obtaining help with troubleshooting Microsoft Word, click About Microsoft Word on the Help menu, and then click Tech Support.

For additional information about Microsoft support services, please click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q102344 Microsoft Product Support Options Q&A

Microsoft Solution Providers

Microsoft Solution Providers are independent organizations that have teamed with Microsoft to use technology to solve business problems for companies of all sizes and industries.

To locate a Microsoft Solution Provider in your area in the U.S. and Canada, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. If you are outside the United States, contact your local subsidiary. To locate your subsidiary, see the Microsoft World Wide Offices Web site at:

http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/default.htm

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