kiwi2000

I have windows 98se and the 2000 version of word and such. There has been a problem with the word program since purchase. When the program is closed it gives out many an error message, I will give examples.

First close, "this file is in use by another application or user."
Push close again, "a screen with normal.dot and another normal .dot" appears.
Push cancel then, "changes have been made that affect the global template, Normal.dot. Do you want to save? I push no
Then a message "this program has performed an illegal operation and will shut down."
Then push close, and 9/10 this will freeze or crash the computer and I will have to restart.

This is a long sequence of events to use a word document. I have tried to have it repaired at two different shops with no result and at the original place I purchased the computer a couple of times. I am now considering a new computer and new software, but will I import this problem if I transfer files from the old harddrive to the new? If their is even the smallest chance that I could be stuck with this problem again I would choose to loose all the old files and start fresh. I suppose I could print the old documents and leave it at that.

Any help is always much appreciated.

Geekgirl

The Normal.dot template file used by Word might be corrupt. This should fix it.

To rename the Normal.dot file follow these steps:
1. Quit all instances of Word, including WordMail.
2. On the Windows taskbar, click Start, point to Find, and click Files or Folders.
3. In the Named box, type Normal.dot.
4. In the Look In box, select your local hard disk drive (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. Click Rename on the shortcut menu. Give the file a new name, such as OldNormal.dot or Normal-1.dot.
7. Minimize the find dialog box.
8. Restart your automation client to start Word.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q247028/


You probably wont import your issues when you transfer your files, I believe it is the Word program itself that is at fault

kiwi2000

Thank you for the reply. I have recieved the fix of renaming before and yes it does work, for a while, but it does not solve the problem.
I am concerned that if I transfer old word documents to my new machine that it will corrupt the new word program in the new machine which would negate the reason for the purchase.
When this problem occurs a lot of words functions are unavailable such as the auto functions of date and correction and auto insert of my name and address for instance. Using your suggestion usually corrects this until the next time I close a word document.
I would like to be 99.9% sure that the problems will not reoccur before I transfer old to new.

Geekgirl

I cant give you that answer, if I did tell you that def no you wouldnt encounter that issue I would be lying as I am unsure but I feel that it would not be a problem but it is within the Microsoft Office install itself.

kiwi2000

What I am trying to ascertain is whether a simple word document transferred to the new hard drive would be enough to corrupt the entire new word files. Is it within every word document or a problem with the operating system?
I would really appreciate a definitive answer before I go through the trouble of the next step with another computer for this problem.

Zazula

Kiwi2000, in order to find out where the problem you're experiencing actually lies, please do the following:

1. Locate Winword.exe. Its default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office, but this could be different in your case.

2. Click Start, and then click Run.

3. In the Open box, type the path for Winword.exe as you found it in step 1.

4. Enclose the path in quotation marks that are similar to the following: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe" (this example uses the default path)

5. In the Open box, move the insertion point to after the quotation marks at the end of the path statement.

6. Type a space, and then type /a. The path statement now looks similar to the following:
7. Click OK.

8. From within Word, go to the File menu, and select Open....

9. In the dialog box that opens, navigate to a document and click Open.

10. Attempt to reproduce the behavior you've reported in your original posting, and post back how it went.

DeadToad

kiwi,
I have a Win98SE PC also. I don't use MS Word 2000 on it, even though I use it on my laptop.
I use AbiWord http://www.abisource.com on my Win98SE PC and on my WinXP Home and Pro PCs.
AbiWord reads, writes and converts ALL Word documents. And it's free open source. It doesn't hog resources.

Good luck.

kiwi2000

To Zazula

Thank you for your considered response to my problem. I have completed the steps above and NO the problem does not occur when I follow them. Please explain what this means in relation to my problem and if it would be possible to import my word problem to my new computer. Or does this mean it is a software issue with the word 2000.

Zazula

Hey, kiwi, glad to see you're still trying to resolve your issue - you hadn't answered for quite some time, and I was afraid you had given up.

Anyhow, the /a switch is a really great troubleshooting tool for Word problems. When you use the /a switch to start Word, the switch prevents add-ins and global templates, including the Normal.dot template, from being loaded automatically. This is invaluable in showing us where the actual cause of the problem lies.

As you have seen, when you run Word with the /a switch, you encounter no issues. That means that the program itself is not the cause of the problem, and therefore there's no need for you to replace it. Our next step is to nail down the actual culprit for this erratic behavior you've been experiencing; after that we are going to rectify/resolve it, and then make sure no remnants have been left behind (lurking in your documents, ready to reappear). So, off to work we go:

a. Open a problematic document, running Word normally (i.e. with no startup switches).

b. On the Tools menu, click Templates and Add-ins.


c. If the Document template box lists a template other than Normal.dot, click Attach.


d. In the Templates folder, click Normal (Normal.dot), and then click Open.


e. See if the behavior persists. Post back the results.

kiwi2000

I have done (a) and (b). I do not understand (c). I have it opened it as you instructed it says document template normal, and global templates and add ins wfword2k.dot

Please explain steps (c) and (d) more completely as to what I should do next to solve this problem. Do I have to attach anything with what I have described? Is (d) another step to open or is it the tools templates mentioned above in step (b)?

Are you saying that I can "cure" the documents that are already corrupted? That would be fantastic!

Zazula

Kiwi, this means your documents are based on the Normal.dot global template, plus the Win Fax template is also loaded when Word runs. Since you've already reported to Geekgirl that renaming your Normal.dot hasn't helped you in the long run, then please do the following:

1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.

2. In the Named box, type Wfword2k.dot, and then click Find Now.

3. In the search results, find the Wfword2k.dot file that is located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Startup. Click Wfword2k.dot, and then drag the file to the desktop.

4. Restart your computer.

5. Start Word. Check whether the problematic behavior persists and please post back your findings.

And, YES, you CAN "cure" the documents that are already corrupted. I simply don't know beforehand how many steps we'll be needing to achieve this - but it won't take a lifetime, either.

kiwi2000

I have found the document box and Normal was the only thing listed there so I did not have to click attach. From there I went to the Templates folder & opened Normal.dot and exited. The problem still persisted.

What next? Thanks.

Zazula

Have you removed the Wfword2k.dot file from C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Startup?

kiwi2000

I did not know I was supposed to remove it but I could. Do I simply delete or space it out the wfword part?
After I delete it then what?

Zazula

The procedure for you to follow regarding the WinFax template is spelled out in my post #11 above. Alternatively, navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Startup, Alt-X (i.e. Cut) the Wfword2k.dot file, Alt-V (i.e. Paste) it on your Desktop, and then restart your computer. Launch MS Word after your computer restarts, and check out if the problematic behavior persists.

kiwi2000

I relocated the wfword2k.dot file onto the desktop from the file it was in. I opened a problematic document 3 times and the "normal" issue did not occur.

Are my previous word documents ok now? What do I do with the file on the desktop? Should I delete it or open it?

Zazula

I'm happily announcing to you that neither your Word program, nor your documents are corrupted or problematic. (Tis saved ya some bucks, didn't it? ) The erratic behavior you had been experiencing was simply the result of the WinFax template being installed on your computer. What you'll do with the wfword2k.dot file depends entirely on you - if you want you can keep it in a floppy for backup, but the point is you can safely delete it from your desktop. I think you're all set now.


(References: KB316033, KB826857, KB826864)

kiwi2000

.

So if I understand you correctly. All saved word files are ok to transfer to my new system. The cursed error will not show its ugly head again. I will try to make the error occur again with new and old documents.

If this is the case I thank you very much for all the help. I do not see any reason for keeping the corrupted file so I will delete it.

Zazula

When checking out if the error re-emerges in your new system, please do so as soon as you have successfully installed MS Office/Word, with NO add-ons and/or templates installed.

kiwi2000

Its Back!

I closed a document and this message came up.

Normal.Dot was ebeing edited by another word session. If you save this document with the original name you will overwrite any changes made in the other session. Do you want to save the document anyway?

I push close.

The save as screen comes up with the templates folder normal and normal.dot in it.

I push cancel.

Then the changes have been made that affect the global template Normal.dot. Do you want to save those changes?
I push no.

This has just started happening agian. Ithought and hoped that I would never see these messages agian.

Any more ideas on this pesky problem?