Hi Sara,
I don't know for sure how this will work out. Microsoft charges $35
per support incident, although they may waive the charge if the
problem falls into an appropriate category. For instance, the charge
is almost always dropped if you call about a bug and they send you a
hotfix. The problem is that Office 2000 and its components are past
the end of their official support period, and I don't know how that
affects the policy.
First, if you originally got Word or Office as part of a bundle with
your computer, Microsoft won't help you. You'll have to get a new
number through your computer vendor, if possible. The reason is that
the vendors pay Microsoft a greatly reduced price for software
licenses in return for agreeing to handle all support.
If you bought Word or Office as a retail package, then you do need to
contact Microsoft. If you can't get connected to the phone support,
try this. On the page I mentioned before, in the lower right sidebar,
there's a section called "Other Support Options" with a link to
"Contact Microsoft". Click that and go through the country selection
page, then click the first link to "Get Assisted Support for a
Product". Under Office Products, click "More - Office Products", then
(on the left near the bottom) "Word 2000". You finally get to a page
where one of the choices is a button to start an e-mail request. I
haven't followed that link, but I understand the next thing will be a
request for a credit card number for the $35 charge.
I'm sorry for your wasted time, but as I don't work for Microsoft I
can't do much about it.
