Corrupted templates

[bmoag]

I am unable to open any new documents with correct formatting whether a blank
document based on normal.dot or a pre-formatted template. I have replaced
every instance of normal.dot, erased and renamed, etc. I have deleted the
data key in the Office section of the registry as recommended to fix this
problem, I have run the repair on office 2003, I have run virus and spyware
programs. Usually one of these solutions works but not this time. This has
been a recurrent problem in every version of Word which Microsoft has never
fixed: why build template functions into the word processor if the program
cannot reliably save documents based on templates?

 

[bmoag]

Added info: Word insists on opening every new document on a 9 inch page
length. I can manually reset the length to any longer value. If I reset the
page length back to the normal 11 inches Word refuses to do this and simply
goes back to nine inch page length although the format information says it is
set for 11 inches. Again I have tried every conceivable combination of
deleting, renaming and copying from another computer normal.dot and this does
not correct the problem.

 

[Beth Melton]

What do you have set as your default printer driver?

When you say "refuses to do this" is there an error message you
encounter? If so, what is it?

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[bmoag]

There is no error message.
The problem is independent of any particular printer.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

See http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/WhiteSpace.htm

 

[Guest]

Well presuming that you have a 'real' printer installed and set as the
default Windows printer, then this must be a third party add-in screwing
Word. What happens when you start in Safe Mode (hold down the control key
when you click on the Word icon)?

 

[Beth Melton]

Of course!!

How you continue to nail this from the explanations provided is beyond
me! What they are seeing is always crystal clear once you offer the
solution.

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I think I've seen every possible description of this condition now, so
they've become familiar. The 9 inches is a dead giveaway. <g>

 

[Guest]

Suzanne

Thanks for that one. I'd never noticed the 9" result either as whenever I
have investigated, it has always been on a document rather than the normal
blank. But now you have mentioned it, it is 'dead obvious'!

Terry

 

[bmoag]

Thank you for your replies. Unfortunately none of them help.
The "white space" option is not checked.
Starting Word in safe mode does not correct the error.
Would completely deleting Office and any registry references to it left over
after the automatic uninstall then reinstalling help? Or is it not worth the
effort?

 

[Guest]

Removing and reinstalling is unlikely to resolve the problem because there
is so much that isn't removed by uninstalling (all the users
templates/add-ins/COM/registry entries/third party utilities that integrate
some way, etc.).

If this is happening in Safe Mode, then it is very curious though.

terry

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

That is your problem. You must check the box for "White space"!

 

[bmoag]

Ms. Barnhill: I am grateful for your help but you are beating a dead horse.
That box is not checked in regular or safe mode and the problem persists. I
can open old documents properly but I cannot create any new ones.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

What part of "You must check the box" do you not understand? That box must
be checked if you want to see the header and footer area of the page. When
you drag your mouse over the line between pages, do you get a ScreenTip
(assuming you have ScreenTips enabled) that says "Show White Space"?

Also see “WD2002: Rules for ‘Hide white space between pages’†at
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=297564 for an explanation of why it's
right on some documents and not others.

 

[bmoag]

Again I thank you for your help. Again: checking or unchecking the box makes
absolutely no difference. I am sorry that your answer is wrong but that is
the way it is.
I presume that the source of this problem is the inability of Word to
reliably save formatted documents leading to corruption of normal.dot. I have
experienced this periodically in all versions of Word that did not contain
this checkbox. In my experience Office 2003 has only been marginally more
reliable than Office 2000.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

How are you setting the default paper size?

What is the basis for your belief that the page is 9"? I assume you're in
Print Layout view and looking at the ruler? If you are using the default 1"
top and bottom margins, then the document body should be 9" high. If you
display text boundaries, it is a little easier to see what proportion of the
page this is. If your belief is based on the proportions of the page, could
it be that you have Track Changes enabled and are just seeing a wider page
(the extra margin allowing for balloons) and being misled by that?

 

[Beth Melton]

Could you email me a screen shot of what you are seeing? Remove
NoSpam4Me to obtain a valid email address: (e-mail address removed)

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "the inability of Word to reliably
save formatted document leading to the corruption of Normal.dot".
Creating, editing, formatting documents is not what leads to
Normal.dot corruption. While I'm one who thinks many issues that are
chalked up to corruption are not in fact corruption at all. True
corruption is typically attributed to a third-party add-in - not
simply using Word as it was designed.

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/

 

[aalaan]

Never ever had the problem. Use Word 2000 extensively.

 

[Tony Jollans]

I can't help thinking that if you put as much effort into solving your
problem as you do into irrelevant criticism you would be better able to get
on with your work. There are literally hundreds of millions of Word users
worldwide many of whom use it every day and find it fully able to reliably
save formatted documents. And even if that were not true, corruption of
normal.dot would not necessarily follow. And none of that has anything to do
with your problem so let's look at that ....

You say (in your original question) that you are ..

unable to open any new documents with correct formatting

What do you consider to be correct formatting? Are you saying that
formatting you think you have applied doesn't remain after a document or
template has been closed? And if so, is that specific formatting, or all
formatting?

The symptoms you describe in your second post are slightly unclear: you say
....

Word insists on opening every new document on a 9 inch
page length

If that is what it is set to do, that is what will happen. Nowhere do you
say you have changed the settings which affect that. You further say ...

I can manually reset the length to any longer value. If I reset
the page length back to the normal 11 inches Word refuses
to do this and simply goes back to nine inch page length
although the format information says it is set for 11 inches.

Are you saying that when you set the page length to 11" it shows as 9", and
when you set the page length to any longer value it shows correctly as that
longer value? If so, it's mighty wierd but I'd be happy to investigate
further.

If it's every page length that's 2" shy then that is symptomatic of the
"Show White Space" option which Suzanne pointed you too. However you say (in
your first post) ...

This has been a recurrent problem in every version of Word

As this option has only been in recent versions of Word (2003 and maybe
2002) it would appear not to be your problem. You also say (again in your
first post) that ...

I have replaced every instance of normal.dot, erased and
renamed, etc. I have deleted the data key in the Office
section of the registry

If you have indeed done these things then the "white space" option would
have reverted to the default setting of being shown so, again, this points
to your problem having a different cause.

From what you have posted so far I am unable to tell what your problem might
be. Would you be so kind as to state clearly what your problem is (or
problems are) including answers to the questions I have asked above, and the
direct effect (if any) of any corrective actions you have attempted. Even if
that doesn't help me, it may help someone else to help you and,
coincidentally, it may also help you - I regularly find that being forced to
draw breath and explain a problem clearly to someone else, helps me to stop
making false assumptions and see for myself the solutions to my own
problems.