flukey and getting worse

[Lorena]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Hi -- thanks for your forums. Lately Word (from Office student version 2008) started crashing at end of a session, and more recently refuses to open Word doc written in same version. It lets me reconstitute doc, but now I have to do that almost every time I open same doc. Today, something new: font color changed to red and won't go back to black. I "may have" caused this inadvertently while trying to change Title of doc section in Notebook layout. Am enjoying Notebook layout very much, hope I don't have to go back to something with less ways to separate topics/sections. So, what have I done wrong now? : )
Again thanks --

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Lorena;

How about clarifying things a little based on the in line questions below?

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Hi -- thanks for your forums. Lately Word (from Office student version 2008)
started crashing at end of a session,

Do you mean when *you* actually choose to Quit Word or is the program
crashing when you don't specifically Quit?

Describe what "crashing" means to you. Are there any error messages? If so,
exactly what do they tell you? Do you have to Force Quit because of the
Spinning Pinwheel?

and more recently refuses to open Word
doc written in same version.

How are you attempting to open the file & exactly what response do you get
when you try?

It lets me reconstitute doc,

What does "reconstitute" mean?

but now I have to do
that almost every time I open same doc. Today, something new: font color
changed to red and won't go back to black.

Is this just one doc in particular or are you having the same problem with
more than one file... All files?

I "may have" caused this
inadvertently while trying to change Title of doc section in Notebook layout.

Did the font color in the text change or the labeling of the Section Tab?
How did you go about making the change - exact steps as best you can recall?

Am enjoying Notebook layout very much, hope I don't have to go back to
something with less ways to separate topics/sections. So, what have I done
wrong now? : )
Again thanks --

Are there any other details you might have left out? You need to provide
specific details in accurate terms in order for anyone to understand what
the situation is. We can't look over your shoulder - we rely on your
descriptive info to determine what direction to pursue

Thanks for understanding.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Lorena]

Thanks, Bob Jones,
Will try to clarify what I can. I see where specifics are helpful. In re-trying Word, got another error msg. which I typed out (couldn't copy) and saved the "Error Reporting Log" which is 25 pages. Sent it in to Microsoft. Report said it was the 4th one from me.

Yes, choose to Quit Word. By crash, I mean the error msg. says "Microsoft Error Reporting
If you were in the middle of something, the info you were working on might be lost. MS Word will attempt to recover your work.
(Check box checked) Recover my work and restart MS Word
Pleae tell MS about this problem.
MS word created an error report that you can send to help us improve MS Word. We will treat this report as confidential and anonymous.
buttons: More info -- Send -- Don't Send"

No need to Force Quit.
Open the file from desktop by double-clicking each time.
Reconstitute means it lets me recover my work.
Just the one doc only types in red now -- thanks for asking, I checked and there's no prob. w/ new docs or other existing ones. p.s. I checked the Formatting Palette which had indeed switched the "A" located in line starting w/ Bold option to red, somehow. I switched it back to a black A but still types red.
Font color changed, Section tab color and label stayed put.
Exact steps. Uhm, tried double-clicking on Title (like a header on Notebook layout) to change the Title of the section. A thin red line mysteriously appeared to the left of place I clicked, about 2" long, filling space from where I clicked, back to beginning of text in Title. That made me nervous so I clicked back on doc, henceforth red text when typing letters...

Thanks for asking more details. I'd like to find a good written manual so I can learn more about Word on my own -- welcome suggestions, and Dummies won't offend me. Have used the onscreen Help in purple circle w/ "?" in Word menu but I need more detailed info. I see what you mean. : )

 

[CyberTaz]

Ok - Thanks for the additional info. As you say, the details make a
difference I'm still not sure I'm right but I think this is what's
happening...

Somehow I believe you've managed to turn on Track Changes. I'm not sure how
because you can't turn it on or off while in NB view except by keystroke
(Command+Shift+E). Did you recently switch to & from Draft or Print Layout
view in that doc? If so you may have activated TC while there. If I'm right
you may be able to cure the problem by...

Switch to Print Layout view then take a look at the bottom edge of the
document window. See if the little button next to TRK is "lit up". If so,
click that button to turn Track Changes off (or use the above keystroke).
Next you'll need to use the Reviewing Toolbar which - if I'm right so far
-should already be displayed. There's a button near its middle called Accept
Change... Click the triangle on its right edge & choose Accept All Changes
in Document, then save the file. Switch back to NB view & save again. It
might also be a good idea to do a Save As to create a copy.

If this doesn't resolve the issue let us know what does happen.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Lorena]

Hi again and thanks again. I switched from NB to Print Layout and the TRK button was "lit." Clicked it but it did not turn off, nor did using keystrokes turn off TRK button. Could not locate Reviewing Toolbar or the triangle but then, couldn't turn off the TRK first, either. And yes, you're right, I had recently toggled btwn. NB and Print Layout. (The red letters in non-working doc are also underlined, think I failed to note that earlier.) I noodled around in "red" doc and found fancy formatting details in pink boxes by the red text. (gee.)
Have started a new NB doc which is working well, no red letters. Copied what I need from old doc and will carry on and try not to be so curious about what all the bells and whistles are. I know I won't resist trying more stuff out soon so will search for a good manual. : )
Many thanks for your time -- I see lots more questions keep pouring in --
Lorena

 

[John McGhie]

It is possible to set "Tracked Changes" to ON in a document, then protect
the document with a password to prevent anyone turning the change tracking
OFF. If that has been done to your document, you WON'T be able to turn off
Tracked Changes

On the Tools menu, check to see if there is an "Unprotect document" item.
If there is, the document is locked. Click that item: it may ask for a
password. If not, it will unlock the document and allow you to turn the
change tracking off.

Cheers

Hi again and thanks again. I switched from NB to Print Layout and the TRK
button was "lit." Clicked it but it did not turn off, nor did using keystrokes
turn off TRK button. Could not locate Reviewing Toolbar or the triangle but
then, couldn't turn off the TRK first, either. And yes, you're right, I had
recently toggled btwn. NB and Print Layout. (The red letters in non-working
doc are also underlined, think I failed to note that earlier.) I noodled
around in "red" doc and found fancy formatting details in pink boxes by the
red text. (gee.)
Have started a new NB doc which is working well, no red letters. Copied
what I need from old doc and will carry on and try not to be so curious about
what all the bells and whistles are. I know I won't resist trying more stuff
out soon so will search for a good manual. : )
Many thanks for your time -- I see lots more questions keep pouring in --
Lorena

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Lorena]

Yay! Selected "Unprotected Doc" from View menu and it turn TRK off. (No password needed, a good thing since I never set one... ) Then, voila, no longer any problems w/ odd underlined red text! I have no idea how you do these things out there, in thin air. Guess the details mattered. Ordered a "manual" today but will check back and see how things are going out here too. Amazing.

Best regards --
Lorena

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Lorena:

We do it by deductive reasoning (actually, mainly by clairvoyance...) and
the bitter experience of having fallen into most of the traps Word sets for
you ourselves...

Cheers

Yay! Selected "Unprotected Doc" from View menu and it turn TRK off. (No
password needed, a good thing since I never set one... ) Then, voila, no
longer any problems w/ odd underlined red text! I have no idea how you do
these things out there, in thin air. Guess the details mattered. Ordered a
"manual" today but will check back and see how things are going out here too.
Amazing.

Best regards --
Lorena

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Lorena]

Not to belabor but after yesterday's post it dawned on me that my questions were answered by a team of dedicated (and detail oriented psychic) people, not just one helper. THEN I clicked on John McGhie's link and discovered a very rich source of info (also by a team of helpers.) I encourage all to try out the link, it's overwhelmingly full of info surpassing imagination -- THANKS!

Really, try it:

<http://www.word.mvps.org/>

 

[Clive Huggan]

Oh dear, Lorena, now you'll have made John *worse*! ;-)

How beautifully you describe us and our efforts to lessen the pain of
getting the best out of Word...

Clive Huggan
============

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Lorena:

Very kind words, I thank you for them.

I hope you will hang around and enjoy yourself in here. The simple fact is
that we need you far more than you need us. This is our hobby: without your
questions, we would have no hobby to practice.

And then we would hang around the home getting under the feet of our
long-suffering (in Clive's case, VERY long-suffering...) wives. You are
doing a service to women you have not even met, yet

Can you imagine a bunch of grumpy old men who can't play golf, and live too
far from the sea to go fishing, driving their wives up the wall? Can you
imagine how grateful our wives are to you?

This need not be entirely altruistic, you know. After you have made
yourself comfortable in here (you will eventually learn to avoid the green
sofa -- it has a broken spring in a most uncomfortable place...) you may see
a few questions whistling past that you already know the answers to.

If you do: remember what it feels to be the poor person on the other end who
NEEDS that answer! How long are you going to allow them to sit there like
that?

And of course, if you don't yet know the answer, you could look it up. The
first one of us to get it, gets bragging rights. And we would rather not
listen to Clive bragging...

Cheers

Not to belabor but after yesterday's post it dawned on me that my questions
were answered by a team of dedicated (and detail oriented psychic) people, not
just one helper. THEN I clicked on John McGhie's link and discovered a very
rich source of info (also by a team of helpers.) I encourage all to try out
the link, it's overwhelmingly full of info surpassing imagination -- THANKS!

Really, try it:

<http://www.word.mvps.org/>

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Lorena]

Thanks, all. Happy to ease the time of women surrounded by husbands who can help them with every little glitch. Meantime, while my own dh is out playing golf, I'll see what I can learn around these other sorts of links. ouch.

adieu

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Lorena:

A fine man, that husband of yours

Skilled in the ancient art of blaspheming in the direction of little white
balls

Cheers

Thanks, all. Happy to ease the time of women surrounded by husbands who can
help them with every little glitch. Meantime, while my own dh is out playing
golf, I'll see what I can learn around these other sorts of links. ouch.

adieu

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]