Horrible, just Horrible! (Attn: Mr. Kenyon) Word 2003 mucks up my 2000 files!

[Guest]

OK folks. I'm using Word 2000 and I'm a happy camper. The school
recently installed Word 2003. When I open my documents son the
school's computers, all hell breaks loose. Of course, I have to put
up with the annoying settings of the school's program, since they have
not turned off the squiggly lines, have not turned off smart tags,
have not turned off automatic formatting, have not turned off all the
other "we'll do it for you ..." crap that messes up my nicely crafted
legal documents.

But even worse! I opened a 200+ page document on the school's
computer, made sure the formatting was correct, then inserted page
numbers. Ready to print, I thought. But NO! Wait! There's MORE!

Word 2003 had not numbered my document with consecutive numbers all
the way through! No! It had started renumbering each section,
apparently each time it encountered Heading 3.

Oh yes, I tweaked and fiddled and faddled and tried to get the page
numbers to run from, doh, number 1 to number 206. No joy.

<rant off>

Question: How do I get my documents, created in Word 2000, to open up
just as I created them, and then print off the school's computers,
WITHOUT Word 2003 "helping" me by "automatically" screwing it up?

Chaaaaaarrrrrrrrles!
I'm a 3L and I'm in my 50's and I just don't want the auto stuff that
comes with Word 2003!

<*((((><{
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Hi,

Word routinely messes up automatic numbering unless it is put in very
carefully (i.e., not using any of the buttons or menu commands you would
think you would use, but rather using carefully installed outline heading
styles). See: How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in your
Word document
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/OutlineNumbering.html. (For
bullets see http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/bullets/controlbullets.html, the
subject is related.) Numbering problems become apparent much more often when
you move a document to a different computer. If you are going to be using
Word much in the future (and I suspect you will have to) take a look at
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Numbering/WordsNumberingExplained.htm when you
have some time.

Do not use Insert Page Numbers command. Use headers and footers and fields
in them instead. This can be very flexible. Take a look at
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Numbering/PageNumbering.htm. For even more,
see http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Page_Numbering.htm. I recommend spending at
least 1/2 hour a day working on learning Word for at least two months. By
the end of 10 days, you'll be saving more time than you are spending on this
and the savings will continue for the rest of your career.
http://addbalance.com/usersguide

Do turn off most of the Auto stuff!
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/WholeDocumentReformatted.htm
Under Tools > AutoFormat Options > Autoformat as you type
I have unchecked everything under "Apply as you type" and "Automatically as
you type."
The smart tags can be switched off under the Smart Tags tab.

By the way, I doubt you would call me son if we were meeting in person. I
graduated from law school in 1978. :}

Hope this helps.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


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from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the good information, "son." -- I'd been doing legal
assistant work for 8 years by the time you got your JD. Ahem.
I have already removed the "insert page numbers" option from my
menus, and use only the header-footer fields. The other articles I
will have to review.
I would dearly LOVE to turn off all the automatic doo-dah's on
the school's Word 2003 -- but it's their computers, their labs. So if
I want to use their printer, I'm stuck with their settings.
Is there a way for me to run a macro or a vbs every time I log on
to a school computer to turn off the automatic garbage in Word 2003?

<*((((><{
(e-mail address removed)

In the last exciting episode on Thu, 26 Jan 2006 10:28:26 -0600,

 

[Jay Freedman]

Is there a way for me to run a macro or a vbs every time I log on
to a school computer to turn off the automatic garbage in Word 2003?

Indeed there is. It's at the bottom of the article
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/TameAutoFormat.htm

Since you can't insert that macro in the school computer's Normal.dot
template, you'll have to put it into a template you carry with you,
and change the macro's name to something other than AutoExec(). In the
same template, make a toolbar button
(http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/AsgnCmdOrMacroToToolbar.htm)
so you can run it manually after Word starts.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

This is very exciting! I'll see if I can get that macro made and
working by the end of the weekend.

<*((((><{
(e-mail address removed)



In the last exciting episode on Fri, 27 Jan 2006 16:52:23 -0500, Jay