Insert>Symbol and Tools>Customize not working in Word

[lindafjohnson]

This is a weird one and I've looked through this group and cannot find
an answer. I see others with the same problem and but I've already
tried everything suggested but nothing works. Here's my problem:

I click on Insert>Symbol and nothing happens. The title bar grays out
like it's lost focus, but the Symbol box does not come up. AND, after
this happens, when I go to the Tools menu, Customize is grayed out; and
it stays grayed out until I shut Word down and reopen it. Then
Customize is back and works fine, but as soon as I click Insert>Symbol
(and again it doesn't work), Customize is grayed out again.

What I've tried so far:

Ran Detect and Repair
Deleted Temp Files
Turned my video acceleration down to zero
deleted normal.dot
deleted the Data key in the registry
Defragged my hard drive

The weird thing is Insert>Symbol works fine in Excel and if I type the
alt shortcuts for different symbols in Word, they work fine. It's just
the dialog box that won't come up, and only in Word.

I'm thinking it's related to a template I had installed that I got from
my publisher when writing a book. That template included a lot of
different styles and symbols, so I'm wondering if that's the issue.
That template was removed a while ago, but this is the first time I've
tried to use the Insert>Symbol box since then, so I can't be positive
that's the culprit...but I've removed that template from every location
I could find AND I even went into the Registry and searched for the
publisher's name and removed a few keys that were obviously left
behind, but I still can't get Insert>Symbol to do anything. At this
point, there is nothing in my Word Startup folder, no templates except
Microsoft's are loaded, and no add-ins installed.

Does anyone have a clue?

Thanks for any help you can offer.
Linda

 

[lindafjohnson]

Sorry. Forgot to mention .... it's Word 2003 with all updates
applied...on Windows XP, SP2 with all updates applied.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

It's possible that the Symbol dialog is opening up behind your Word window;
if that's the case, it can well be caused by an add-in (the most notorious
is the Norton AntiVirus Office Plug-in).

It's also possible that the template you installed included a macro named
InsertSymbol; try looking in Tools | Macro | Macros to see if such a macro
is listed (anywhere other than under "Word commands"). If so, delete it if
you can.

 

[lindafjohnson]

Ya know...you made me think when you said the Symbol box could be
opening behind the Word window....and it dawned on me....I have dual
monitors set up here and the second monitor was turned off...I turned
it on and bingo...there was the Symbol box on that monitor.

Thanks for pushing my brain in the right direction. I knew there was
SOMETHING I didn't think of...LOL

Thanks a bunch!! (Now I can restore my old normal.dot and data key and
get back to work here)