Is Adobe Acrobat 7.0 installed on the computer? If yes, then the
Acrobat 7.0 Create Adobe PDF toolbar add-in for Word prevents
Word from automatically saving changes to the normal.dot template
(which is where toolbar customizations are stored). Quoting from
http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/331259.html :
Support Knowledgebase: Microsoft Word doesn't retain preferences
after you install Acrobat (7.0 on Windows XP)
Issue
After you install Adobe Acrobat 7.0 (Professional or Standard) or
Adobe Acrobat Elements 7.0, Microsoft Word no longer saves your
macros, preferences, or custom settings.
Detail
This problem occurs in Word 2002, 2003, or XP.
Solutions
Do one of the following solutions:
Solution 1: Install the Acrobat 7.0.5 update.
If you have Acrobat 7.0, choose Help > Check For Updates Now to
install the update or download the update from the Adobe website
at
www.adobe.com/support/downloads/ .
Solution 2: Manually save macros, preferences, and custom
settings in Word.
If you infrequently create custom settings in Word, press the
Shift key and choose File > Save All each time you create a
custom setting to ensure that it is available in your other Word
documents.
Solution 3: Add the Save All button to the File menu and it use
each time you create a customized setting in Word.
If you frequently create custom settings in Word, add the Save
All button to the Tool bar, and then click it each time you
create a macro, preference, or custom setting.
To add the Save All button to the Tool bar in Word:
1. Choose Tools > Customize.
2. Click the Commands tab.
3. Select File from the list of categories, and then select Save
All from the list of commands.
4. Click Close.
Background information
Word saves all custom settings to the normal.dot file. Installing
Acrobat or Acrobat Elements 7.0 can prevent Word from
automatically saving these changes. Updating to 7.0.5 allows the
preferences to be saved as expected.
