Normal.dot

[klassila]

Word is asking if you want to save changes to normal.dot
every time when you close Word. Office XP was installed
with mst file from admistrative installation point.

Can anyone help?

 

[Judy]

The question is, is your Normal.dot being modified in each
session, or is it simply not being saved at the end of any
session? It sounds as though either Word was set up with
a common Normal.dot on a network drive (unlikely), or you
do not have rights to modify/save the file on your local
computer.

If you have made changes to your Normal.dot during a Word
session, and you have "Prompt to save Normal.dot" checked
under Tools/Options/Save, you will be prompted. If the
prompt is the annoyance factor, uncheck that box.

 

[Beth Melton]

Uh, I wouldn't recommend someone remove the "Prompt to save Normal
template" just as I would not recommend someone with a brake warning
light displaying to remove the bulb because it is "annoying".

If you make a change to a user preference that is stored Normal.dot,
such as creating a macro or adding an AutoText entry, then Word will
attempt to save Normal.dot.

Otherwise you should *not* be prompted to saved Normal.dot (or Word
should not automatically save Normal.dot) each time you exit. In light
of this, the "Prompt to save Normal" under Tools/Options/Save is a
means of macro virus prevention as well as preventing corruption in
your Normal.dot which can prevent you from starting Word.

If I exit Word and I did not make a modification to Normal.dot and I
am prompted to save changes then I immediately investigate "who or
what" is modifying my Normal.dot without my knowledge.

If your Normal.dot is modified each time you exit Word then I'd say
you have an add-in which modifies your Normal.dot each time you start
Word.

I personally do not use add-ins that modify my Normal.dot. Such
add-ins can easily lead to a bloated template which can ultimately
lead to the corruption of your Normal.dot. A corrupt Normal.dot is not
"normal". I am a heavy user of Word, my Normal.dot is fairly
customized, and I would honestly have to sit down and think of the
number of times I have encountered a corrupt Normal.dot. Off-hand I
would say maybe twice in all of my years of using Word. I know one was
due to a macro virus but that's all I can easily recall.

Now, one may review the posts in the word.application.errors newsgroup
and note the large number of times a user has encountered a corrupt
Normal.dot and surmise this is 'typical' behavior (and perhaps surmise
Word is just a buggy application <g>). In fact, I strongly believe one
of the primary reasons so many users encounter a corrupt Normal.dot is
due to third-party add-ins which modify Normal.dot each time Word
starts.

So if you want to prevent the corruption of your Normal.dot then
enable the "Prompt to save Normal" option and investigate the reason
behind the modification. If it is an add-in causing the prompt then do
not use the add-in. A properly designed add-in should not dirty your
Normal.dot.
--
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

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

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

 

[Beth Melton]

More than likely you have a global template/add-in that modifies your
Normal.dot each time Word starts.

To determine if you are using any global templates go to
Tools/Templates and Add-Ins and see if there are any global templates
or add-ins listed. If so they are located in one of your Startup
folders. The location of the Word\Startup folder can be found under
Tools/Options/File Locations and the Office\Startup folder can be
found in the Office installation path..

Take a look in each folder and if you find more than one file move
them one at a time and try duplicating the error after each file is
moved out of the folder until you determine which one is causing the
problem.

As of Word 2000, Word can have COM add-ins. COM are added via the
Registry rather than the Startup folders. To determine whether or not
you are using COM Add-In you can add the "COM Add-in" command to your
toolbar:

- Right-click any toolbar and select Customize
- On the Commands tab, select the Tools category
- Locate COM Add-Ins on the right
- Drag/Drop to a location of your choice

For more information on COM Add-Ins, see this article:
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CheckIfAddinsInstalled.htm
--
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

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

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