Opening this will run the following SQL command when starting a new document in Word

[Lesa H.]

For about the last week or so I've been getting the referenced message when
I open Word. The message doesn't tell me what the SQL command is and
displays a yellow triangle with an exclamation point in it. I've tried
renaming the Normal.dot template. When I do that, Word will not start
properly. I also tried a repair. I've even copied one from a system that's
not having the problem but it doesn't resolve the issue. If I start Word in
safe mode, it doesn't display the message. I would rather not just disable
the message due to the security risk. My system is clean with regard to
virus and spyware. I'm at a loss here. How do I find out what is trying to
open a SQL command when I start Word?

Thanks in advance,

Lesa

 

[Terry Farrell]

See the following FAQ for help diagnosing this problem.

http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/ProblemsStartingWord.htm

Terry Farrell - MSWord MVP

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

See "Opening This Will Run the Following SQL Command" Message When You Open
a Word Document at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=825765

If this is a mail merge main document, the message is to be expected. It has
also been observed that some documents that are *not* mail merge main
documents will display this command, presumably because Word thinks they
are. I believe the fix in that case was to display the Mail Merge toolbar,
click Main Document Setup (the leftmost button) and choose "Normal Word
document." Then resave the doc.

 

[Lesa H.]

Suzanne,

Thanks for the information, but I already looked at that and I should have
said in my original post that I tried the Mail Merge trick in the Normal.dot
template, but that didn't work either. I'm not even sure the problem is even
in the Normal.dot template, because I copied one from a system I know
doesn't have the problem, but that didn't fix it. Any other ideas?

Lesa

 

[Lesa H.]

Thanks Terry and Suzanne,

I think I've identified the problem. When I first got Office 2003 I HATED
the task pane but for some reason in my configuration I couldn't make it go
away permanently. I installed a Task Pane Controller that ended up in the
Startup folder. I renamed that and Word opens without the SQL prompt. I used
the information that Terry posted to find the startup items. The task pane
works now so I don't need it anyway. I think this is a result of some patch
I did recently on my system. I don't use Word every day so I didn't notice
exactly when it started.

Thanks again, the help is appreciated!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I knew there was a recent gotcha, but I'd forgotten what it was, and that
was it. Googling for that error message would probably have turned up some
posts pointing that out, though. I wish they'd fix that glitch, though. In
any case, what I learned when this first came up was that you don't need to
keep the Task Pane Controller installed, anyway. All you need to do is run
it once to change the Registry setting, and after that it's dispensable.

 

[Lesa H.]

Actually, I Googled until I was blue in the face but found no reference to
it. Maybe I just didn't have the right combination of key words. Hopefully
this post helps someone else.

I didn't know that it could be removed after it ran once. Handy to know.

Lesa