Joan,
If you are using Word X (it's always good to state your version) there may
be a feature I don't know of in Word X -- I'm in Word 2001. You need to go
to a setting on the Edit menu (in Word 2001 -- in Word 98 I think it's on
the Tools menu and in Word X perhaps the Word menu).
Select Preferences -> "Save" tab -> tick the box next to "Save AutoRecover
info:" and enter, say, 10 minutes -- or maybe 5.
While you're there, make sure you do *not* tick "Allow fast saves" ‹ this
feature will probably cause document corruption and other problems, and with
modern computers does not save the document more quickly in any case. You
might like to tick "Prompt to save Normal template (some people find this
irritating, but even so I recommend this as an initial setting, till its
significance becomes evident, since it may well alert you to something that
would otherwise go undetected).
The AutoRecover feature will ensure that the document can be retrieved in
the event of a problem. Unfortunately it won't come up and ask "do you want
to save now?". That feature was last on the Mac in <sigh, shed small tear>
Word 5.1.
That said, someone may come along with a nice macro for you -- keep checking
here for a while!
There is also a tick-box on the "Save" tab "Always make backup copy" which
some experts in this newsgroup strongly recommend. It may well be worth
considering (I don't use it, only because of factors outside the range of
your topic -- but that's why I don't have a ready description of the
process). If you use your web browser to go to
www.google.com and do a
newsgroup search for this newsgroup (or instead go direct to the URL
http://groups.google.com/groups?safe=images&ie=ISO-8859-1&as_ugroup=microsof
t.public.mac.office.word
and specify as the subject "Always make backup copy" and the author
"McGhie") you will see the subject well explained in any one of several
excellent posts.
I hope this helps you to help your dad! All power to his elbow! My
mother-in-law learnt to use the Mac at 88.
-- Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
============================================================
* Please post all comments or follow-on questions to the newsgroup for the
benefit of others who may be interested.
* If you post a question, keep re-visiting the newsgroup for a few days
after the first response comes in. Sometimes it takes a few responses before
the best or complete solution is proposed, and sometimes you'll be asked for
further information so that a better answer can be provided. Good tips about
getting the best out of posting are at
http://www.mvps.org/word/FindHelp/Posting.htm
* Remove "the" from my address above if you need to send an e-mail to me
directly (although that would be exceptional). Please note that e-mails
with an attachment will be automatically rejected.
* If anyone is still reading down this far, here's a question: is it time
for you to back up your Normal template and all your Word settings files?
(This should be on a medium other than the internal hard drive and, if you
also want to protect against theft and fire, stored in a different
building.)
============================================================
