Word 2004 command glitches

[asha]

Can anyone help? I used to use Word 2001, on OS X.2, when I needed to
use Word at all on the Mac. However with my new Powerbook G4 (OS X.4) I
had Office installed last November. The Entourage bit is OK but the
Word bit is driving me crazy. If I highlight a phrase, say, to make
bold or italics, it changes the whole document. If I then undo the
command it undoes it from everything, including the highlighted phrase.
Sometimes I can then on a second attempt get it to just select that one
phrase and change it, but not always and not without going through that
whole wretched business first! I have just downloaded the latest
version of Word for Mac and it has made no difference. HELP! Has anyone
else experienced this?

 

[CyberTaz]

You don't specify, but I assume the PB is installed with Office 2004.

In a new blank document go to Format>Style..., make sure Normal is selected
in the Styles List, then click the Modify button & remove the check on
'Automatically Update'. Make sure the specs are what you want for 'normal
text', then click OK, Apply, then quit Word & save your changes (you can
delete the blank doc later or use or for whatever). When you go back into
Word the problem should be gone.

If you find Automatically Update is *not* checked when you go into the
dialog or that the fix doesn't work, please post back.

HTH |:>)

 

[asha]

Thank you very much for that. It all worked fine in the new doc - but
once I'd closed it, quit Word and then opened a new doc it reverted to
doing what it was doing before. Guess then I need to make this into a
default template. Would you mind telling me how to do that? I'm a bit
of a techno-idiot and know little about Word. Much prefer Appleworks,
but for many of my projects I have to use Word to communicarte with
PCs.

Would apprecaite it...

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hi asha,

Repeat CyberTaz's directions, but in the same place where you uncheck
"automatically update", be sure to check "add to template". That will
propagate the change to the Normal template, which is the basis for all new
documents.

Unfortunately, you may find that old documents are still doing this--you
will need to repeat CyberTaz's directions in each one. In that case,
checking "add to template" won't matter, it only needs to be added once to
fix new documents.

PS. Share anything else that's been driving you crazy--unfortunately Word
has a lot of annoying stuff, but much of it is easy to turn off. This
one is not supposed to be a default setting, though, some sort of unknown
bug turns it on.

 

[asha]

Thank you, Daiya. All seems to be fine now. Also thanks for generous
offer to come back re any other Word problem. Best solution is not to
have to use it all! - But here goes, back to it.

Asha