Word and wordpad closing error solved

[GTX_SlotCar]

Just in case this helps anyone. Here's the problem I had:

"A few seconds after I open word (MS Office 2000) or WordPad, I get an error
message that says the application has caused an error and will be close and
an error log is being created. This is on Windows 2000."

I had 2 printers installed on my computer. One was not plugged in and the
other connects to my kids' computer. So basically, one or both were supposed
to be there, but weren't. This caused Word and WordPad to close a few
seconds after I opened them.
I uninstalled the printers and the programs work fine now.

Gary

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

FWIW, Word does not know whether the printers are physically present or not,
but it will *not* operate properly without a printer driver installed and
set as the default. You may find that you've shot yourself in the foot.

 

[GTX_SlotCar]

Well, Word and WordPad weren't working before, and now they are. How could I
have shot myself in the foot?

Gary


--

Tweaks & Reviews
www.slottweak.com

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Wait and see.

 

[GTX_SlotCar]

I must admit this isn't what I expected from a MS MVP. I came on this
newsgroup for help, not to argue. Nobody responded to my original post,
probably because I explained that I had done all the things mentioned to do
with problems like this. The twist in my problem was that it affected both
Word and WordPad, which others had not mentioned. I spent at least 10 hours
trying to resolve the problem on my own.
I have one printer (HP 932c) between my computer and my kids' computer. I
only use it to occasionally print family pictures and they use it for
homework. I have it installed on my computer as local and network. That way
I can just put the USB plug in mine and print, or print through their
computer for smaller files. I only use Word and wordpad to open files, they
use it for homework. My printer drivers worked fine for printing through
ACDSee and PSP. So, even though the drivers worked, Word and WordPad
obviously had a problem with them because both programs are running fine
since I've uninstalled the drivers. I haven't tried to reinstall them yet to
see if Word and WordPad will still work, but at least I know where the
problem is. I had no idea that WordPad or Word cared if there was a printer
driver is installed or not. Now I do. It would have been nice, Suzanne, if
you would have mentioned it to me in my original post. "Gary, check your
printer drivers because Word and WordPad are fussy about them" is all it
would have taken.
If you've got anything constructive to add, Suzanne, I'd like to hear it,
but "You may find that you've shot yourself in the foot" and "wait and see"
doesn't tell me anything and it's not going to help anyone else reading this
post.
For anyone else that's having a problem with Word closing a few seconds
after it opens, and who has already tried playing with the 'normal.dot' file
and the registry "data" key to no avail, try uninstalling your printer
drivers and see if the problem stops. Then you can work on it from there.

Gary

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You implied that you had tried everything suggested in
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/AppErrors/ProbsOpeningWord.htm. Item 2(c) is
devoted to (network) printers. Although the article doesn't come right out
and say it, it's certainly been mentioned here often enough that Word cannot
function correctly without recourse to a (local) printer driver. I am
surprised that you are able to even open Word without a printer driver
installed. To be clear, this is *not* an issue with WordPad or most other
Office programs, just Word. If you are in fact using Word without any
printers listed under Printer: Name: in Word's Print dialog, then I would
sure like to know how!

 

[GTX_SlotCar]

Thanks for the link. It's too late for me but it may help someone else. I
haven't seen that link before. In my original post I stated that I
renamed/deleted normal.dot and did what was recommended by deleting "data"
in the registry. Before I posted, I searched this newsgroup through 1900
messages (all that was on my server) for 'word error close' & 'word error
opening' and maybe a few other things that I thought might apply. I didn't
see anything that looked like my problem that mentioned the printer. My
belated thanks for you mentioning it now.
My Word and WordPad versions are:
Word 2000 (9.0.2720)
WordPad Ver.5 (build 2195: service pack 4)
When I open Word without an installed printer, it works fine. When I go to
print, it tells me that I don't have a printer installed and asks if I'd
like to install one now.

I just reinstalled HP932c drivers to run the printer as a network printer
again. Word and WordPad both still work and both also print. I assume my
drivers got corrupted somehow; not enough to bother PSP or ACDSee, but
enough to bother Word and somehow affect WordPad (even though it's not
supposed to).
My problem is solved, and my foot is just fine.

Gary