Word cannot find pathname

[martyh]

Hi,
(I wrote out this complete posting once, but when I clicked the "Post"
button I got an error msg that the page doesn't exist. My sincere apologies
if this posting now shows up twice.)

I wanted to note first that I've gone through this newsgroup thoroughly for
postings over the past few months to see if my problem had been posted and
resolved previously.
I checked out the doc:
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/ProbsOpeningWord.htm
But it doesn't cover my specific error msg.

I've also deleted the file association extension for MS Word through Folder
Options, and then did a Run: winword /r
but that hasn't solved the problem either.

I also attempted to do the Repair option from Word's Help Menu, but the
bloody thing requests the Word disc -- and of course I bought a Compaq
desktop with Office Pro pre-installed and *no* friggin' discs were provided.
(I won't EVER do that again!) So I can't use the Repair option because of
this.

Essentially when I double-click on a Word doc I get the following error msg;
Word opens but not the file -- but it does NOT occur on ALL Word files, only
some:
"Windows cannot find 'C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\Demon 2004.doc'. You may have typed
the name incorrectly in the Run dialog, or . . . etc."

This is just one example; it doesn't matter where the file is located or
what its name is. Funny thing, though, is that the pathname provided is
*correct*, it just won't find/open the file. However, once Word is open, I
can right-click on the file and chose "open" from the pop-up menu and the
file opens just fine.

Any help with resolving this problem would be much appreciated. As with
many Word users, I make my living from using it (I'm a contract editor) so
this is one problem that I really need resolved.

Thanks in advance for any help.
- m

 

[garfield-n-odie]

Do the files that don't open from a double-click all contain one
or more spaces in the filename and/or path, or in the computer
name if you're opening them from a network share? Are you
running Word in Windows 95 compatibility mode?

 

[martyh]

I've copied and relocated the files that won't open from a double-click and
renamed them with no spaces, but the problem still exists. I'm running Word
2000 from Windows ME.

Note though that I have *not* been able to download any of the updates to
Word 2000 because I do not own the discs; the app was preinstalled OEM when I
purchased the PC and no MS Office discs were provided.

Thanks again.
- marty

 

[garfield-n-odie]

Maybe the following article applies to your situation:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=266033 "Cannot Connect to
Subfolders Within a Password-Protected Share Folder".

 

[martyh]

I read the article referred to below, but we're not even close here. There's
no network, no shared folders. The files reside directly on my desktop, or
in a folder on my desktop.

Tried the same files today and the problem still persists. Once again, not
all files are affected. I double-click on certain files and receive the
"Windows cannot find (pathname) . . ." even though the pathname is perfectly
correct. Word itself opens when I receive this error msg and now that Word
is in fact open I can now double-click on this file and it opens just fine
without the error msg. These exact same files open just fine on my XP
machine.

Thanks,
- m

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The OEM is required to provide CDs for installed apps. If you didn't get
them, contact the OEM and demand them.

 

[martyh]

Well, I don't mean to be flip, but had I known that four years ago when I
purchased the Compaq, I would have insisted on the discs.

In the meantime, my MS Word problem that's detailed below still exists, so I
would be most grateful for some suggestions on how I might
correct/fix/rectify this problem.

Thanks,
- martyh

 

[garfield-n-odie]

Sorry, I've mentioned the only three causes that I know of, so
I'm out of ideas.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

This is still true, and Compaq still owes you the discs. If they will not
supply them, contact Microsoft, as they are legally required to do so.

 

[Beth Melton]

Try running the /r switch again to recreate the file associations but
this time include the path to winword.exe. Click the Browse button in
the Run dialog and navigate to Winword.exe. Then back on the Run
command text box add /r outside the quotes. It would look something
like:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\WINWORD.EXE" /r

Note the space before /r

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/