Word Crashes when network printer off line

[steve]

I use word 2000 and 2003.

I have a printer that is used by other computers in my home connected
to a windows 98 computer.

If I turn off the windows 98 computer (which has the printer connected
to it) and try to use Word from some of the other computers, both XP,
Word crash upon start up. Something about application error and then
dies. If however I change the default printer on these systems to no
printer it doesnt happen.

It appears that when you open Word, it must find the printer on the
network or simply does not work. This seems crazy but I have varified
it on a couple other networks, eg one of my computers is a lap top. If
I go elsewhere open word and it can't get to my printer. Word crashes.

Has anyone heard of this and is there any fix other than just making no
default printer.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If you have the printer driver installed locally, you should not have
problems even when the machine is not connected to the network.

 

[steve]

I have installed it locally but it still seems to crash.
In fact when I tried to load it remotely it couldnt seem to find the
inf files on my cd so I had to install all the files locally. Its a
scanner, fax, OCR as well. I really didnt want these features added to
my system but it added them all anyway.
Any other information that may help. Perhaps somehow its still looking
on the remote computer despite the fact that the drives are loaded
locally??

Thanks.