Word opening the WRONG normal.dot file

[Harry Hudini]

Hi,

I have created a template word doc which is a blank page, but with our logo
at the top. I have put this in a folder on the network, and named it
normal.dot. I have set the users USER TEMPLATES entry in word to point to
this folder. The idea being that when a user opens word, they will get a
blank page with our logo at the top, and by having it on a network drive, i
only have to manage one copy.

Thing is, Word is always opening their default normal.dot template. To make
things stranger, if you browse in explorer to the network template folder
and double click the new normal.dot file (which will create a new doc based
on that template) you also get the default normal.dot file). In fact, no
matter what you do with that new normal.dot file to try to create a document
from it, Word ALWAYS opens the users local normal.dot file. If i rename the
new normal.dot file to TEST.DOT it creates lovely perfect documents.

Whats going on? In the past we have done just this in order to achieve the
same thing.

Any ideas why this might be happening ?

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[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

There can be only one Normal.dot, and it cannot be user-created. Only Word
can create Normal.dot. Putting a logo in Normal.dot is not a good idea (has
knock-on effects on labels, for example). Create your logo page as a
document template in the workgroup template folder and instruct users to use
that to create documents.

 

[Harry Hudini]

No can do, we NEED to have our logo in the normal page in order for the
(rather poor) bespoke database package to integrate into word.

So, can this be done ? I know that we have done it in the past.


Olly

 

[Graham Mayor]

You *can* do it, but it will make working in Word uncomfortable for some of
the reasons Suzanne has mentioned. Open normal.dot for editing and add the
logo.


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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

Web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site www.mvps.org/word
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[Harry Hudini]

I know that i can edit individual normal.dot files, but we need to have a
central one that is used by all users. to have to edit each template would
take ages.

There must be a way of doing it

 

[Jezebel]

Why 'must' ? Normal.dot has to be specific to each user. You can't have your
users sharing a single copy. Amongst other things, normal stores each user's
personal settings for their copy of Word (which toolbars are on or off,
autotext entries, default styles, etc). If it were possible to share a copy
of normal these settings would be changing all the time, as you worked.

You don't have to edit each copy of normal to do what you want: just create
one, then distribute that to your users. But you're going to make yourself
very unpopular across the company; and quite seriously, unless yours is a
very small organisation, it's not going to work anyway. People will delete
your normal and go back to their own.

 

[Graham Mayor]

You are determined to screw up Word for your users. Sharing a normal.dot in
this way can bring your whole user base down if something goes wrong. This
is *not* the way to use normal.dot.
All this seems to be because of a crappy third party application. That is
where you should be directing your efforts.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

Web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site www.mvps.org/word
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[Harry Hudini]

I have no choice. We have been told that we need to set it up that way by
the vendor, and having spent such money, im looking for a way of doing it.

 

[Graham Mayor]

You have to wonder at the value of an application that forces you to use
Word in a manner guaranteed to cause you the most support problems and staff
dissatisfaction. If this is what the vendor is imposing on you then you are
going to suffer from it. I would take the vendor on one side and tell him to
get it fixed pronto. There is no reason whatsoever, beyond bad programming,
why the software cannot use its own dedicated template. If you have paid a
lot of money for this, you should be talking to the vendor and your lawyers.

Normal.dot is not designed to be shared. It is an individual user based
scratch pad.

You can attempt to share it by pointing each user's machine to the same copy
of it, but don't blame me for the consequences of doing so.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

Web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site www.mvps.org/word
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[Shauna Kelly]

Hi Harry

I suggest you encourage the vendor of your database software to read
"Do not share Normal.dot in Microsoft Word" at
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811468