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normal dot 1

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PattiAnn

Technical User
Feb 28, 2000
1
US
What is normal dot? It seems to have something to do with global template. Where did it come from? and how do I get it back whre it belongs? I can't open any of my Word documents, that are located in My Documents.
 
Normal.dot is the default blank template. Do get it back to the way you want depends on what is wrong with the template. For example, if you want to change the default font, click the "New Blank Document" icon. Select Format, Font and select the new default font. Then click on the Default button. It will ask if you want change the default font, click on yes.
 
If you are having trouble opening documents or they open as templates, it is quite possible your normal.dot is infected with a macro virus. You need to do a virus scan with an up to date checker. You can also replace the file with one from another machine that is running the same version of Office. In office97 is it usually located C:\Program Files\MSoffice\Templates. <br>
<br>
Even if you replace the file, odds are, if it was a virus, a number of documents are infected and need o be cleaned. <p> Jeff<br><a href=mailto: masterracker@hotmail.com> masterracker@hotmail.com</a><br><a href= > </a><br> Of all the things I've lost in life, I miss my mind the most ...
 
IF that's the case, you need to do an online scan, since macro viruses often corrupt resident anti virus software, as well. Once that is done, however, do a search for normal.dot and delete or to be sure, rename it normal.old, normal.bad, whatever. Shut down word and reopen. It should recreate normal.dot automatically. It will ask you if you want to. Just say yes.
 
Normal.dot is the default document template of Word. If you are having problems with it, delete it. But do a search for it, as there can be multiple copies. Word is funny that way, and viruses also make corrupt copies. Find them all, and delete them all. Word looks for normal.dot to run. It will not run without it. Therefore if it does not find one, it will make one.

It is, as you note, a global template. Which means it, and everything in it, is available in all instances of Word. This is why you should not put macros, and autotext, or anything that you really want to keep, in normal.dot. You should always create a personal global template to store your macros and other stuff. Normal.dot DOES get corrupted and have to be replaced with a clean copy. Once corrupted, it rarely can be fixed. You have to delete it and start Word with a new copy. If you have macros etc. in another global template (and be sure to make backups), then if you need to dump normal.dot - you do not lose your work.

Gerry
 
You can simply rename your normal.dot into "Normal.do_" or anything similar.
Word will automatically create a new normal.dot when you start Word.

Hope that helps,
Andy

[blue]The last voice we will hear before the world explodes will be that of an expert saying:
"This is technically impossible!" - Sir Peter Ustinov[/blue]
andreas.galambos@bowneglobal.de
HP:
 
Thank you for your insite fumei (star to you). My computer decided to change my normal.dot on me, and try as I might I couldn't change it back. Nor could I delete it (using win2k pro) even with all office apps closed. So I opened task manager and checked and sure enough WinWord was still running in the background. I stopped it and sure enough I could delete normal.dot; opened Word and there was a fresh CLEAN normal blank.

per ardua ad astra
 
That is good that you could find it, and delete it.

The fact that you had Word running in the background, is odd. Somethimg made an hidden instance of Word. That is almost always ( in fact always) done ny code.

Is everything running OK now?



Gerry
 
If Outlook is running, Word will stay active in memory even though you have closed it. If normal.dot has been corrupted, you may b=find that you need to empty your temp folder. With all applications closed, navigate to Documents and settings>Username>Local Settings.Temp and delete all the contents. (You may have to reboot to clear them all.)

Regards: tf1
 
tf1 - that is not correct. It is based on a false assumption.

If you do NOT have Word as email editor, Word is not linked as a process with Outlook. Close Word with Outlook open, and Word (all of it) is released from memory. As it is, in my opinion, a bad bad thing to use Word as the email editor, I never have Word remaining after I close it, regardless of Outlook being open, or not.

However, the suggestion of cleaning out temp files is always a good one.

It is also a very good idea to look for and delete folders starting with OLK. They are usually followed by numbers, as in OLK3478, or such. These folders contain REAL copies (full file size) of any attachments opened from within an Outlook message. To do so is, in my opinion, another bad idea.

Gerry
 
not to denigrate you tf1, but star to fumei. I never use word as an email editor; and thanks both for the reminder to clear temp and OLK

per ardua ad astra
 
Fumei

I re-read what I posted and it is ambiguous. I said "If Outlook is running, Word will stay active in memory even though you have closed it." 'Closed it' was referring to Word and not Outlook. Of course, it is only tue if you use Word as your email editor.

I should have been much clearer than I was.

Regards: tf1
 
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