Word 2000 not Responding

[haydn]

Word is not 'responding'. The opening screen displays, but nothing else. No error messages, just a frozen screen. The only way out is to try to close it - even this is difficult.

All other modules of Office working OK.

My laptop was slowing down recently, so I did the following:
1. Cleared redundant registry entries etc via PC Pitstop
2. De-fragged the disc (80Gb of which 12Gb free)
3. Ran Norton full virus scan - OK.

The laptop is now performing OK, except for Word.

I'm running XP Pro on an ACER 8000 laptop. Plenty of memory etc. All other applications are now running fine.
I went to the Office directory and tried loading Word via the winword.exe file, but still no luck.

Any suggestions welcome - this is causing me serious problems.

Thanks

Mike
I have uninstalled Office and re-installed it, but still no luck with Word.

 

[jhaith]

Have you checked to see if it's trying to load a file or add-on at startup?

Check
1. C:\Documents and Settings\%USER%\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP and C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\%OFFICE%\STARTUP.

2. Check and make sure you don't have any add-on's that are causing the problem.

All else fails, uninstall, clean out any MS Office references (directories/files/registry), then reinstall.

-jhaith

 

[roland63]

Try running a repair right off the Office installation disc.

If that doesn't work, follow jhaith's last suggestion; uninstall, crean out Office references, then reinstall.

 

[edunks]

Have you installed the service packs for Office off Microsoft's web page?

 

[haydn]

I've installed all the missing Office updates, but still the same problem.
If I try the uninstall/re-install route again, how can I identify the registry entries to be deleted - and what tool can I use to do this?

Also, apart from the obvious Office directories, are there other places which may have references which I need to delete?

Thanks

 

[jhaith]

Delete these directories.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\OFFICE

C:\Documents and Settings\%USER%\Application Data\Microsoft\OFFICE

C:\Documents and Settings\%USER%\Application Data\Microsoft\(%WORD/EXCEL/OUTLOOK/ETC%)

Use this to clean out the regisrty.

http://www.eusing.com/free_registry_cleaner/registry_cleaner.htm

 

[haydn]

Jhaith,

Thanks for that. Today, I uninstalled Office and deleted everything in sight, including the Office regsistry entries using 'regedit' and the ones you mentioned.
However, when I came to re-install it, I forgot that it needed a pre-existing Office program before it would install.
I remembered that when I did this before there was either an old version of Works or a trial Office available.
Not this time - so I had to use Go Back to put it all back. All very boring. I couldn't find a free downloadable Word/Works on the web so I'm asking about to see if friends/relatives have got a disc I could use. Then I'll try again!!
I have access to word via winword.exe /, but it's very basic and can't remember anything etc and it can't be used to open Word documents by clicking on them - this simply goes straight to my paralytic version.

Mike

 

[haydn]

There was a typo on my last message - "winword.exe /" should have been "winword.exe /a".

Mike

 

[xlhelp]

It's probably too late, but I am surprised no one suggested deleting your Normal.dot or to see if there were any add-ins or templates that were interfering with word.

The fact that you can start word using the /a switch indicates that all of the above were by-passed.

Member- AAAA Association Against Acronym Abusers

 

[haydn]

This was suggested elsewhere so I renamed Normal.dot to Normal.old. Looking at Tools > Templates and Add-Ins in the version of Word I can access, shows two entries -deskPDF.dot and MSFilter.dot, although the delete button is greyed out. They are both ticked as being currently loaded. There don't seem to be any Global Templates.

 

[xlhelp]

If you select them, the del button will likely become active. Chances are the pdf is your criminal.

Member- AAAA Association Against Acronym Abusers

 

[haydn]

Problem is, when I highlight the deskPDF entry, the delete button remains greyed out. I've tried un-ticking it then highlighting it - no difference. Bit odd really.

 

[xlhelp]

You can remove the add-ins under C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP

Member- AAAA Association Against Acronym Abusers

 

[haydn]

The add-ins weren't in STARTUP - maybe that's the problem.

It's been a month and I've managed to survive using the "emergency" version of Word. I decide to retry re-installation today. This time, I deleted everything again including registry entries and was able to re-install Office 2000 OK. However, Word remains broken. I have a horrible notion that this is the last I've seen of it and a newer version maybe called for.

 

[tf1]

Have you got a local printer installed set as Windows default? Word will not work without seeing a local printer driver.

ALso, make sure that you have the latest driver for your printer and try deleting and reinstalling the printer.

Test again and let us know the result.


Regards: tf1

 

[haydn]

I'm using a wireless Canon PIXMA ip5200R and all its software is up to date, including the driver. It may be worth pointing out that my wife can use and print from her laptop via the same version of Word as my broken one.
The printer is the only one and is the default Windows printer.

 

[tf1]

The fact that Word runs in Safe Mode indicates that there is nothing wrong with Word. In Safe Mode, Word starts in its default install condition: it bypasses all customizations, add-ins, templates, printer driver, macros, etc.

So it is one of those 'outside' factors causing the failure to start. Hanging early during startup is more often than not because normal.dot is corrupt (you have eliminated that), a bad add-in in Word Startup (you say it is empty) or a corrupt or inaccessible printer driver. Are you able to print from any other application - say WordPad or Excel?


Regards: tf1

 

[haydn]

Yes, printing is fine from everything else - Excel, Notepad, internet etc. It's also fine from the safe mode version of Word.

 

[tf1]

Would you check through these two articles and make sure that you definitely are free of add-ins.

How to find add-ins:

http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CheckIfAddinsInstalled.htm

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011514521033.aspx

Once we are sure that you have none, we can attack the Word Data Key.


Regards: tf1

 

[haydn]

Thanks for that. I found 2 add-ins: one was a pdf.dot file, the other MSfilter.dot. I deleted them both from the STARTUP directory. Still no joy though - original Word still frozen. Perhaps we can try your idea of attacking Word Data Key, if you would be good enough to explain.

Regards