Word 97 - Missing taskbar, toolbars, etc.

[carrr]

This is really a fishing expedition...maybe someone out there's had a similar experience and found a fix.
I'm developing a template bank for a case management software app (Abacus). Abacus lets you select form generation as an option once you have a case open and subsequently opens a preexisting Word mail merge template you have chosen, populating the document with the data from the current window. Neat and tidy it works, except for the fact that the Word which opens with the merged document has no toolbars whatsoever. I have a very stripped down instance of Word. I have horiz and vert sliders and horiz and vert rulers and min, max, and close buttons for the window, but nothing else...ergo no edit, no print, no nada.
The reall kicker is that I've attempted the same mail merge from within Abacus on a second machine and it works like a charm, compete with toolbars, etc.
Yes, I've deleted normal.dot, but to no avail.
Yes, Word on the machine in question functions normally but for this specific instance.
I can go about my business with finishing this template bank on the other pc, all the while nagged by the question of what is out of place on the first machine????
Anyway...any insight most appreciated.
Thanks in advance......

 

[partridge80]

Hi,

Within word, can you not just select view, toolbars and tick standard, formatting and drawing?

Hope it is that simple!

 

[xlhelp]

Roy,

Have you checked to see if you don't have more than one instance of normal.dot?

Abacus/Word may be using one and Word may be using another one.

Since Word work fine by itself, I would suppose there is no point in suggesting to re-register Word.

Also while within Word, have you tried ALT/v, u ?


Here is something I found in my search:

If you have been using Abacus for a while and suddenly it stops working normally, you probably have a corrupt "normal.dot" file. If you are trying Abacus for the first time and can't get it to work right, you probably have a corrupt "normal.dot" file. If you just loaded onto your computer a new version of Word and your old Abacus program stopped working normally, you probably have
a corrupt "normal.dot" file. Or if you have one of these problems and "normal.dot" is healthy, it's possible that Word itself is corrupt or is missing a file (or files). But most Abacus problems stem from a corrupt "normal.dot"
file.
"Amicule, num is sum qui mentiar tibi?"

 

[carrr]

partridge80,
I could if I had a View drop menu...

xlhelp,
Going to go back and check ... I foolishly assumed that I only had one, didn't look for dups. Thanks, I'll post back wiht results.

 

[combo]

Carr.
I think you have in Tools>Options>View 'icons on the taskbar' box unchecked, document's window state is 'normal', and a document is viewed in the full screen mode.
If you change option in 'Tools', you will have full word interface. This option depends on word settings.

 

[carrr]

Combo,
In Tools, Options, View, I have no 'icons on the taskbar' (Word 97). View is in Page Layout and not in Full Screen. This isn't Word's normal state on my machine. I open Word independently and all's well. This condition only manifests itself when Word is called up for a Mail Merge by the program in question (which is AbacusLaw, incidentally).

xlhelp,
Thanks, but no luck. Neither Alt combination works, no dup normal.dot's, and I threw a "/r" at Winword.exe for good measure. Yesterday, I even went as far as to uninstall/reinstall Word. Nada...

 

[xlhelp]

Sorry, Roy.

That's where knowledge stops, and ignorance takes over. "Amicule, num is sum qui mentiar tibi?"

 

[carrr]

Yeah...I'm having lunch with ignorance today.
Just one of those mysteries...I'm getting the job done on one machine, but I just can't get past why the phenomenon on the other.
Thanks again...

 

[carrr]

Several weeks have past and I'd packed it in on this problem, moving on in a cloud of ignorance, when...I came back to the problem in a fit of idle pique.
I've come to solution for this particular instance of this phenom and I'm posting it up in the event that it can help out someone else wallowing in similar straits.

My problem stemmed from OLE problems between the program (AbacusLaw) and Word97. Missing from my Lawwin.ini file was the critical line: UseDDE=1

Add this line, save it, restart the prog, run my mail merge...joy, joy, joy....