A former staff person created a letter to her son on the blank page,
document1. We cannot get rid of this letter and recover the original blank
page on opening the program or opening another blank page. I even removed the
software and reinstalled several weeks later and it came back with the letter
on opening the program. According to her there was no password used on the
letter.

See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/...ocNotBlank.htm .

dalemett wrote:

> A former staff person created a letter to her son on the blank page,
> document1. We cannot get rid of this letter and recover the original blank
> page on opening the program or opening another blank page. I even removed the
> software and reinstalled several weeks later and it came back with the letter
> on opening the program. According to her there was no password used on the
> letter.

That blank page that opens as Document1 is your Normal template. All you
need to do is find the file called "Normal.dot" and delete it.

"dalemett" wrote:

> A former staff person created a letter to her son on the blank page,
> document1. We cannot get rid of this letter and recover the original blank
> page on opening the program or opening another blank page. I even removed the
> software and reinstalled several weeks later and it came back with the letter
> on opening the program. According to her there was no password used on the
> letter.

See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/...ocNotBlank.htm

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"dalemett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:C4DE5D56-EEFA-4C96-9F55-(E-Mail Removed)...
> A former staff person created a letter to her son on the blank page,
> document1. We cannot get rid of this letter and recover the original
blank
> page on opening the program or opening another blank page. I even removed
the
> software and reinstalled several weeks later and it came back with the
letter
> on opening the program. According to her there was no password used on the
> letter.

No! Not delete! Rename at most.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Idaho Word Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:CB171107-A155-4525-8788-(E-Mail Removed)...
> That blank page that opens as Document1 is your Normal template. All you
> need to do is find the file called "Normal.dot" and delete it.
>
> "dalemett" wrote:
>
> > A former staff person created a letter to her son on the blank page,
> > document1. We cannot get rid of this letter and recover the original
blank
> > page on opening the program or opening another blank page. I even
removed the
> > software and reinstalled several weeks later and it came back with the
letter
> > on opening the program. According to her there was no password used on
the
> > letter.

Hi, Suzanne,
I'm curious why you feel so strongly about this. I always thought that
deleting the Normal.dot template was a fairly innocuous thing to do, since
Word will automatically create a new Normal.dot next time you start. I must
have been wrong, it seems.
Fred

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

> No! Not delete! Rename at most.
>
> --
> Suzanne S. Barnhill
> Microsoft MVP (Word)
> Words into Type
> Fairhope, Alabama USA
> Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
> Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
> all may benefit.
>
> "Idaho Word Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:CB171107-A155-4525-8788-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > That blank page that opens as Document1 is your Normal template. All you
> > need to do is find the file called "Normal.dot" and delete it.
> >
> > "dalemett" wrote:
> >
> > > A former staff person created a letter to her son on the blank page,
> > > document1. We cannot get rid of this letter and recover the original
> blank
> > > page on opening the program or opening another blank page. I even
> removed the
> > > software and reinstalled several weeks later and it came back with the
> letter
> > > on opening the program. According to her there was no password used on
> the
> > > letter.
>
>

Normal.dot by default stores all your user customizations (macros, AutoText
entries, formatted AutoCorrect entries, toolbar and menu customizations,
style modifications, etc.). If you had customized Word as heavily as I have,
you would be extremely fearful of losing Normal.dot (and careful to keep it
backed up). If you just rename it, you can retrieve at least some of those
customizations through the Organizer. And if turns out that Normal.dot was
not the problem after all, you can delete the new one and revert to the old
one.

Are you saying that you have never added or deleted a toolbar button,
created an AutoText entry, modified a style and saved these changes to
Normal.dot? If so, you're either a very sophisticated user who stores
everything in document templates and global add-ins, or you have barely
scratched the surface of Word's possibilities.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Idaho Word Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news94DCB39-9863-44C3-B46E-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi, Suzanne,
> I'm curious why you feel so strongly about this. I always thought that
> deleting the Normal.dot template was a fairly innocuous thing to do, since
> Word will automatically create a new Normal.dot next time you start. I
must
> have been wrong, it seems.
> Fred
>
> "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:
>
> > No! Not delete! Rename at most.
> >
> > --
> > Suzanne S. Barnhill
> > Microsoft MVP (Word)
> > Words into Type
> > Fairhope, Alabama USA
> > Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
> > Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so
> > all may benefit.
> >
> > "Idaho Word Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
message
> > news:CB171107-A155-4525-8788-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > That blank page that opens as Document1 is your Normal template. All
you
> > > need to do is find the file called "Normal.dot" and delete it.
> > >
> > > "dalemett" wrote:
> > >
> > > > A former staff person created a letter to her son on the blank page,
> > > > document1. We cannot get rid of this letter and recover the
original
> > blank
> > > > page on opening the program or opening another blank page. I even
> > removed the
> > > > software and reinstalled several weeks later and it came back with
the
> > letter
> > > > on opening the program. According to her there was no password used
on
> > the
> > > > letter.
> >
> >

Yes, I've done all the things you listed, but the original poster seemed to
be a fairly unsophisticated user (she didn't appear to know what Normal.dot
was). I didn't think I would hurt her too much by having her delete it.

Fred


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

> Normal.dot by default stores all your user customizations (macros, AutoText
> entries, formatted AutoCorrect entries, toolbar and menu customizations,
> style modifications, etc.). If you had customized Word as heavily as I have,
> you would be extremely fearful of losing Normal.dot (and careful to keep it
> backed up). If you just rename it, you can retrieve at least some of those
> customizations through the Organizer. And if turns out that Normal.dot was
> not the problem after all, you can delete the new one and revert to the old
> one.
>
> Are you saying that you have never added or deleted a toolbar button,
> created an AutoText entry, modified a style and saved these changes to
> Normal.dot? If so, you're either a very sophisticated user who stores
> everything in document templates and global add-ins, or you have barely
> scratched the surface of Word's possibilities.
>
> --
> Suzanne S. Barnhill
> Microsoft MVP (Word)
> Words into Type
> Fairhope, Alabama USA
> Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
> Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
> all may benefit.
>
> "Idaho Word Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news94DCB39-9863-44C3-B46E-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi, Suzanne,
> > I'm curious why you feel so strongly about this. I always thought that
> > deleting the Normal.dot template was a fairly innocuous thing to do, since
> > Word will automatically create a new Normal.dot next time you start. I
> must
> > have been wrong, it seems.
> > Fred
> >
> > "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:
> >
> > > No! Not delete! Rename at most.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Suzanne S. Barnhill
> > > Microsoft MVP (Word)
> > > Words into Type
> > > Fairhope, Alabama USA
> > > Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
> > > Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
> newsgroup so
> > > all may benefit.
> > >
> > > "Idaho Word Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
> message
> > > news:CB171107-A155-4525-8788-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > > That blank page that opens as Document1 is your Normal template. All
> you
> > > > need to do is find the file called "Normal.dot" and delete it.
> > > >
> > > > "dalemett" wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > A former staff person created a letter to her son on the blank page,
> > > > > document1. We cannot get rid of this letter and recover the
> original
> > > blank
> > > > > page on opening the program or opening another blank page. I even
> > > removed the
> > > > > software and reinstalled several weeks later and it came back with
> the
> > > letter
> > > > > on opening the program. According to her there was no password used
> on
> > > the
> > > > > letter.
> > >
> > >
>
>

The "unsophisticated user" who doesn't know what Normal.dot is is precisely
the one most likely to be dismayed when all her customizations are lost. If
you don't know that these customizations are saved in Normal.dot, then you
are less likely to be chary of deleting it, especially if someone
authoritative-sounding tells you to.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Idaho Word Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:70BF425D-EFF6-4555-A436-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Yes, I've done all the things you listed, but the original poster seemed
to
> be a fairly unsophisticated user (she didn't appear to know what
Normal.dot
> was). I didn't think I would hurt her too much by having her delete it.
>
> Fred
>
>
> "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:
>
> > Normal.dot by default stores all your user customizations (macros,
AutoText
> > entries, formatted AutoCorrect entries, toolbar and menu customizations,
> > style modifications, etc.). If you had customized Word as heavily as I
have,
> > you would be extremely fearful of losing Normal.dot (and careful to keep
it
> > backed up). If you just rename it, you can retrieve at least some of
those
> > customizations through the Organizer. And if turns out that Normal.dot
was
> > not the problem after all, you can delete the new one and revert to the
old
> > one.
> >
> > Are you saying that you have never added or deleted a toolbar button,
> > created an AutoText entry, modified a style and saved these changes to
> > Normal.dot? If so, you're either a very sophisticated user who stores
> > everything in document templates and global add-ins, or you have barely
> > scratched the surface of Word's possibilities.
> >
> > --
> > Suzanne S. Barnhill
> > Microsoft MVP (Word)
> > Words into Type
> > Fairhope, Alabama USA
> > Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
> > Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so
> > all may benefit.
> >
> > "Idaho Word Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
message
> > news94DCB39-9863-44C3-B46E-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > Hi, Suzanne,
> > > I'm curious why you feel so strongly about this. I always thought
that
> > > deleting the Normal.dot template was a fairly innocuous thing to do,
since
> > > Word will automatically create a new Normal.dot next time you start. I
> > must
> > > have been wrong, it seems.
> > > Fred
> > >
> > > "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:
> > >
> > > > No! Not delete! Rename at most.
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Suzanne S. Barnhill
> > > > Microsoft MVP (Word)
> > > > Words into Type
> > > > Fairhope, Alabama USA
> > > > Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
> > > > Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
> > newsgroup so
> > > > all may benefit.
> > > >
> > > > "Idaho Word Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
> > message
> > > > news:CB171107-A155-4525-8788-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > > > That blank page that opens as Document1 is your Normal template.
All
> > you
> > > > > need to do is find the file called "Normal.dot" and delete it.
> > > > >
> > > > > "dalemett" wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > A former staff person created a letter to her son on the blank
page,
> > > > > > document1. We cannot get rid of this letter and recover the
> > original
> > > > blank
> > > > > > page on opening the program or opening another blank page. I
even
> > > > removed the
> > > > > > software and reinstalled several weeks later and it came back
with
> > the
> > > > letter
> > > > > > on opening the program. According to her there was no password
used
> > on
> > > > the
> > > > > > letter.
> > > >
> > > >
> >
> >