Demented normal.dot - save one version, Word displays another...

[Guest]

Hi,

I'm having problems with my normal.dot not displaying a new document as it
should. In the past i have edited it to change the default font, paper
type/size (A4) and margins, so whilst updating for my particular preferences
i've made no major changes.

I'm running Office 2003 on XP Pro SP2.

Whenever I check or edit/save the normal.dot in the USer Templates directory
it displays and saves as it should. As soon as I attempt to create a new
document however, it seems to use a completely different template as it
changes the paper size (23cm x 21cm) and removes the top and bottom margins,
so the first line of text is directly under the top edge of the page.

Not life threatening but certainly frustrating as every time i start a new
document I have to change the Page Settings.

I suspect it's caused by either:

1) Outlook using Word as the email editor. The margins, tabbing and fonts of
pristine new Word documents look suspiciously like those of pristine new
email messages.

2) a bug in Adobe Acrobat Reader 7 not allowing the saving of custom
preferences etc as per this Abobe note and suggested fix
http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/331259.html

3) some weird setting somewhere in Office that overrides the use of
normal.dot in all Office apps.

I've searched the web extensively and can't find any reference to this
particular problem. About the closest thing i've come across can be found
here:

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/I_have_no_Normaldot_Word_2003-t18799.html

Anyway, things I've tried include:

- deleting and recreating normal.dot
- changing the Template directory and target normal.dot
- switching 'Use Word as Email Editor' off in Outlook
- completly unistalling and deleting Acrobat 7 and then trying to re-save
normal.dot
- using a command line switch as suggested on the Microsoft support site to
change the Template used from normal.dot to another .dot file.
- Using the Detect and Repair command in Word.

None of this has worked and every new document created displays
exactly the same demented template as before, tending to indicate that it's
problem 3 listed above and not one of the others.

The rest of my computer is in tip top shape so I don't want to
uninstall/reinstall Office as well, but concede i might have to. Any other
suggestions before doing this would be greatly appreciated.

cheers,
Ross

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Make sure this isn't your problem:
See here:

http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/WhiteSpace.htm

And that you don't just have it set to Normal View.

 

[Graham Mayor]

I have to agree with Daiya - this seems to be a simple issue
http://www.gmayor.com/white_space.htm
Note that
1. Re-installing Word rarely achieves anything
2. You cannot create a normal.dot by saving a document as normal.dot - only
Word can create normal.dot.
3. Acrobat 7 will prevent updates to normal.dot - see the last section of
http://www.gmayor.com/lose_that_adobe_acrobat_toolbar.htm

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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[Guest]

Thank you - I do appreciate the fix and yes it's simple if you know it's
there.

I found it eventually by accident playing with the Headers and Footers. How
this option ever got checked I don't know and how much time has been wasted
around the world by this stupid piece of functionality i don't want to
know...

Sheesh.