Can't Set Word as Default in Vista

[Guest]

My computer came loaded with Vista Basic and Microsoft Works already loaded.
I subsequently purchased Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 and loaded it
onto my machine. How do I get the "Set Defaults" utility to recognize I now
have Office loaded? I tried setting a specific program association to allow
Word to open ".doc" files, but when I try to open a ".doc" attachment from
Windows Mail, I get the following error message: "This file does not have a
program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association
in the Set Associations control panel." The programs currently available in
the Set Defaults utility are: Internet Explorer, Windows Calendar, Windows
Contacts, Windows Mail, Windows Mail (News), Windows Media Player, and
Windows Photo Gallery. What action should I take next so I don't have to
save attachments onto my desktop and then open them from Word?

 

[jonah]

My computer came loaded with Vista Basic and Microsoft Works already loaded.
I subsequently purchased Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 and loaded it
onto my machine. How do I get the "Set Defaults" utility to recognize I now
have Office loaded? I tried setting a specific program association to allow
Word to open ".doc" files, but when I try to open a ".doc" attachment from
Windows Mail, I get the following error message: "This file does not have a
program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association
in the Set Associations control panel." The programs currently available in
the Set Defaults utility are: Internet Explorer, Windows Calendar, Windows
Contacts, Windows Mail, Windows Mail (News), Windows Media Player, and
Windows Photo Gallery. What action should I take next so I don't have to
save attachments onto my desktop and then open them from Word?

Dunno why that does not work, I never use OE or Winmail I use
Thunderbird or Courier Mail However If you set up Outlook as your e
mail client instead of Winmail it should work fine with Word as
Outlook is part of the office suite you have obtained.

FWIW I never open attachments directly from the e mail client, I
always save attachments to a drive regardless of where they are from
and security check them with various scanners before opening - so its
not entirely a bad thing IMHO.

Paranoid Moi.....never.

Jonah

 

[BrianW]

Let's just set Windows Mail aside for a moment. When a Word document, with
extension .doc, is stored on its own in the Documents folder, can you go
there in Windows Explorer, and have it open normally in Word 2007?

(By default, Word 2007 wants to save files in its new file format, and give
them extension, .docx)

If you cannot double-click on a Microsoft Word document, .doc extension,
then you can fix that by right-clicking on such a file, when you are in
Windows Explorer, and choosing Open With and, then, Choose Default
Program... That will bring up the Open With dialog, where you can set the
default program for opening files with this extension. The same Open With
dialog can be reached by Start > Default Programs, and then clicking on the
link for "Associate a file type or protocol with a program." ("Set your
default programs" is the wrong place to be; stay away from there, on this
issue.)

If you can double-click in Explorer on a .doc file and have it open properly
in Word 2007, then you have done what you can, with regard to setting
default program associations.

What should happen in Windows Mail, I imagine, is that you can double-click
on the representation in the e-mail of the file attachment, and after
responding to a warning, open the attached file. In Outlook 2007, I know
you can also preview the attachment, simply by selecting it; the preview
appears as if it is the body of the e-mail. I was having a problem similar
to yours, where there was not a proper association with the Outlook Preview
function, which is why I read your posting.

If getting the file association right, as detailed above, does not solve
your problem, I'm afraid I don't know of a surgical cure. I would be
inclined to systematically re-do the installation. In particular, I would
take the following steps:
1.) uninstall Works
2.) Go to Start > Windows Update (or Start > Control Panel > Windows Update)
and choose the Change Settings link in the left column. Check the box that
says Use Microsoft Update.
3.) Reinstall, or do a repair installation, for Office 2007. Start >
Control Panel > Programs and Features, where you should select Office in the
list of installed programs and click on the Change toolbar button, to bring
up an Office installation dialog, where you can choose a Repair
installation.
4.) Initiate a Windows Update by going to Start > Windows Update and
clicking the link if the left column, Check for Updates.

Hopefully, that would put any mysterious things right.

 

[Guest]

BrianW - thanks for the ideas. Yes, I can open Word documents with a
doubleclick from a folder. I enabled that function by setting an
Association; I presumed it would work in Windows Mail as it did for Outlook
Express on my old computer.

In Windows Mail, I double click on a ".doc" attachment, Select open, and
then get the error message in my original posting. Hence my frustration.

Does anyone else have a suggestion before I proceed with uninstalling Works
and re-loading Office as BrianW suggests?

WRH