How do I change the defult opening doc in word 2003?

[Guest]

I have developed a specific style doc that I would like to use most of the
time I use Word 2003. Is their a way to define this style as the opening
window when I open Word.

Thanks
John45511

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The easiest way to do this is to put a shortcut to the template on your
desktop or Start menu and use that to start Word. Note, however, that the
New button will still create a new document based on Normal.dot.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

Why not just delete the normal.dot sheet in Templates folder, and save your
customised template as normal.dot? Then the customised template starts up
when you start word, and when you click on the new button.
I have just done this and it seems to work fine with my customised headers
etc.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Because you cannot create a Normal.dot. Only Word can do that. If you save a
template as Normal.dot, you will lose not only all your customizations but
also all the built-in AutoText entries.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

Great point. This didn't affect me since I have just started a new job with a
new PC so didn't have a lot of toolbar customisations etc to lose - but will
definitely keep that in mind in the future. In the meantime, the
customisations I make should be saved with my new modified normal.dot.

Thanks

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Believe me, you cannot create your own Normal.dot. Only Word can do that.
See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CustomizeNormalTemplate.htm for
instructions on the correct way to customize Normal.dot.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Note, if you followed your instructions to name something else normal.dot
you lost all the built-in AutoText entries. Your new modified normal.dot is
broken because those are customizations that Word gives you only in its
normal.dot. See http://addbalance.com/word/movetotemplate.htm for
step-by-step instructions on moving / sharing / copying / backing-up
customizations including AutoText, AutoCorrect, keyboard assignments,
toolbars, macros, etc.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


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from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for that. The article comprehensively explains the pitfalls in my
method. I think I will use your suggestion and add a shortcut to my template
in my quick task bar (after resetting the normal template of course!).