Loading a second Word application onto my computer

[Michael Conard]

I want to add a second MS Word application onto my computer that I can
customize for a very specific use during our meetings. I don't want to have
to change the settings on my usual Word application everytime I want to use
Word during our meeting.

 

[Jay Freedman]

I want to add a second MS Word application onto my computer that I can
customize for a very specific use during our meetings. I don't want
to have to change the settings on my usual Word application everytime
I want to use Word during our meeting.

There really isn't any way to do that literally. Even if you were to run two
separate copies of Word out of different installation folders, they would
use the same Normal.dot template and the same set of registry entries for
most of the configuration settings, so they would stomp on each other's
settings.

What you can do -- for most but not all aspects of Word's operations -- is
to create a set of auto macros (AutoNew and AutoOpen) that make the settings
you want. If you create two separate templates for diffent uses, and each
one's auto macros create the environment you want, then it's just a matter
of creating two desktop shortcuts that start Word with the respective
templates by using the /t command-line switch.

See the end of http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm for examples.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
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[Tony Jollans]

Or you could create a second user on your machine. Most customisations are
user-specific (separate registry hives, separate application data files
including normal templates). Reading between the lines I'm not sure you
care, but with fast user switching it wouldn't be a great overhead to switch
from one to the other, even while others were watching and waiting.