"Page Down" key in "Print Preview" No Longer Works

[Alison]

Office Word 2003, SP2
XP Pro, SP2

For some reason, the page down key is no longer working in Word documents
when in Print Preview. It works fine in Excel and Acrobat, so it's not the
key itself.

The only thing different on my machine is that I received 4 translated
copies of a document (German, Russian, Greek and Polish). At some point
within a very short time of opening those documents, the Print Preview-page
down functionality "disappeared".

I can use the mouse and click in the scroll bar to page down, and I can page
up.

I have "repaired" my office installation with no effect and I have
re-installed with no effect.

Any hints out there?

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

Can you see the Language indicator on the Windows Taskbar? When working in
English, you'll see EN. When working in Spanish or French, you'll see ES or
FR, respectively.

In some languages, different keys behave differently. I've never worked in
any of those four languages, but that would be my first guess... that Word
is automatically detecting the language, and is switching keyboards "for"
you.

Another possibility is that you've activated one of the other "browse
objects". Are the double arrows at the bottom of the vertical scrollbar
black or blue? If they're blue, click the little circle between them, then
click on the Page icon. The arrows should turn black, and Page Up and Down
should work... assuming *this* is the problem.

 

[Alison]

Thanks for the hints but neither worked. The language isn't the issue
because the Page Down key in Print Preview doesn't work regardless of the
language (and I work in a total of 13) - not even in my English documents.

It isn't the "Browse Objects" setting either. Just to make sure I tried
resetting it to the Page icon in both Page Layout (which is the view I
always work in) and in Print Preview, but there was no change.

FYI, the Page Down key works fine in Page Layout. The only time it seems to
be affected is in Print Preview and only in Word (in Excel, the Page Down
key in Print Preview works properly).

Any other suggestions?

Alison

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

What happens if you start Word in safe mode or using the /a switch? (To
start in safe mode, hold down the Ctrl key as Word is starting, then click
Yes to starting in Safe mode.)

If starting in safe more or using the /a switch "fixes" it, then see this
article for a permanent solution:
http://word.mvps.org/FAQS/AppErrors/ProbsOpeningWord.htm

Note that despite the fact that this is named "Problems Opening Word," it's
really much broader than that. Some of the same issues that can prevent Word
from opening properly can cause other problems as well, such as what you're
seeing.