The Normal.dot file is nowhere to be found on my machine, even af.

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Guest

I am unable to find or open the Normal.dot file in Word 2003 Pro Edition. A
search on my computer, even with the settings set to show/search hidden files
and system files, etc., returns no results! Therefore, any changes I make to
the toolbars are never saved. Does anyone know where to go from here --
short of paying $35 for an email conversation with MS?
 
Normal.dot is a hidden file in the folder indicated at tools > options >
file locations > user templates.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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Nope, I have done the same things with my Word 2003 that Big Sur has done and
I am convinced that normal.dot must be hardcoded in 2003 and only presents if
you make significant changes.

Joepd
 
By the way, with hidden file negated I go to Tool>Options>file Location>User
Templates in Word 2003 and get an empty set.

Joepd
 
I noticed this strange aspect of Word 2003, too. However, it appears that
when you search for it in W2003 you may be offered some search options
("Advanced") that include viewing hidden files, even though you already told
Word that you wanted to view such files.
 
The defaults for normal.dot are hard coded in the application, but Word will
create them as a file called normal.dot when it is run. Whether or not you
save that file is another matter, but the first time you use Word without
having saved that file, it will either do so automatically or prompt you to
save it depending on what option you have set in tools > options > save.
Occasionally add-ins can prevent normal.dot from saving - I believe the
Acrobat 7 add-in falls into this category.

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<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
 
I'd heard that Word 2003 does not save a normal.dot unless some modification
is made. I just tested this by renaming my normal.dot and restarting Word.
Even though I made no changes (and disabled my .dot Add-Ins) it still
prompted for saving normal.dot on exit. However, it did not create any file
(or even a lock file) in the user templates folder until I told it I wanted
to save the "changes."
--

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

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
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from my ignorance and your wisdom.
 
Perhaps my description of the mechanism only served to confuse the issue
here, but yes you are correct that normal.dot is only created if you agree
to that prompt, or you allow Word to make the decision to save normal.dot by
itself.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
 
Hi Graham,

No confusion here, unless I created it. I was simply stating that I had seen
statements (not from regular posters or MVPs) that Word 2003 did not create
a new normal.dot unless some change was made to the defaults. I was
confirming that my test of my installation would create a new normal.dot
even if no changes were made.
--

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

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.
 
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