Why do I get an old file as the default when I open WORD 2000?

[Guest]

When I open Word 2000 my default screen is an old file I created instead of
the blank New Document screen. How do I correct it?

 

[garfield-n-odie [MVP]]

See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/BlankDocNotBlank.htm .

 

[CrystalGuru]

You may have accidentally saved that original document up as the
'normal.dot' template.

What you can do is -
1. Clean up that document and set it up the way you want all of your
new blank documents to appear; margins, paper size, fonts, etc.
2. Save that blank-looking document as a 'template' and name it
something like newnormal.dot and let it get saved to the default
location - don't try to put it in 'My Documents'.
3. Close WORD - important!
4. *Go to that folder where both of those templates exist - it will
probably be located in a folder similar to;
c:\documents and settings\*your user logon name*
\application data\microsoft\templates
5. Re-name the bad 'normal.dot' to 'oldnormal.dot'
6. Re-name the new 'newnormal.dot' to 'normal.dot'

That will do it. - Good luck!

* If you cannot find that that folder - you may have system files
hidden - on w2k - open an explorer window, click on Tools, Folder
Options - select the VIEW tab and place a bullet in the item labeled
'Show hidden files or folders'. Instructions on xp will be similar if
not exactly the same.

CrystalGuru

 

[Graham Mayor]

That *won't* do it. While superficially this may seem to work, only Word can
create normal.dot, which it will do if you remove or rename normal.dot.
Having done that (provided you have renamed the original) you can use the
organiser to copy styles, macros etc from old to new.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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