This quirky problem has happened often enough that it warrants a post of its own. The problem doesn’t happen on my desktop running Microsoft Windows XP with Office 2003. It occurs only on the laptop running Microsoft Vista with Office 2007.

I can’t tell you if it’s a Vista problem, an Office problem, or both. If your mouse works everywhere except Microsoft Word and possibly other Microsoft products, here’s an easy fix worth saving. After it happened twice, I figured I needed to save the fix information so I don’t chase it down every time.

It just happened again. I can’t use the mouse to highlight anything or move the cursor. Yet, I can still close Word and click menu items. When the problem happens, I closed Word and receive a pop up asking if I want to search for a solution or restart. Neither, but I restart it.

Tim Anderson’s ITWriting has the solution:

1. Close Word and Outlook (ignore the pop up message by clicking X)
2. Start / Run and type regedit
3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Data
4. Rename this key (I call it “baddata”).
5. Restart Word.

All is right with the Word again. For how long? Who knows.

I was sleepwalking while deleting pictures one-by-one in a document — not remembering there was a faster and easier way to do this. First, I tried copying and pasting the image in the find/replace tool, but no luck. I knew there was a way to do it as I recalled discovering this process a long time ago.

After searching — surprisingly longer than I expected — I found the answer. Too simple.

1. Do Find and Replace (CTRL+H) in Microsoft Word.
2. Enter ^g in the “Find what” box.
3. Enter whatever you want to replace with in the “Replace with” box or leave blank to simply delete all the images.
4. Click “Replace All.”

Deleting floating graphics requires a macro. This solution also comes from the Google Groups post.

My laptop has Office 2007 on Vista (let’s not argue about Vista or why it’s on my laptop). I used Word without a problem and the next day, it started misbehaving. First, it wouldn’t recognize the mouse. Then it wouldn’t let me select other tabs in Options even using the keyboard.

Naturally, I went to Microsoft’s Knowledge Base (KB) and originally found no solution. So I posted a question in their forums after verifying no one else asked the same thing.

Frustrated and in need of using Word on the laptop, I went back to KB and found the answer. When you enter keywords into the KB, it lists a few possibilities. I didn’t see this list originally, but found exactly what I needed this time selecting “word 2007 vista mouse.”

I didn’t think to use “mouse” since Word had other problems besides the mouse. Anyway, here’s the KB that resolved the problem. I noticed my laptop received updates overnight and rebooted. But I couldn’t imagine it breaking Word and nothing else (should’ve known better, eh?).

Of course, be careful when messing with the registry. Deleting one item in the registry did the trick. Hope this saves someone prolonged frustration.

The Reviewing toolbar is one of the most valuable features for writers and editors as well as for teams who create and edit documentation so they can see what changes have been made and include comments. I’ve always had it included in my default toolbars, so it appears every time I use Microsoft Word.

Lately, it hasn’t appeared every time and it was driving me insane especially since there is a gaping spot where the toolbar usually lives. I tried the usual stuff to make it stick, but darn thing kept taking off without my permission. Word simply isn’t keeping my personalized settings.

So time for Microsoft’s Knowledgebase, my first destination for Microsoft-related problems. I could do a search on the web to find the same solution elsewhere, but I prefer to start with the official source as Microsoft’s KB has helped me resolve many problems.

I found the Your toolbars are missing… entry and it resolved the problem. What worked is Step 2: Rename the Global Template, and then going back to Turn On the Default Toolbars early in the document.

If you have any customized buttons in the toolbar, it will disappear. However, when renaming the normal.dot file, make sure you give it a new name per the instructions. I called mine normal2.dot. I was able to import the macros from there into the new normal.dot.

See larger image

To import the macros, click Tools, Macros, Organizer, and Close File (on the left). Click Open File and select the renamed normal.dot (normal2.dot in my case) and click Copy.

Update on 08-03-2006: Danged steps didn’t work. It’s broken again. Will report a solution, if I find one.

Once I got out of automated mode, I woke up and realized that I often use Paste Special with unformatted text when working in MS Word. It became a habit like CTRL+V, CTRL+X, and CTRL+C. To do Paste Special without formatting, I clicked CTRL+V to paste, selected the Paste Special icon  (smart tag) and selected Keep Text Only. Another way to do a Paste Special is to click Edit, Paste Special and select your preference.

Why do all that when I can create a macro and put a button on the toolbar? That’s exactly what I did. It took a few days to get the hang of using the button instead of going the old-fashioned route. I can’t remember where I found the tip and searching for it didn’t jog my memory.

A Microsoft article shows part of the way. The difference is that it changes CTRL+V to paste unformatted text. There are occasions when I do want it to paste formatted text, so I don’t want to change CTRL+V. The button works great. I had thought about making another keyboard shortcut, but I didn’t want to risk erasing another shortcut in the process.

If you prefer to create a keyboard shortcut, here are the Windows keyboard shortcuts. However, these don’t consider the shortcuts that come with specific programs like SnagIt. I use CTRL+SHIRT+P to snag an image.

Here are the steps from the Microsoft article with some minor changes:

1. Start Word.
2. Click ALT+F8.
3. In the Macro name box, type PasteUnformattedText.
4. Make sure that All active templates and documents is displayed in the Macros in list, and then click Create. The Microsoft Visual Basic Editor appears.
5. Directly above the End Sub statement in the Sub PasteUnformattedText()section, type (or copy and paste) the following line of code:Selection.PasteSpecial DataType:=wdPasteText
6. Click ALT+Q to return to Word.

The next steps add a button to the toolbar.

1. Right-click the toolbar and select Customize.
2. Ensure the Commands tab is selected.
3. Select Macros and locate Normal.NewMacros.PasteUnformated.Text (part of it might be cut off).
4. Click and hold Normal.NewMacros.PasteUnformatedText and drag it to where you want it in the toolbar.
5. Right-click Normal.NewMacros.PasteUnformatedText (if nothing happens, click the Customize window and right-click again — keep the Customize window open).
6. Change Name to whatever you want, so you can shorten it.

You can use an image instead, if you prefer. In this case, while the Customize window is still open:

1. Right-click the new button you created, select Change Button Image, and pick an icon.
2. Right-click the button again and select Default Style. Only an image appears. You can leave it as image and text, if you prefer.

You might want to do a Save All after finishing this. See this post for an explanation and how to do it.

I’m editing an eBook that requires special formatting for every story. Naturally this was a good fit for a macro. The first macro did all the steps, but fumbled on the call outs. Better idea: create two macros with the second one covering the call outs. This worked like a charm… until I closed Word and opened it the next day. The macros and the buttons on the toolbar representing the macros were gone.

I tried again a few times, studying the properties and options closer each time to no avail. Went to Microsoft to search the knowledgebase and found a possible solution: Word does not save changes or you receive an error message in an Office program after you install Adobe Acrobat 7.0. Reading the title, it didn’t sound like the right thing, but further scanning revealed “When you change the workspace in Microsoft Word, the changes are not saved when you quit Word. These changes to the workspace include the following examples: You create a macro…”

Bingo. Let’s hope it works. I deleted the bad macro (the first one I created) that kept reloading every time and created the two macros and a button for each. Did a Save All and now it’s come up two days in a row. Adobe Acrobat 7 looks like the culprit for a few problems. Every time I run it, Adobe wants to download updates, but I’m not sure I should let it.

Update: It worked. All you need to do is “Save All” by pressing and holding the Shift key, then select File menu and click Save All.

Today is a very special day. It’s my baby’s third birthday. Happy birthday, little guy!

A better subtitle for this is “Tips for Taming It with Macros.” The book begins with showing how to tweak the interface to meet your needs, one of the few hacks not requiring macros. For a long time, I never modified the interface beyond choosing the tool bars I wanted to view. I frequently used the word count feature and added that to the interface. Since then, I’ve learned to modify it based on my needs so I can quickly access the most often used features. Tip #1 is all about that.

Haven’t ventured into macros, or at least not much? Get a crash course on how to create and run macros so you can use those included in the book and venture on your own. Savikas explains the basics at the 30-foot level while guiding the reader through the steps of creating and running a simple macro. Many of the hacks use macros.

When clicking on a link to a .doc file from within a Web site, the file opens within the browser and editing it is difficult because many of Word’s tool bars are not there for your use. Hack #8 puts an end to this nuisance. In “Building a Better MRU” (most recently used), take the MRU file feature up a notch and pump it up with a form.

According to the book, most of the hacks work with Word 2000, 2002 (also known as Word XP), and 2003. It mentions some of the hacks work with the old Word 97, but the book focuses on 2000, 2002, and 2003. The last chapter, “Word 2003 XML Hacks,” begins on page 319 and is the only one specific to the newest version of Word.

The book follows the Hack series model making it easy to use as a reference. All the tips offered are listed in the table of contents. If you like what you find there and want something heavily focused on macros, the book will satisfy your needs. Those looking for a manual with help for getting around Word and discovering some of its power are better off with a different book.

It’s a great resource for anyone who is comfy with Word and likes to fiddle with something a little more advanced. Tackle a couple of hacks at a time to build up your Word repertoire. Soon, you’ll breeze through creating your own macros. Those who are macro pros might not glean much from the book. The book’s publisher’s Web site includes five sample hacks. Try them out to get a feel for what the book offers. The same page has a link for downloading code examples from the book.

Title: Word Hacks: Tips and Tools for Taming Your Text
Author: Andrew Savikas
Publisher: O’Reilly & Associates
ISBN: 0596004931
Date: October 2004
Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Cover Price: USD: $16.47 CDN: 25.87
UK: 12.25

Sometimes I just want to shoot darts at MS Word. It crashes often mostly due to the normal.dot file becoming corrupted. This file has the default settings for Word including the font type, font size, and the toolbars that appear on the page. I loved using WordToys, but I had to delete it because it kept crashing normal.dot. This may not be an issue for everyone, but it was for me. Sadly, I removed it.

Microsoft’s Tech Support came in handy once as I learned about a Word Troubleshooting Utility. When Word started crashing again, I realized I had not installed the utility back on my computer after having to reformat it a few months ago. It’s a valuable utility that fixes the problems to keep Word from crashing again, at least for a while.

Download the Utility. The aforementioned link has the file and instructions for installing it. It also has instructions for using the utility. 9 times out of 10, the problem is resolved with Normal.Dot Global Template. Load the utility by clicking Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office Tools > Word 2002 Support Template. The template should appear in Word with buttons for Troubleshoot Utility, Registry Options, and Autocorrect Backup.

If Word asks about macros, enable them. If nothing happens when you click on a button, you need to lower your macro security settings as they’re too strict. To do this, click on Tools > Options > Security tab > Macro Security > Select anything except High. Close Word and open the template again.

Now let’s try the most common repair. Click Troubleshoot Utility > select Normal.dot Global Template from the drop-down list > Rename > Yes. This should take care of it. Restart Word and see how it goes. If not, try the other options one by one. Try one, close and re-open Word, and see if it worked. If not, try the next option. Check Word after each change rather than implementing a bunch of changes at once.

Here’s another guide for troubleshooting problems in Word.

If you copy something from a Web site or elsewhere… or you reuse a document and the formatting is making you crazy with its weirdness, then stop the insanity. The first option to make the document behave loses some of the formatting. You can always undo the changes if you don’t like it by pressing CTRL+Z. To dump some of the formatting, press CTRL+A to select all and then select “Normal” from the style drop-down box in the left corner next to the AA as shown in the picture. This changes some of the formatting. If it’s too much, remember CTRL+Z is there. If it’s not enough, try option two.

If the document has HTML formatting or has serious formatting problems, you can get rid of all of the formatting including bullets, paragraphs, bolds, and font sizes. Press CTRL+A to select all and then select “Clear Formatting” instead of “Normal.” This converts the content to plain text using the default text font and size.

In some cases, it’s the paragraphs causing the commotion. Option three is to once again CTLR+A, select Format > Paragraph and under Spacing > Before change the number. 0 means no spacing. The higher the number, the bigger the space before the paragraph. You can see how it will look in the preview. Auto automatically inserts a 14 point space. Or you can put both Before and After at 0 and select one of the options under Line Spacing.

When specific formatting items are misbehaving, then do the following. Let’s say you don’t want tables. Select the table and select Table > Convert > Text to Table. Don’t like italics? Select all, then click on the ‘i’ twice (it will turn everything on and then off). These are simple examples.

When a sentence, paragraph, or block of text isn’t behaving, just select those items rather than selecting all.

Are there any common problems you run into? Email me at merylk at gmail dot net and I’ll address them.