Resolved File associations with .docx

OK Tony I believe there is a registry fix to keep either version of office from re-registering the file associations.

I'd rather not just go with one or the other--I use OneNote 2010 all the time now as a digital scrapbook for lectures to students (OneNote also takes screenshots and then OCRs the text); I use Word 2003 because Word 2010 was giving me fits by refusing to display any styles (which I have started using a lot) in new documents. Excel and powerpoint I can use from either program.

When my weekend starts I "ll go ahead and uninstall everything (I've got the download for 2010 and the CD for 2003) according to the article and then install per instructions, and see what happens.

I won't mark this as solved until I actually resolve this so I'll need a few days.

 

Reinstalled everything--except the DOCX converter utility for 2003.

At least 2003 seems to be working.

Since I can't open those files with 2003, it will just be a matter of opening them with 2010 or OpenOffice, but that's another problem.

OK thanks for all who pitched in, in this thread.

 

Well I finally solved it. Man I don't recall the last time a computer problem caused me so many headaches.

The problem was a key in the registry. I went to the registry key described here and found that the registry had given the wrong location for Office 2010 Word. the key said it was in a folder called "Office," whereas in reality, the folder is called "Office14." Of course I exported that key (before editing it), and then changed the location of the exe to the right folder.

After that, my Open-with dialog showed MS Word 2010, which I was then able to set as the default program.

I honesty don't know how this problem came about, b/c I don't recall ever going to this key before. I did go in a few times to get 2010 not to re-register itself (with both 2003 and 2010 installed at the same time)...

At any rate, the default .docx icon was some strange system text file icon, so I used FileTypeMan to change it to one of the MS Word icons.

Well glad this thread is over with....