MS Word won't open

Couldn't tell you ..... unless it came when I updated at MS

Might have come as a result of ActivSync as that comes with Outlook? Only a thought.

 

Well pour yourself a beverage, get comfy and proceed when you have the time. Here comes one of my mini book posts that I am known for doing from time to time. I hope the end product makes sense. It has been edited and glued together with spit and bubblegum. Forgive any grammar or spelling bloopers. I'm a bit tired and my attention to detail is not what it should be. Some sentences may have to rewritten later so that they become more coherent or do not have to read more than once to be understood. Again, I'm just to darn tired and lazy to do this at this time.

Word does not open. Hangs and shows as "not responding" in taskmanager.
Recap:
>No virus' and I've checked for spyware.
>Renamed/rebuilt Normal.dot. Searched for dupes, Only 1 version showing on search.
>Tried office repair
>Uninstalled word and Reinstalled. No change.
>Used various reg cleaners in between uninstall and reinstall.
>Checked "event viewer ", no joy beyond the normal warning associated with offpro provider.
>Removed and rebuilt the Word settings via registry HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\X.X\Word.

Things suggested but have not been positively confirmed as done:
>Empty temps (but prior to doing this: may be to late for this but is there a setuplog.txt for offices install still in there. A peek into this might be helpful)
>Check for office's own startup folder for items and remove items if any.
>Install the service packs/patches for word 2000
>Make sure nothing is running that could cause a compatibility problem or conflict.

Things I should have suggested or had suggested but not specifically howto or thought had been suggested/tried:
>Safemode bootup and see if it opens.
>Login as a different user and see if opens.
>Make a new user account, log into that account and see if opens.
>Disable antivirus and see if opens.
>Open Antivirus and adjust office plugin options and disable such if you have it/them.
>Totally uninstall and leave uninstalled, MSworks, to eliminate botch crossed problems.
>If restore points can be relied upon to clean of virus/malware/adware and does not have a history of being a problematic or fussy, use 'em. You can go backwards and forwards.
>Check the a bad or incompatible ms update that installed recently (just prior to the problem). This step may be redundant if "restore points" tshoot was used.
>Fonts problem? Possibly.
>Animation problem? Possible but very very remote. Check settings via control panel>system icon>advanced tab>performance settings button> disable all with possible exceptions of "smooth screen fonts and the last three are up for grabs. If you use common task leave it, if you use xp style rather than classic theme leave, if you like invisible desktop icon text box leave "drop shadow yadayada. These are tweaked optimized preferred settings anyway. If don't have these set, regardless of a connection to your current problem, you may wish to set and use these settings as your preference on a permanent basis.
>When uninstalling office are you doing a total uninstall including all components? That includes Outlook. Hope all your docs and outlook settings are backedup. If not you may wish to do so.
>While I know you have explained that you have virus scanned and cleaned for malware/adware, sometimes the programs and methods used need an experts point of view, advice and hand holding. Our security forms "subforum" here has an excellent pinned "welcome" text at the top of the forum with instructions, links and howtos that will result in a hijackthis.log posted in that forum. This will possibly catch or allow for advice on things missed or unrecognized by yourself.
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Review and try the above, after doing so we have tried many or most of the standard methods for troubleshooting this. Without 'hands on capability' or "first person knowledge" (only you as the user, would have that), this is a hard task. Various things that could be explored or foreknowledge on how things were done to begin with plus knowledge on a history of running problems or nuisances sure would help but are impossibilities for myself. These are puzzle pieces needed to get the whole picture. Some things I would do on my own os but never suggest for another since they would be "fly by the seat of pants" methods. Risks, that I know with each key stroke could result in having to totally reinstall XP by wiping the slate clean. Since my computer is nothing more than a toy, at this point in my life, and I have nothing to lose or am not willing to lose, (cd burned backups, what I consider "keepers ") I do this on almost on a daily basis, <- referring to risking OS. While I thoroughly enjoy helping others, there are some lines I will not cross, some things I will not do or avoid doing as experimentation, just because I know they're risky and may cause my lazy self to have to uninstall,reinstall and update once again. Office 2000 is one of those that can be time consuming to uninstall/reinstall, customize/optimize and update once again.

That said, referring to the above, I have gathered a few interesting sites and ideas for your own reading, leisure, pleasure. The first few links offer additional avenues of reference or issues, not mentioned in this post. There are still some known issues left to be explored and eliminated. The cleanup tool sections aren't for the meek and mild. The best advice, on those, I could offer is BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP!. Outlook in particular. Create your own current "restore point ". Export the whole reg and keep in safe place. Read and understand those carefully. Personally speaking, I did install the "Big guns" ork.exe, and ran the wizard as suggested. It was very easy to do. While I did not carry through on uninstalling what it found and meekly canceled my way out of it, I just thought I'd let you know, the downloading and the reading take much longer than the doing. Braver still, would have been an aggressive removal, or cleanup, as explained in the readme links, and not beyond my attempt should the regular cleanups not work. But I do have xp's "recovery console" preinstalled as one of my bootup options plus knowledge on various "rescue routines" or at least I know where to get it when I need it. Bravery also bolstered by the fact that my house has five computers... no six counting a laptop, and I will not be computer deprived. Extra harddrives with system also preloded and ready to go, help also. I guess it's relatively easy for myself to brave....

I will keep poking at this, myself, but some things, you are going to have to look over for yourself and use your best judgement based on your capabilities. While I would try them on my own system, I will not try to influence another to do so.

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Things to try
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/259413

Highlights & Top Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;3251

http://www.kayodeok.btinternet.co.uk/favorites/kboffice.htm

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How to remove the Office CD1 from a computer that is running Windows 2000 manually.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=252566

How to reset registry settings to their default values for Office 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=231430

To install the Office Profile Wizard:
1. Using your Web browser, go to the following address:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/orkarchive/2000ddl.htm
Save the Orktools.exe program to your Desktop.
2. Install Orktools.exe by double-clicking it and following the on-screen instructions.
To restore your Microsoft Office 2000 registry settings to their default values:
1. Quit any Microsoft Office programs that are running.
2. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office 2000 Resource Kit Tools, and click Profile Wizard.
3. Click Next.
4. Click the Restore previously saved settings option button. Select the Reset to defaults before restoring settings check box. Make sure that there is no file name shown in the Edit box. Then click Finish.
5. When you receive the message
You have not specified a settings file to be restored, but you have selected "Reset to defaults before restoring settings." This will restore the Office default settings on this computer. Are you sure you want to continue?
click Yes.
6. When you receive the message
You have completed the Profile Wizard. The default Office Settings were restored.
click Exit.
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Office online discussion groups:
office hangs]online

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microsoft installer cleanup tool:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=290301
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Office 2000 File and Registry Eraser Utility
Microsoft Office 2000 Standard Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=239938
eraser2k.exe
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Really Big Guns.......
Remove all traces of office. Cleanup tool
Office Removal Wizard
Although version removal functionality is built into Microsoft® Office 2003 Setup and the Custom Installation Wizard, a stand-alone version of the Office Removal Wizard is available as well. You can use this tool to exert a detailed level of control over which files to remove and which to retain. For example, if you are upgrading in stages to Office 2003, you can use the Removal Wizard to remove previously installed versions of the specific applications you choose to upgrade.

The Office Removal Wizard can detect and remove Office 95, Office 97, Office 2000, and Office XP, as well as Microsoft Office Multilingual User Interface Packs (MUI Packs) and individual Office applications. A companion file list allows you to review and edit the detailed list of files that can be removed. The Removal Wizard does not remove documents or other user files from the computer.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011401981033.aspx

http://www.microsoft.com/office/orkarchive/2003ddl.htm
More specifically:
ORK.exe
http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/e/d/0eda9ae6-f5c9-44be-98c7-ccc3016a296a/ork.exe
A self-extracting executable (EXE) file that contains the Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit toolset. For more information about the tools contained in the toolset, see the Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit Toolbox.
More specifically:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011401681033.aspx
Which has a list (on the right) of the various tools which come wiith the ork "toolbox ". The majority of these you will probably never need but the one of interest and focus is the office removal wizard

To locate the tool, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office Resource Kit, and then click Removal Wizard.

Related link: Which brings us full circle back to the original link I had provided.
For more information about the Office Removal Wizard, see Customizing Removal Behavior.
http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?AssetID=HA011401981033&CTT=5&Origin=HA011401771033

NOTE*
While all the above can be downloaded you may already have the tool on the office cd:
Removal Wizard components (which are used by both the wizard and Setup) include the following files:
>Offcln.exe
Provides the user interface that lets you run the wizard as a stand-alone utility; located in the \Files\Pfiles\MSOffice\Office11 folder on the installation image. The wizard is also available in the Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit.
>Oclean.dll
Used by the stand-alone Removal Wizard and Setup to carry out instructions in the OPC files and clean up the user's hard disk.
>Oclncore.opc
Global OPC file for Office 2003; located in the \Files\Pfiles\MSOffice\Office11 folder on the installation image. This file specifies files, registry entries, INI file settings, and shortcuts associated with all components in the core English version of Office 2003.
>Oclnintl.opc
Satellite OPC file for each language version of Office 2003; located in the LCID subfolders. Specifies language-specific components, including files, registry entries, INI file settings, and shortcuts.
>Oclncust.opc
Template file for adding additional content to be deleted by the Removal Wizard, including all content that was commented out in previous versions of the wizard; located in the \Files\Pfiles\MSOffice\Office11 folder on the installation image. Modify this file if you want to delete additional files or registry keys.
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MsWorks is a whole nother critter. I haven't even gone there. Just trying to pin down and cure an unknown office/winword problem is an occupation in it's self. Particularly when it doesn't make sense and has become a thing that nightmares are made of. If it were me I'd totally uninstall this and leave it uninstalled until I got the processor of my choice functioning. I don't know if there may be some conflict between the two but uninstalling and leaving it uninstalled may help to eliminate this possible complication.
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Haven't even offered trouble possibilities coming from a networking issue. As I said "I hate networking ", as a result, this is my worst or weakest area. Perhaps one of the other links I have offered can have tips tshooting this from that angle.

 

Whew.....you really are a goddez. I will cull through what I have already done and see how long it takes me to do the rest. I will keep you informed (or die trying)

 

Quick update. Tried some potential fixes last evening. After blowing out my graphics driver and usb keyboard I decided I should take a break for a few days, plug in some games and kill something.
Thanks again and I'll keep you updated.

 

Was playing around this morning and managed to lose a few more things so I thought what the heck....I had taken a ghost image @ 5/7 so I loaded it back to my C: drive. Word now opens (I got the other files back I lost also). Updated my AV and am now updating Windows....one at a time to see if they had caused some conflict with this machine. Also in msconfig>startup I had found an entry with no name. That is now gone.


OOPs. Looks like it may have been a MS update, specifically 893066. When you look in add/remove it already has that fix but not an install date (3 others lack install date also but do not come up in WUD) but it shows up on WUD as needing installation. Ideas?
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Hi jusbouthadit,

Well shoot, you can't say you didn't give this a good fight, maybe not a battle, but a good fight. At least you've had the good sense and foresight to use a backup routine that you could fall back upon. I'm sorry we couldn't get the bottom of the initial word problem but am happy that word now functions for ya'. Thanks for keeping this post so well updated with feedback and progress reports. Perhaps, as you stated, you may yet catch the glitch should it repeat or show up again, while in the progress of bringing the backup to meet the most current updated state. If so, I sure hope you remember this post and share it with the rest of us.

 

I will do that.

 

Guess I spoke too soon. Problem came back and now I am thinking it is not MS Update. Looking at the latest version of ZAP. Will keep you updated.

 

Wrong again. ZAP is not the problem it seems. Back to loading updates one at a time.

 

Any progress? I am having the same issue. I just bought a brand new laptop and used Works 8 to write a report. That was the only time I was able to successfully open word processor (I can't open it, edit it, or print it or anything ). Uninstalled / reinstalled, no luck. Tried to do everything in the thread that applied to me (not office) that I could.

WksWP.exe opens but hangs on the splash screen, taking anywhere from 60-99 cpu in the task manager (but rarely dipping out of the nineties).

The only progress I have been able to make is that I was able to get past the splash screen (once, and it took 8-10 minutes to open) and have the outline of the window shown. I also saw the status bar which said page 1 of 32767. This is just from opening the program through the start menu. I have never gotten this far opening the program from double clicking a file or from doublie clicking the executable, so I don't know if the same things happening open the program through those methods.

I'm not sure what other significance 32767 might be in the general computer world, but to me I notice that it is (2^15) - 1, or in my world, the upper boundary of a signed small int in MYSQL.

Anyway, was just wondering if you had made any progress.

 

Still loading updates.....very slowly. I think the one that gave me trouble was 893066, which I also installed in March. (I used a ghost image to go back to May, before I had problems). If things continue to work well I will (re)install that one last....after I make a fresh ghost image. Having back surgery on Friday so may be next week before I have loaded all. Word still working at this point. If you don't use system restore (I don't) or Ghost, or something equivalent, you may end up doing a fresh install (never hurts too much anyway). I will keep you updated. You may want to consider returning the laptop to the vendor and get a fresh one, if that is an option.

 

Sorry this has taken so long but I have been recovering from recent back surgery.
After the liberal use of ghost images I have solved and redeveloped the problem of word not opening numerous times. Most recently I 'ghosted' back to May once again and started loading critical updates one at a time. Every few updates I would do another ghost image. As of 2 days ago I have downloaded all critical updates and the problem has not recurred.
Thanks for all your help and sorry it took so long for this thread to go nowhere.