STARTUP AND SHUTDOWN

RECOVERY AND BACKUP

Move Word to Another Computer

The Annoyance:

So I activated Wordand now I need to move it to another computer.

The Fix:

As you'd guess, if your installation of Word is part of Office rather than a standalone installation, you must move all the Office applications to the other computer. Provided you do that, and remove Office from the original computer, transferring the program files is easy enough: a standard installation on the new computer and a standard removal from the original computer.

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Tip: If you're using Windows XP and need to transfer all your files and settings from one computer to another (rather than transferring just your Word or Office settings), you can use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard instead of the Save My Settings Wizard. Choose Start All Programs Accessories System Tools Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, and then follow the prompts.

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1. First, close all the Office applications on the first computer and use the Save My Settings Wizard to save your Word settings to a file. You'll find the Save My Settings Wizard on the All Programs Microsoft Office 2003 Microsoft Office Tools menu for Office 2003 and on the All Programs Microsoft Office Tools menu for Office XP. Save the settings on a network drive that both computers can access, on a removable drive (such as a USB memory key or an iPod), or to your hard disk. Then burn the settings to CD or DVD.

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2. Next, copy the Word- related files from your original computer to your transfer location:

   • Copy the templates from your workgroup templates folder. If you're not sure where this folder is, open Word, choose Tools Options, click the File Locations tab, and check the readout. If you cant see the full path for the item, double-click it and then examine the "Look in" drop-down box in the Modify Location dialog box.

   • Copy the .ACL file containing your unformatted AutoCorrect entries. Choose Start Run, type %userprofile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Office , and press Enter. Copy the MSOnnnn.ACL file whose number (represented by nnnn ) matches the code for the language you're using. For U.S. English, the code is 1033, so the corresponding configuration file is named MSO1033.ACL . Leave the Windows Explorer window open for the moment.

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     Tip: If you're not sure which AutoCorrect file you're using, add an AutoCorrect entry in Word and then check the files to see which was modified at the appropriate date and time.

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   • In the Windows Explorer window, go up one level to the %userprofile%\Application Data\Microsoft folder, and then double-click the Proof folder. Copy your custom dictionaries to your transfer location. If you've saved other custom dictionaries in different folders, copy them too. (If you're not sure where they are, open Word, choose Tools Options, click the Spelling & Grammar tab, click the Custom Dictionaries button, select each dictionary file in the Custom Dictionaries dialog box, and check the "Full path readout.)

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     Tip: These instructions concentrate on Word. In practice, if you're transferring all the Office applications, you will probably want to transfer key files from the other applications as well.

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3. Next, install Office on the destination computer. Run the Save My Settings Wizard on the destination computer to apply the saved settings.

4. Move the templates, AutoCorrect file, and dictionary files from the transfer location to the corresponding locations on the destination computer. Word will discover the templates, AutoCorrect file, and Custom.dic when you run it, but you will need to add the other dictionaries manually. To add a dictionary, choose Tools Options, click the Spelling & Grammar tab, click the Custom Dictionaries button, and then click the Add button.

5. Control Panel Add or Remove Programs, click the Office entry, and click the Remove button.

Reinstall Word

The Annoyance:

Word has gotten so flaky it's barely worth using. Sometimes it starts okay but then hangs ; sometimes it gives me errors about there being no space on my hard disk or being unable to save a file; and sometimes it produces registration errors on startup. I've tried using Help Detect and Repair, but it hasnt fixed the problem.

The Fix:

What you need to do is back up all critical Word files and then reinstall Word from the Office CD or from the installation cache on your hard disk.

See the bulleted list in the previous Annoyance ("Move Word to Another Computer") for details on the items that you should back up. To reinstall Word, choose Start Control Panel Add or Remove Programs, click the Office item, and click the Change button. In the Office Setup Wizard, follow the procedure for reinstalling Office. In Office 2003, choose the Reinstall or Repair option; in Office XP or Office 2000, choose the Repair Office option. You may need to provide your Office CD.