Need experts in here...can't get any version of Word to start

Andy22

Golden Member
Jun 8, 2001
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Upgraded a PC from 98 to Windows 2000. The PC already had Office 2000 on it but they were going to Office 2003. After the OS upgrade and Office 2003 install I can't get Word to start. It loads the Office 2k3 splash screen and then quits. Office 2000 was installed prior to this and Word worked fine.

I have tried:

- Booting into safe mode
- Uninstalling and reinstalling Office 2003
- Uninstalling Word 2003 and installing Word from either Office XP or Office 2000
- All windows updates
- Eraser2k and eraser97
- Installing in new directory
- Erasing files in Temp directory
- winword /a
- Renaming normal.dot to abnormal.dot (Word does not get to the point of creating a new one)

Nothing I have tried yet even slightly changes the results and I am desparate for a fix.

Any ideas?

Edit: Worth noting that I can open normal.dot but if I try and open a Word doc from there it might or might not do it and generally acts pretty goofy before eventually quitting on its own. No other Office apps are giving me a problem.
 

geologist

Member
Aug 14, 2004
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0
You've done all windows updates, but what about office updates? Have you tried installing the Office 2003 Service Pack 1?

Also try to delete normal.dot. Sometimes it gets corrupted and causes all sorts of problems. Word will create a new one with default settings.
 

Andy22

Golden Member
Jun 8, 2001
1,425
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71
Thanks Geo but yes, I let 2k3 update. It won't open if I uninstall 2k3 completely and then install 2000 or XP Word. I also tried both deleting the normal.dot file and replacing it with one from a known good system :|
 

geologist

Member
Aug 14, 2004
38
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0
This is odd. It seems like word isn't working within the 2k3 office suite at all, which would eliminate that the 2k3 install disc you have is corrupted. Here is something to try: open word from a different user account. I am sure you are using an administrative account, but I remember once with Office 2000 the permissions got all screwed up and nothing worked right for anyone.

I guess the next step I would try after that is to uninstall 2k3 completely and then install Office 2000 or Office XP to see if it worked.