JR! We need help!

[so.cal.fan]

Just Ralph or anyone who can help us!

A nice lady friend of mine needs some help:

When I try to start Word for Windows (version ME), I get a message that
says, "Winword has caused an error in Winword.exe. If the problem persists,
please restart your computer."Needless to say, restarting does nothing at
all!

I have done quite a bit of 'Net searching, and have found a few things that
are not exactly the problem, but come somewhat close. I tried following one
possible solution, by troubleshooting, and found that something is probably
wrong with the startup files. The troubleshooting hints say that it is a
"template" problem in the startup folder, and probably with the "normal"
file. That's as far as I can get. I am no good at these things, and even
though I've had the trouble before, (tech support helped me), I am at a loss
at remembering the proper steps to take to solve it.


Any tips will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
:confused:

[JustRalph]

which version of office or Word...........

that would help a bunch..........let me know........

[so.cal.fan]

Ralph, so nice of you to reply so fast!
She is using MS Word2000 MS office

[headhawg]

so.cal.fan,

Do you know if Word has been service packed? Here is the link to a M$ support page that suggests that SP2 may solve the problem:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;296888

If it hasn't been SP'd then I would try that first.

HH

[so.cal.fan]

Thanks, I'll send her the link.......I had trouble with my Word and had to uninstall and reinstall, she doesn't have a cd, so will probably have to take it to Dell........:(

[so.cal.fan]

Headhawg:

My friend went to the link, this was what happened:

This page has my exact error message! However, when I click on the link that has the service pack, I am told the page is not available! There are other options, and I'll give them a try - if not now, then later. Is the service pack free or is there a fee?? (I have never heard of it...)
:confused: :confused: :confused:

[headhawg]

so.cal.fan,

Make sure that you gave her the exact link. I just clicked on the link in my post and it gave me the page so it is working. Service packs are free (assuming a legitimate copy of Word/Office - nudge, nudge, wink-wink), and there is a link on the page that will direct her to the download page. I am not sure of the size, so hopefully she has a fast (not dial-up) connection.

HH

[so.cal.fan]

Thanks HH
She has a cable connection and I think she did get the page up.
She'll try your suggestions.

Thanks again for your efforts.

You men are nice to help us gals with our computer problems!
I know you would much rather discuss POLITICS.....LOL

[headhawg]

so.cal.fan,

Not everyone wants to get in on the Off Topic/Political threads. I tried that recently and was essentially called stupid by an extreme conservative here so now I only look at non-political posts. I think in the end there's a good chance that my opinion will be validated.

Glad to help; this board has been a pleasure to read (especially with regard to handicapping ideas). I wish there was more of that kind of talk and less Off Topic but.. oh well.

If the service pack install doesn't solve the problem, post or PM me and I'll try again. Or maybe JR will jump in.

HH

[so.cal.fan]

Thanks again, Headhawg.

[JustRalph]

I think maybe we need to know what is running in the background on this machine. I can't find another reason specifically for that error. But I can give you at least 5 off the top of my head that would do this on just a general basis.

What has she done lately:

1. Add any hardware (hands inside the box?)
2. Add any software? since she last ran word?
3. change video settings?
4. has she run any utilities (clean sweep, stuff like that)
5. is she trying to open a specific document or just hitting Word off the programs menu?

Please advise.........this is one of those tough problems .......many possibilities.........But we can work our way through them........
if you want to know what is running in the background
hit ctrl-alt-delete (only one time) and you can see what is running.

[so.cal.fan]

Thanks, Ralph,
I'll forward your comments on to her.
Appreciate it!
:)

[so.cal.fan]

JR, your message box is full, what a popular guy you are!

Got this message from my friend in Florida in regards to your comments:


In answer to Ralph, I haven't made any changes in hardware or software lately. In fact, had run Word quite a bit right before it quit. As I've said, I've had this problem before, and it was a matter of resetting some things. I have narrowed it down to a probable startup template malfunction.

The only utility I've run has been my Spybot program and daily Norton scan. There are quite a few things running in the background, (when I press cont/alt/delete), and there are *several* listings for Word.

You may pass this along to Ralph, and thank him for his input. I'll try the SP2 download, and will do that tomorrow

Thanks, Ralph,
I'll pass on your information to JH and JK, asap.;)

[JustRalph]

Let me know what happens........

I emptied my private mess. box.........you can try again....thanks