I have XP running. And Word 97 plus Outlook 2000 SR01 9.0.0.3821 --
and I'm having problems with both. Mostly with WORD. It keeps telling
me I've modified that file with its defaults (the "dot" file, I
think)-- or may have modified that file (maybe I've done that by some
keystroke combination?). It's also much slower to open files lately.
And I see that weird "gray" screen sometimes, when it opens. Outlook
is running better, but has at least one weird glitch: When I try to
insert text (as a reply, or for forwarding) into a message that's in
"rich" text format, it crashes, every time.
Any thoughts? I know Office is pricey, but I do all my work on my
computer, so can't afford to have it operating unpredictably.
P.S. I do check for viruses frequently with Norton (I have it set to
check my in & out mail too) and also defrag pretty often....so I
believe my problems are not caused by either of those issues.

Hi bbb,

Upgrading to Office XP should actually fix your problems: but, it's a
pricey solution to a problem that can be fixed quite easily. You can
purchase the UPGRADE edition of Office XP IF (and ONLY IF) you
currently own a copy of:

Office Premium, Professional, Small Business, Standard, Developer, and
Value Added Reseller (VAR) editions (version 97 or 2000 for Microsoft
Windows® or Microsoft Windows NT®)
From the "Check Upgrade Eligibility" page at:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/howtobuy/upgrading.asp

Because you've upgraded Outlook (and nothing else), this process will
be a tad more complicated.. But, it shouldn't be too daunting. Again,
upgrading to Office XP will short circuit all of this, and simply just
"Fix" the problem.

So, how to reinstall Office 97/Outlook 2000 correctly. First, make
sure you have all the original CD's and installation Product ID Keys
BEFORE you start. Also, you should back up all your important
documents and templates -- just to be on the safe side.

Once your preparations are done, go to the Start Menu, then the
Control Panel, then "Add/Remove Programs". Remove Outlook 2000 first
by finding the listing on the list of software installed and select
"Remove". Once that's done (reboot if necessary), select Office 97,
and do the same thing--remove it.

Now, to complete the removal, use the tool found at "OFF97: Utility to
Completely Remove Remaining Office 97 Files and Registry Entries":
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;176823

The entire "Microsoft approved removal process" can be found here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;158658

Once you've followed the directions from the above links (and this
answer), you're ready to reinstall. Reinstallation will be painless:
simply install the CD's, and select the products to be installed.
Instant fix to all that ails your Office install! One other minor
point: make sure you install Office 97 BEFORE installing the Outlook
2000 upgrade.

If there is anything unclear in my answer, please ask for
clarification prior to rating this answer. I will be happy to assist
you in better understanding the process involved.

Thanks!

Legolas-ga

Search used:

search at: http://support.microsoft.com

terms: reinstall office 97

---

Clarification of Answer by legolas-ga on 05 Dec 2002 10:03 PST

Because you are using Windows XP, please use disregard the link
provided that said, "The entire "Microsoft approved removal process"
can be found here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;158658 "

But, instead, use the following link that is specific to Windows XP.
The entire "Microsoft approved removal process for Windows XP" can be
found here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;254250

This seems like a thorough and complete answer--with one further point
to ask. The answer began by saying "Upgrading to Office XP should fix
your problem...." -- but not did elaborate enough on that option. In
other words, it's fairly certain that using my older versions of Word
and Outlook, with an XP operating, is causing them to crash or behave
oddly? Is this a known situation, or actually an educated supposition?
So if I got Office for XP, it is very likely that these problems will
be ended?

(I should probably clarify that I don't have the whole Office suite
even now. I have Word and Outlook, individually. So to get Office XP
for me will not be an upgrade, as a suite; I'd be buying the whole
suite for the first time. I'm willing to do that (shopping on the
Internet for a good price is not difficult, at least) because I've
noticed that if you allow programs to get more than a few years old,
you run into problems of compatibility, etc., everywhere--and I use
word processing and e-mail in my work. Whew. Long followup. Anyway,
I'm looking for some reassurance that getting Office will likely fix
things (I realize there's no certainty in computers) and then I'll do
it. Thanks

Upgrading will almost certainly fix your issues. The newer versions of
office will almost certainly not have the same bugs as your old
programs. It's really hard to tell exactly why your programs are
having trouble though, and it may very well not be the fault of XP. So
it would probably just be most prudent to reinstall them, which would
probably give around the same odds of success (or slightly less) than
upgrading to Office XP.