I am a writer working with Word 2000. I have a manuscript file that is
5 MB in size, has about 100 pages with some graphics. No links to
outside files.
When I open this file and add one character, anywhere, and try to save
the file (either fast save or full save), Word crashes. I get the
message:

?Word for Windows has encountered a problem and needs to close.?

I also get this message if I select the entire document contents, and
delete it, leaving an empty file, ant then try to save.

Do you have any suggestions about what to do? I have tried the Repair
option from the Office disk. If, in the Registry, I delete the Data
thingy under MS Word, I believe I will lose my toolbars and settings,
which are highly customized; so I have not been willing to try that,
yet. Gordon.

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Request for Question Clarification by efn-ga on 02 Jan 2005 07:02 PST

I suggest you try this:  select the whole document, cut or copy the
selection, and paste it into a new file.  This has worked for me with
similar problems.

If this works for you, let me know in a clarification and I will post
it as an answer.  If not, somebody else will probably have another
suggestion.

---

Clarification of Question by gojohns-ga on 02 Jan 2005 13:06 PST

I had already tried copying out the file contents. Same thing happened
after pasting into a fresh file. The problem went with the content.
Thanks anyway for the advice.

If you are able to open other Word Documents with no problem, you may
just be experiencing a corrupt document.

Since you can open the document ok, and it's only when making changes
and saving that you get errors, this would be my next troubleshooting
steps:

Open the document.
Do not make any changes.
Go to File - Save As, and save it as a rich text document.
If you don't get any errors here, you should be in good shape. 
If you did get an error, try the second option below.

Try opening the document using Windows WordPad
(I'm assuming that you are using Windows...)
Make a slight change (add a character/word/etc.) and save it.
If you don't get any errors, you're in pretty good shape.
Open the document in Word, and then Save As back to .doc format.

2nd option.
Open the document in Word 2000
Select and copy all the text. (Ctrl-A to Select, Ctrl-C to copy)
Close Word. Open it up again to a blank document.
Paste in the text and save it.
Try making a change and see if you get the same errors.
As another option if that doesn't work. Try pasting the text into
another program like notepad or WordPad. Copy it again and then paste
back into Word.

If neither of those steps work for you, best of luck in fixing the problem.

-flajason

Are you using Microsoft Windows XP? If so - check out the following
information found via Microsofts Knowledge Base.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;313935
Hope this helps
Dan

You might try to search your entire computer for normal.dot on your
computer and delete it. Normal.dot is a templete file that word uses
to create new documents and to handle various toolbars.  After
deleting this file you would want to open Word without a document and
then close word and then open your document like you normally would.

Hope this helps.

- Qua

I too have had similar. My solution was to open the doc in Word then
open another Word. After that, copy and paste a few pages at a time.
If the part-file is OK on the second Word, save it as a partial
document and repeat the process until you have captured the whole
thing. There may come a point in the copying where the second Word
falls over so you can then narrow down on the faulty bit of code if
this is the problem. Should of course error-trap without that agro but
that?s a further issue.

You might also download one of the freebee alternatives to Word and
see if you can reclaim it directly. Perhaps though, make a copy of the
file from within Windows Explorer first as a back-up.

Best

Hey Gordon-

What format were the images you placed in the document?  Word-
especially Word 2000 seems to get funky with otherwise healthy
documents when it comes to playing with text and pictures at the same
time.  I'd suspect it's causing some issues...
To test, go into your tools/options and on the view tab, select the
"show picture placeholders" and see if your document behaves itself
again...
And please, in any case, don't go manipulating that registry...  The
problem's with the document, not the application- so prodding at your
system's exposed spinal cord would be ill advised...
Here's a link to a knowledgebase article- about 1/2way down the page
there's mention of placeholders to speed up the process...

Now, IF this fixes your document--- you will need to repair those
image files, usually opening them and then resaving them in an image
editing program is sufficient--- though, honestly, if you're going to
send this for publication, just keep going with the placeholders to
let your editors know where to put the images and include the actual
image files with the manuscript for the layout staff to place for you.

Good luck-  hope that helps!

-moose.

*smacks forehead*

Sorry- forgot to paste that link in...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q239431/


-moose.