I have frequently used Word Documents on my desktop as shortcuts. 
Today after loading some new software/hardware I have problems.  When
I click on the shortcut to the document popup windows tell me I need
to put in the CD to install Microsoft Office for Word.....AND YET a
file search shows multiple copies of Word on my Harddrive. If I click
on one of the WORD.exe files WORD will open but not if I click on the
shortcuts.  What has changed and how can I undo it?

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Clarification of Question by broth-ga on 14 Oct 2002 16:03 PDT

I am using Windows 98.

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Request for Question Clarification by spot_tippybuttons-ga on 25 Oct 2002 05:05 PDT

What kind of hardware did you install? In specific, was it one of the
following:

a) Additional hard drive
b) CD-ROM drive
c) SmartMedia reader
d) other permanent or removable storage device

As well, what type of software did you install? 

I've got a hunch that your new hardware may have caused a drive letter
reassignment.

Thanks,

Spot

what OS are you using?

if you are using w2k you might want to try two things:

ooops.   anyhow, they are:

1)  right click on the shortcut to your word documents.  check out the
documents properties.  again, this is for w2k, but you should see a
tab for 'general' and there you can control what your target opens
with.  to change the program (to change which "word.exe" you wish to
open it with, press the "Change..." button.

2)  click on start->settings->control panel and choose folder options.
   clicking on the file types tab,  you can also control which program
will open all your *.doc files.

anyways, this may or may not help.  good luck!

It sounds like somehow MS Word has gotten corrupted with the
installatioin of the new software. Unfortunately, if a program gets
corrupted, there really is no nick-and-pick resolution because the
files are damaged and its next to impossible to find out the damaged
ones if Windows is not giving you an exact error of the file that is
damaged. Follow these steps:

1. Close all programs and go to Start, Settings, Control Panel and
Click Add Remove Programs
2. In the list, click on MS Word and then click Remove (this will not
delete any of your current Word documents unless you have them in the
Word directory. So if you have any in the Word directory, you will
want to save them to your Desktop or something like that)
3. Follow the screens to uninstall Word
4. Reboot your machine
5. Reinstall Ms Word via the Office Suite CDs(whichever one you have)
and choose custom install to only install MS Word
6. This should reinstall MS Word ... then when installation is done,
reboot your machine
7. Now try your documents to see if they open.

WitChKraFt