Documents seem to open as templates

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steve Gage
  • Start date Start date
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Steve Gage

Hello folks,

When I double-click on a .doc file, Word opens up the file OK, but seemingly
as a template. The title bar says "Document (x)", and when you close or
save, you're asked for a filename.

If I open a document from within Word, using its own "open file" dialog, the
file comes up properly.

Is there some registry tweak or something I can do to fix this obnoxious
behavior?

TIA,

- Steve
 
Steve,

Please clarify. You say the document opens seemingly as a
template. All templates have a dot extension. The filename
and extension will display on the title bar when open. You
always have the option when saving a file to save it as
another file type, whether doc, dot, rtf, text, etc. If
your title bar is showing document, then the file you have
open is a document.

Please explain what conditions are making you think your
document is opened as a template rather than a doc?

jesse
 
Not true, actually. You can create a template with the .doc extension (or
rename one to have this extension), and Word will still treat it as a
template (even though Windows doesn't know any better). The reason Steve
believes his document is behaving like a template (and he's right) is that
the title bar says "Document#" instead of "Name of the document." That is,
if you open (or believe you have opened) a document named "Annual Report,"
and the title bar says "Document2" instead of "Annual Report," then you
conclude that Annual Report.doc is really Annual Report.dot in sheep's
clothing. Moreover, if it *is* a template, you can't save it as a document;
once a template, always a template.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
This could also be an issue with the default file action
for *.doc files, if I'm not mistaken. It is a fact that
Word allows any document to be opened as a template:
The 'New' option is available on the right-click menu from
Windows Explorer even for *.doc files! In other words, it
is possible that this option has been set as default,
instead of 'Open', which would cause the behavior
described by Steve.

Stefan
 
Not true, actually. You can create a template with the .doc extension (or
rename one to have this extension), and Word will still treat it as a
template (even though Windows doesn't know any better). The reason Steve
believes his document is behaving like a template (and he's right) is that
the title bar says "Document#" instead of "Name of the document."
Click to expand...

That is correct. And when you try to save it, Word asks for a filename.
That is,
if you open (or believe you have opened) a document named "Annual Report,"
and the title bar says "Document2" instead of "Annual Report," then you
conclude that Annual Report.doc is really Annual Report.dot in sheep's
clothing. Moreover, if it *is* a template, you can't save it as a document;
once a template, always a template.
Click to expand...

Every .doc file on my is opening this way, even newly created docs. And,
oddly enough, when I open a document using the Word file open dialog (vs.
double-clicking a .doc file in Explorer), it opens correctly, as a regular
doc. I seem to recall something like this happening a couple of years ago,
and it seemed there was a fairly simple fix (registry tweak or something). I
can't seem to find it any where.

What's the fix? (I should add that this is Office 2000 SP3 running under
Windows 2000 SP4.)

Thanks,

- Steve
 
In that case, Stefan's follow-up has the correct diagnosis: the default
action for .doc files in Windows (Explorer) has become New rather than Open.
You can change this manually, but the easiest way to fix it is to
"reregister" Word.

Go to Start | Run and type

winword.exe /r

Press Enter.

Note that there is a space before the /r switch. Word will not start, but
its default file associations will be reestablished.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
That didn't fix it (winword.exe /r) - same symptoms. How can I fix this
manually?

- Steve
 
In Windows Explorer, go to Tools | Folder Options | File Types. Select the
DOC extension or "Microsoft Word Document" file type (depending on how you
have the list sorted) and click Advanced. In the Edit File Type dialog, you
will probably see New in bold. If that is not the case, cancel out, as your
problem is not related to these settings. You want Open to be in bold, so
select Open and click Set Default, then OK.

This should be all that's needed, but you may want to check the command
that's run with Open. To do that, click Edit. What I see (and I make no
claim that this is what you should be seeing) is:

[REM _DDE_Direct][FileOpen("%1")]

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
Eureka! That did the trick (folder options/file types)! Thanks very much!

- Steve

Suzanne S. Barnhill said:
In Windows Explorer, go to Tools | Folder Options | File Types. Select the
DOC extension or "Microsoft Word Document" file type (depending on how you
have the list sorted) and click Advanced. In the Edit File Type dialog, you
will probably see New in bold. If that is not the case, cancel out, as your
problem is not related to these settings. You want Open to be in bold, so
select Open and click Set Default, then OK.

This should be all that's needed, but you may want to check the command
that's run with Open. To do that, click Edit. What I see (and I make no
claim that this is what you should be seeing) is:

[REM _DDE_Direct][FileOpen("%1")]

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

Steve Gage said:
That didn't fix it (winword.exe /r) - same symptoms. How can I fix this
manually?

- Steve

newsgroup
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as
a then
you years
ago,
Click to expand...
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