WD: Individual Word Session Started for Each Attached Document (102496)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95 7.0a
  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
  • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q102496

SYMPTOMS

Windows starts an individual instance of Word for Windows for each attached Word document that you open from within a Mail for Windows message.

-or-

Windows starts an individual instance of Word for Windows for each document file that you double-click in Microsoft Windows Explorer.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs in Mail and Windows Explorer when the file association for .doc files is incorrect or when the Word Document setting is incorrect or incomplete in the Windows registration database file (Registry in Windows 95).

For example, if you set the file association for .doc files to

C:\Winword\Winword.Exe

Windows starts a new instance of Word each time you start a file from Windows Explorer and each time you open a document from Mail. If you set the file association to

Microsoft Word Document

Windows checks the registration database and performs the specified commands for an Open action. (By default, Windows opens a document in the current instance of Word if it is already running.)

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, associate .doc files with Word and correct the Word Document settings in the registration database. To do this, use the steps appropriate to your version of Word.

To check the .doc file association, use the following steps:

  1. In Windows Explorer, click Options on the View menu, and click the File Types tab.
  2. In the Registered File Types box, click Microsoft Word Document, and click New Type.
  3. In the Description of Type box, type Microsoft Word Document. In the Associated Extension box, type .doc.
  4. Click New in order to define an action for this file type.
  5. In the New Action dialog box, in the Action box, type the action that you want to define; for example, type Open or New.
  6. In the "Application Used to Perform Action" box, type the command that you want to run in order to complete the action you specified; for example, type:

    c:\Msoffice\Winword\Winword.exe

  7. Click OK.
  8. Click OK again.
For more information about associating file types in Windows, see your Windows printed documentation or click the Index tab in Microsoft Windows Help, type the following text

associating, file types

and then double-click the selected text to view the "Creating or modifying a file type" topic.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

138447 Word 2.x/6.x: New Word Session Started for Each Attached File

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/16/2005
Keywords:kbinterop KB102496
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