WD97: How to Rebuild User Preference and Options Settings (196020)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q196020


IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SUMMARY

This article describes how to rebuild user preferences and user option settings in Microsoft Word 97.

Word stores user preferences and option settings in the following Registry keys:

User Preferences

      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Word\Data

User Options

      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Word\Options

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.


To rebuild the Word Data and Options Registry keys, do the following:

  1. Quit all applications.
  2. Click the Windows Start button, and then click Run.
  3. In the Open box, type "regedit" (without the quotation marks), and then click OK.
  4. Go to the following Registry key:

    User Preferences

                 HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Word\Data
    NOTE: The Status bar will display the following:
             My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office
         \8.0\Word\Data

    User Options

             HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Word\Options
    NOTE: The Status Bar will display the following:
             My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office
         \8.0\Word\Options
  5. Click the Registry key to select it.
  6. On the Registry menu, click Export Registry File, type a file name, and then click Save.
  7. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
  8. Close the Registry.
NOTE: Repeat steps 4-7 to export and delete both keys, as necessary.

When you restart Word, new settings will be stored in the Data and Options registry keys.

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

121709 WD: How to Ignore User Settings When You Start Word

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/11/2002
Keywords:kbhowto KB196020
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.