WD2000: Problem Saving Normal.dot on Computer with Multiple Users (211529)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 2000
This article was previously published under Q211529

SYMPTOMS

If you perform a local installation of Word 2000, and you then turn on User Profiles so that the local installation of Word is shared by several people who use the same computer, you may have problems with the way the Normal.dot file is managed. For example, you may notice the following symptoms:
  • You receive an error message saying that the Normal.dot file is read-only.

    -or-
  • You inherit settings and options that belong to other users.

    -or-
  • You cannot customize certain options.

CAUSE

This issue can occur if the following conditions are true, and occur in the order listed:
  1. Word 2000 is installed, and the Normal.dot template is customized.
  2. The User Profiles feature is turned on on the computer.
  3. A new user logs on to the computer, and then uses Word.
When you install Word 2000, the Normal.dot template is created in the following folder:

C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates

The first user to customize the Normal.dot template customizes the original copy in this folder.

When User Profiles are turned on, for each subsequent user that logs on, the Normal.dot is replicated, including prior customizations, to the following folder:

C:\Windows\Profiles\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates

As a result, subsequent users may inherit settings and options that belong to a previous user, or they may see other unexpected behavior as a result of prior customization.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, use one of the following methods.

Method 1:Manually Change the User Templates Location

In order to customize each instance of Word, each user must have a unique copy of the Normal.dot file. The location of the Normal.dot file is controlled by a customization setting. To change the location of the Normal.dot so that it will be unique for each user, follow these steps:
  1. Create a unique folder for each user, and have a user log on to the computer.
  2. Start Word, and then click Options on the Tools menu.
  3. Click the File Locations tab.
  4. Click the User Templates setting, and then click Modify.
  5. Navigate to the unique folder that you created in step 1, and then click OK.

    If you want copies of the Office Templates for each user, you can copy the Office Templates from the \Application Data\Microsoft\Templates folder to the folder you created in step 1.
If you want the users to share the Office templates, follow these steps:
  1. Have the user log on the computer.
  2. Start Word and on the Tools menu, click Options.
  3. Click the File Locations tab.
  4. Click the Workgroup templates setting and click Modify.
  5. Navigate to the Office Templates folder (the most likely location for this folder is C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates), and click OK.
When you click New on the File menu, you see a combination of the User Templates (the user's Normal.dot and other user-specific templates) and Workgroup templates (the templates that the user is sharing with other users).

Method 2: Perform a Server Workstation Installation

To perform an Administrative setup on the computer and then perform a Workstation setup for each user, follow these steps:
  1. Create a unique folder for each user and a folder for the server installation of Word.
  2. Log on as the administrator and run the setup /a command on the server folder on the computer.
  3. Log on as one of the users and perform a workstation installation. Install to the user's unique folder you created in step 1. Repeat this step for each user.
This installs the program files to the server folder and creates a Normal.dot template for each user.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

The User Templates setting is typically used to indicate a location for templates that you may want to customize. Generally, the Normal.dot file is stored in this location so that users can save changes (such as a default font, custom styles, and so on) to their work environments.

The Workgroup Templates setting is typically used to indicate a location for templates that are shared with other users. Because multiple users use the same templates in this situation, either no users will be able to save changes to the templates (if they are marked as read only), or only the first user will be able to save changes to the template (the first user gets full control of the template and the other users get read only access).

The following components are stored in the Normal.dot global template. Customization of any of these features will require a separate Normal.dot file for each user:
  • Boilerplate text and graphics
  • Template styles
  • Default settings (font, margins, page size, and so on)
  • Some AutoText entries
  • Some macros
  • Some custom menu and toolbar settings
If you install Office with a Run From Server setup, rather than a local installation, the effects are slightly different. The first time the new user quits Word, the user sees a message stating that the Normal.dot has been changed, but the changes cannot be saved because the file is read-only. The User Templates path in the registry for this user is pointing to the Office folder, which in this case is on the server, and is read-only.

NOTE: The message is slightly misleading. The Normal.dot file does not yet exist in that location. Word is trying to save a new, default Normal.dot for this user in the User Templates location.

To work around this situation, use one of the workarounds listed in the "Workaround" section of this article.

REFERENCES

For more information about user templates and workgroup templates, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type workgroup templates in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.


NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Microsoft Word Help button on the standard toolbar. If Word Help is not installed on your computer, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

231946 OFF2000: How to Add/Remove a Single Office Program or Component

For additional information about Normal.dot and templates, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

214215 WD2000: Understanding the Template Path and Normal.dot

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/6/2002
Keywords:kbother kbprb kbusage KB211529
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.