WD97: Macro Warning Does Not Appear When You Open RTF Document (298063)

SYMPTOMS

When you open a Rich Text Format (RTF) document that has a template attached that contains macros, Microsoft Word 97 does not prompt you with the macro warning message.

CAUSE

This problem can occur if a template that contains macros is attached to a Rich Text Format document and then opened. Microsoft Word trusts that the attached template contains safe macros.

RESOLUTION

To resolve the problem described in this article, obtain and install the latest Microsoft Word 97 update from the following Microsoft Web site:

http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/9798/Wd97mcrs.aspx

IMPORTANT: To use Wd97mcrs.exe, you must have already installed Office 97 Service Release 2b (SR-2b). Otherwise, if you install the update now and then install Office 97 SR-2b at a later date, you will have to reinstall this update. To find out whether you have SR-2b installed, start an Office program and then click About Microsoft program name on the Help menu. You should see Microsoft program name 97 SR-2b as your version of the program.

WORKAROUND

To temporarily work around this problem with a Rich Text Format document that you suspect is attached to a template that contains macros, do one of the following:

Hold SHIFT when you open the Rich Text Format document.

-or-
In a new blank Word document, click File on the Insert menu, and then insert the Rich Text Format document. The new file is automatically attached to your existing global template (Normal.dot), and the macros contained in the previously attached template are not inserted into the new Word document.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem is fixed in the latest Microsoft Word 97 Update.

MORE INFORMATION

When you have the Macro virus protection option turned on in Word 97, a warning appears whenever you open a document that might contain macro viruses. You are prompted with the following warning:

The document you are opening contains macros or customizations. Some macros may contain viruses that could harm your computer.

If you are sure this document is from a trusted source, click Enable Macros. If you are not sure and want to prevent any macros from running, click Disable Macros.

To set macro virus protection in Word, follow these steps:

On the Tools menu, click Options.
Click the General tab.
Click to select the Macro virus protection check box, and then click OK.

When the Macro virus protection option is selected, you can choose whether to run potentially unsafe macros.

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

214652 WD97: Macro Warning Doesn't Appear Opening File Attached to Template That Contains Macros

163932 WD97: Frequently Asked Questions About Word Macro Viruses

49500 List of Antivirus Software Vendors