Home Forums Discussions Problems MS Word 2007 Conflict

Really liked this software until I tried to open Word 2007. After installing Amazing Charts I get errors when opening Word (Office Ultimate 2007). Errors indicate corruption of normal.dotm file. Very strange. Has anyone seen this? Help!

Hmmm... I run the same program without difficulty!

I would start with technical support and tell us what they say.

In the meantime, Al Borges knows Word inside and out. He may be able to help with this. I will bring this thread to his attention.

Funny, we are getting sometime but not always the same kind of thing on an older version of Office, Word and more importantly mostly PDF's in Adobe. Claire from support suggested that we update our version of Adobe Reader which I was going to get around to "eventually". Any other folks out there???

Does it occur with every Word document when opened? If so, right off the top try this:

* See if it is a problem with compatability with your printer driver.
* Also try to renaming or deleting the normal.dotm file and let Word recreate a new one automatically.

The following web page discusses these 2, which are the most common issues: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826862

I also discussed this with a user on the MS Community Forums and it worked (in his case it was a printer driver). It could be that AC uses MS Office 2003 which works with a non-compatible driver with MS Office 2007.

How did you finally fix the problem, David?

Yes, delete the .dotm file. That file is a template file. I have found in Outlook and Word it has to be changed from its default settings or one return gives me a double space between paragraphs rather than one.

I would also recommend clicking on the Microsoft Office Button at the top left of your program, select Word Options, Resources, then Check for Updates. Run this, and you will probably find quite a few updates which may solve the problem. Even if it doesn't, your Office Suite will work better for it. Many people check their Windows XP and Vista updates but forget to check their Office 2003 or 2007 updates. HTH

Also, and I am guilty of this as anyone, but with even the slightest install and AC is probably more than slight, it is always a good idea to set a System Restore point prior to the install and name it as such.

Pardon my ignorance but doesn't Windows naturally create a restore point when ever an install is started??? It has always done so it seems for me and I have had to use them once or twice in a pinch. Or have I just been lucky, or do I have some setting set (ya that sounded real smooth there) that is attending to this for me thank goodness? Thanks.

Paul,

Yes, you have been lucky. It is my experience that most programs do not make a restore point on their own. You can break them up into three categories:

Those that do not. The majority of them.
Those that ask you if you would like one made. This should be the default.
Those that do and usually tell you during the install, i.e. "creating restore point."

If you are making a major change, I wouldn't rely on luck. I would manually create the restore point. I do not think that programs which do create restore points would name them in the System Restore feature. But, if someone knows other, please enlighten me.

By the way, although I am not a big System Restore fan, if you rely a lot of it, then GoBack is a much better program.

Still waiting on AC to respond to my problem. Deleting the normal.dotm file does not eliminate the problem. This problem only occurs by the way when I try to open .docx files. My work around is to use my other computer to resave any docx files to doc files.

(Imagine running AC on one of these!)

I'm seriously thinking of bypassing Office 2007. First of all, I'd have to redo much of my VBA code due to their changing of the toolbar elements. Office 2003 is stable enough at this point; why put up with new bugs? Lastly, I don't find any compelling reason to upgrade.

I still can't see why an AC install (which is predominantly MS Access) will affect the "Normal" MS Word document template... Let us know as soon as you get an answer! Thanks.

Well, this seems kind of obvious and a bit labor intensive, but have you uninstalled Word 2007 and AC, then rebooted and installed both again. If installing AC affected Word, I would install AC first.

I guess you could save to .doc rather than .docx and change .docx to .doc by renaming them before opening. Not sure if that would be a viable workaround or would work at all.

Good luck.

Bert always comes up with the ideas!

Now let's look at what other techies say about Word 2007 problems...


[list]
-- Check out the following techie article-

"10 things you should know about Office 2007 compatibility issues"
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/msoffice/?p=135

-- Another good techie article that is easy to read-

"Office 2007 and Office 2003, The Office Suite: Access, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, Incompatibilities in Document Exchange"

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/lits/16126.shtml

-- a more complicated , deployment of Office 2007 article-

"Deploying the 2007 Office release with Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 R2"

http://download.microsoft.com/downl...ce_2007_with_SMS_2003_R2_White_Paper.doc

(Note that at the end, there is a section "Identifying Deployment Issues") I know that Bert will read that last one all the way to the end and ask for more!!!

Cheers,
Al

You got it!

Well... I'm still waiting for AC to respond to my problem. Is there just one programmer working for them? In any case, I decided to move forward, again, to start using the software and today discovered that the same problem happens with MS Outlook. When ever I try to add a new contact the MS Ultimate 2007 setup screen appears. Very annoying. It appears I may have to choose between office 2007 and AC. Is anyone out there using Office 2007 with AC? Having problems??

David,
I am using Office Pro 2007 on my desktop with AC without problems.
I also have Office 2007 on my old desktop at home; it is a bit slower than my Office 2003 (I plan to add more Ram), but seems to work fine with my read only AC that I bring home each evening.
Jim

I am not having that issue either. But, before blaming AC completely, Microsoft has been known to have some pseudobugs of their own. Let me look at it a bit more this evening as I do have both 2007 and AC. Well, obviously, I have AC.

One thing, David, and I may be misunderstanding. But, you can save in .doc from Office 2007 as well as change a .docx file to a .doc file simply by renaming it.

Generally, with a paid product from Microsoft, you get two free email support sessions. Microsoft's email support is the best I have ever seen. I would run this issue by them as well. Just tell them that the install of any program causes it, so they don't pass it off on AC as the culprit.

David,

Please clarify some things. First, you say you get error messages. Are you still able to use Word after clicking through the error messages?

Second, you now state that Word pops up after you add a contact to Outlook 2007. Can you then close it? How is AC causing that? Or are you saying this never happened before AC install. If you uninstall AC, do you not get any of these errors? I wouldn't give up on both. Since you are the only one experiencing this strange error, there must be something unique on your PC and software setup. I know there is in mine.

I agree with you Bert- very weird.

David, you don't need to wipe your OS from your computer! That's way too much trouble, and it still may not fix your problem. What I do when things are "sticky" and I think that there is an issue with software interaction with Windows is run the following programs:

1) AVG antivirus (and possibly run the online free rcn-McAfee scan antivirus from http://www.rcn.com/customer/virusscan.php)
2) Lavasoft's Adaware (and possibly run another malware scrubber)
3) Registry Mechanic (to fix and clean up your Windows Registry of any broken or mixed up software links)
4) System Cleaner (to remove unneeded files)
5) Start-> Run-> "msconfig" then uncheck all unnecessary programs under the "Startup" folder. In my current computer I only run "zlclient" (ZoneAlarm), "avgcc" (AVG antivirus), and Skype (Skype communications). If you are not sure what a file means, then simply Google the file name. For example, on the office computer where I am writing this, there is a file called "jusched". When I Googled it, I found that it is part of the Java-based program to get patient information from my hospital (it doesn't have to be running all the time in the background, so I unchecked it).
6) If I want to go further, I do some deep cleaning with a free program called Hijackthis.exe. This is the absolute MOST USEFUL program of this group. Just Google it and download the latest version from any number of sites (one excellent site that explains how to use it well is http://www.whatthetech.com/hijackthis/). The program will scan for all active programs and allows you to delete unwanted active processes. If you aren't sure of what you are doing, it throws the report onto WordPad, so just copy it and post it in this thread to review.

Cheers,
Al

Wow, you are going to do Hijackthis? That will be an all nighter, lol.

Here is how the hijackthis.exe report looks like for the computer that I am using right now:



The items to be deleted are checked. It's actually fun, Bert! Great little atom-bomb of a program... kills all the rats and fleas from the system.

It takes about 30 seconds to scan the list for irregularities...

It looks like fun. Mine never looked so simple. When I ran a Hijack this on my server when I thought I had a rootkit, it took an expert literally hours to pour through it.

Remember- GOOGLE is your friend! Google + HijackThis and it's an easy task...

To clarify, when the problem occurs with Outlook, Word does NOT open; as I said above, "Ultimate 2007 setup screen appears." I am currently in conversation with MS tech support. Last Friday I spent about 2 hours on the phone and with internet linking to my computer and they were unable to fix the problem. If I didn't already explain, previously when this problem started I did a complete uninstall and reinstall of office. I have confirmed twice that the problem goes away when I uninstall AC. I did a complete reinstall of the system software on advice that there was conflict with a previous version of Office. All I can say is it is definitely related to the Office 2007 .docx and .dotm file types. For example, if I remove the normal.dotm files, Word will open fine without errors (unless I am opening a .docx file). I can open .doc files (without any errors if I've deleted the normal.dotm file, with errors if I haven't, though the file does open eventually). MS is supposed to call me tomorrow morning to see if they can figure anything out. Not sure what is unique about my system, Compaq Presario V2000 running Windows XP pro, again it is MS Office Ultimate 2007.

David,

OK, now I understand. I have some thoughts, but I am less confident since I have no idea why Microsoft Support wouldn't come up with this. But, here goes anyway. And, I don't understand the normal.dotm and .docx issues.

But, this has happened to me many times, and it usually means that something you have done or some program you are using needs or thinks it needs Office. And, whatever it needs is not already installed. Therefore, the installer pops up looking for files that aren't there. So,

#1 I would put your 2007 CD back in and make sure you install EVERYTHING onto the computer. Don't run anything from the CD, which I am sure you are not. I also copy all CDs to my server that I may need to have on any computer, which gives the install easy access to whatever files it needs. Plus, I can install easily from there.

#2 If you are on a domain with domain admins and user admins and domain users, etc., see if it happens when a domain administrator is on. If it doesn't or it doesn't happen when everyone is an admin, make everyone a local admin.

#3 Check event viewer under Administrative tools. If you find an error there which pertains to your issue, see if it lists a registry key that Office is looking for.

#4 You may also need to download a Custom Installation Wizard from Microsoft.

I am not sure I have the complete picture. In your last post, you state the "Ultimate 2007 Setup Screen" appears. When that happens, what do you do? Do you cancel out of it or see where it goes? I would not cancel out of it. I would let it try to install and see what it is looking for.

Hi David:

A few ideas-

1) With Office 2007 you can install Office 2007 with the option to keep the previous version of Office with the exception of course being Outlook working. You can do this and then make sure that AC opens with MS Access 2003 (or 2000/2002) by making sure that the file associations are intact. You can likewise open Word with your previous installation since that is what is experiencing the corruption of the Normal template.
2) Make sure that the file extensions are still associated/unassociated (whatever is the case) with 2K7 - Control Panel > Folder Options > File Types and verify who belongs to what. Look at the *.dotm file association in particular.
3) I Googled the problem and found several issues related with msvcr80.dll errors, s.a. with Quickbooks Pro. At first it seemed that the Quickbooks people spoke with MS and supposedly got it resolved in their next release, but then in the QB forum someone stated that things got WORSE. In one instance, the guy was having Outlook crashes, then installed a "Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package (x86)) and well, everything got fixed. It seems to be related to the MS .net framework. (http://help.wugnet.com/office/XP-pro-Outlook-07-crash-ftopict1068797.html) One QB forum entry mentioned:
"...Something that has often worked is to uninstall Quickbooks, remove all QuickBooks installation directories, or at least rename them. Remove and reinstall .net 1.1 (is possible on Vista Home Premium edition I know), remove and reinstall Visual C++ 2005. Then reinstall Quickbooks..." (http://quickbooksgroup.com/.ef91d63)
4) One fix was by tweaking an incredible, seemingly unrelated setting: "Problem is due to security settings in Internet Explorer. Open IE and go to Tools > Internet Options then the Security Tab. Set the Internet zone to Medium and set the Local Intrant zone to Medium-low. Try Quickbooks again."
And a follow-up: "The IE Zone changes fixed the error. Please see above post. THANK YOU. Good thing someone here knows what is going on and its not Intuit."
4) Now since you mentioned that the "Ultimate 2007 setup screen appears", if you are still having issuess, you might wish to use the Windows installer cleanup utility located at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301. Unfortunately, you're not supposed to use it on MS Office 2007 installations- you might wish to run this one by the MS folks.

I'm out of ideas for now. The above issues should keep you busy for a while. Please keep us updated! I'm glad that I didn't upgrade to Office 2007 yet! I'll just use my trusty Office 2003 for a while longer.

Cheers,
Al

Thanks for the tips. I'm online with MS right now and they seem to be to be doing their best. I will try some of your ideas if MS doesn't figure it out.

I have let the office configuration process run a number of times and it ends with the same result, error messages- stuff about .dotm files or .docx file corruption.

Well, MS has had no luck in correcting the problem. Today I tried removing the three programs in Office Ultimate that are not in Office Pro 2007. This had no affect on the problem. I also installed AC on my desk top at home, which is also running Office Ultimate 2007. I was not surprised to find the same problem occur. I removed AC and the problem is gone. I am now thinking I will look for an older office version to go back to. If I didn't like AC so much I would have given up using it a month ago. It's too bad AC has been so poor in supporting this problem. Perhaps that's why it only costs a grand. If more people start upgrading, I'd have to believe this problem could happen to others.

David,

Sorry you are going through this. I agree support should be, well, more supportive. If this issue is happening to you, then it could happen to others and Office 2007 is a very popular program. AC shouldn't be affecting it. I wonder if it's an .ocx or .dll file issue. I have 2007 at home and work and no issues. I have business at work, Ultimate at home. Business on seven machines with AC and no issues.

Don't give up. Do me a favor. I will message you with an idea.

I'm just curious-

WHY did you guys upgrade to Office 2007? What particular feature was a must-have? I just don't see any advantages to it, and in my case it will need some major retooling of my EMR since I'd have to reprogram everything relating to toolbars plus other issues that would "break" my program.

I hope that you do get it fixed, bert.

Cheers,
AL

Al,

Unfortunately for David, it's Al with the issue.

But, why did I switch? Two reasons: First, I am a latest and greatest kind of guy, which I know is not always good. And, please know that Vista was the exception. I didn't change to that.

But, also, Microsoft has supplied me with over 30 Office 2007 suites and no Office 2003 suites.

Al,
Unlike Bert, I'm a little more daring w/ new OS's. So, I upgraded my whole office to Vista Business edition. Through the MicroSoft Partner program, I was able to obtain discounted software rates. I also have Office 2007, Enterprise Ed., which has all the fun Office programs and some others I haven't used much. One cool little program is Office OneNote, which allows you to save "sticky notes" to yourself.

However as Bert replied, I'm a Latest and Greatest type of person, w/ the caveat that not all latest things are what they are hyped up to be.

Hi Adam/Bert:

I'll let you latest-and-greatest guys iron out those wrinkles found in MS Office!!!

What would make OneNote rock is adding in a VBA interface for programming in stuff, like we have in MS Word. I spoke to the OneNote developer, Chris Pratley, but he hates the idea of adding in VBA and would not budge on the idea of making OneNote more "Word-like". I'd say, just add tabs to MS Word and get rid of OneNote once and for all!

I really try to understand and dive into these programs, and as such it takes at least 5 years or more for me to truly understand the engine under the beast. Upgrading for the sake of newness is a waste of my time and money. Just read some of the entries into the MS Word Community Forums...

When AC upgrades, then THAT's worth it; like other EMRs at this stage, upgrades are meaningful features to work with the ever changing medical environment. The problem with Microsoft products is that by the year 2000 they were all (Windows and Office) very mature. The only thing that they've offered that may make a difference was handwriting recognition. Everything else is just minor stuff that can be added by other programs. The new programs just add problems as seen with this thread- incompatibilities, bugs, and design flaws. Microsoft is now competing with itself when it upgrades.

Cheers,
AL

I'm having this problem as well. The machine is completely new with only vista and Office 2007. Uninstalling AC fixes my Office issue, but when both are installed trying to start word or excel results in an infinite loop of 'configurating your install' it all seems hitched to the normal.dotm file. Is there any work around for this yet?

This is a well known issue with Office 2007 and Vista. Would be helpful to know what version. Generally worse with Vista Home or Home Premium. Hopefully, you are using Business anyway.

This issue is usually due to a problem with the MSI which currently is called Windows Installer. One problem can be added programs which use WISE or Wise Installation which may not play well with MSI. There are a number of ways to fix this issue, one of which worked for me when I had the problem.

Cleanup Utility

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

Try installing this little utility to remove the installation file associated with the program. If AC is in the list, uninstall installer. Don't forget the Sentinel System Driver is Amazing Chart's. If those aren't there or aren't helpful, use it with 2007 although Microsoft doesn't advise it. This tool is VERY helpful.

Second, try

Downloading and installing Service Pack 1 for Office 2007. May want to thy this first as you will find it helpful either way.

http://tinyurl.com/3xxf6l

SP1

Lastly, and especially for Vista users, try David Overton's site:

http://tinyurl.com/3adbbm

hth

Bert,
I'm about to buy a few new computers for the office and home. But I was going to buy now while I can still get XP Pro or Tablet a version of Pro. Will I probably have the same issues with the newest office (2007) even with an XP enviornment? Or is this as much as anything else a Vista issue, or is it both? Would I be better off not getting the software with the computer and buying an older version of office like 2002 or 2003 to aviod all this garbage completely? Like Al said, by this point in time Office is pretty mature and I don't really care if I have all the lastest bloat bells and whistles. I just want all my programs to wake up and play nice each and every day.

Thought, might this be something that Jon et al is working on so there are less conflicts between Office, Vista and AC? Has anyone talked to the mothership about all this?

Lastly, you usually get a copy of Adobe Arcobat when you buy your office from the hardware vendors (Dell, Gateway, Etc) will I still be able to get that without such a purchase so I can open and read PDF's? Especially since I will be trying to use your FAP soon? Thanks for everything... Talk to ya soon...

Paul

Paul,

From where I am, this isn't really necessarily an issue with Vista, Office 2007 or AC. The one article just mentioned a few users with Vista and how they had to fix it. AC installs with WISE while Office installs with the newer MSI or Windows Installer. I have Office 2007 on all my computers at work with XP and AC and have only had one issue, which is what prompted me to research this. At home I have Vista Ultimate and Office 2007 Ultimate and AC with no issues. So, I wouldn't let that stop you from getting Office 2007.

If one has 2003 already and would have to pay $500 or more to upgrade multiple computers, certainly stay with 2003. So far, I love Office 2007 and it has many more suites and features. There is even a download with can change the Fluent User Interface (formerly Ribbon User Interface) back to the more traditional and easy to use drop down menus. You can go back and forth.

Office 2007 doesn't come with Adobe's Acrobat but it would have come with a built in PDF viewer and converted, BUT, you can thank Adobe for that not happening. But, this didn't stop Microsoft from putting the same feature on their site for a free download. Did I saw free and Microsoft in the same sentence?

I could be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that 2007 is the first completely new code since Office 95.

I can assure you, though, that if you have a problem with the MSI, one of the fixes above will work.

Oh I know Adobe and MS are two totally different animals, it's just that in general this PC vendors, bundle your new Copy of Office with Acrobat, like needing to get 10 way leather seats just to get them heated or 10 way. Heck when we bought the WJ back in 2000 for some stupid reason (sell more garbage at a higher cost that you may or may not really want or need) you couldn't the forementined heated, power leather seats (all of that has to be combined as it is) without a power sunroof! Now what the "F" those two really have in common other than one could short out their heated power seats in the rain with the power sunroof open is beyond me, but that was the bundling....

Oh I get it now, just like in insurance carriers, all PAP Smears and the collection there of, are all inclusive to any well physical. Funny how the collection of a sample for cytology, the exact sample as a matter of fact that lead to all the CLIA laws back in the '70's from all the false negatives, is not worthy of payment for collection. As though visualizing the field inside and reporting on it, is one in the same as collecting cytology from the same site. As though either of those two are the same as doing a hands on breast exam?

Like we won't get sued for the lack of proper handling and chain of custody of the darn thing if we should mess up on any of that anywhere along the way. As though "Joe" at the quick-lube could as easily collect it, or even a well trained phlobotomist could, as opposed to only a properly trained clinical professional that has hands on privilages. I say send all PAP's out to Joe at the quick-lube until they are willing to pay for them. "Hey Charlie, can you get her up on the rack for a lube and filter???" What horseCCHIT. Not to mention the cost of each and every speculum, lube, a gownd, gloves, and usually a drap too. No less the extra time spent on each such visit.

But they'll pay for a veinapuncture but not a well performed, regularly needed breast and Pelvic Exam nor the collection of the PAP itself.... Even though we must spend staff time and therefore money on collecting, handling, and properly labeling and packaging it, to get it safely to the lab for processing. Bullcchit.

Hey talk about a good tangent huh???? Bundling gotta love it.

It seems to be a known issue with AC and 2007.