Failure to Save Default Changes

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JudyJones
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Failure to Save Default Changes

Post by JudyJones »

What can be changed in a new Word 2002 installation that will allow a user to save the default font they wish to use or a new custom toolbar they have created. I know that these changes they wish to make should be saved to Normal.doc. When changes are made they are in effect only as long as Word is open. Once Word is closed and reopened the custom settings are no longer there. Does anyone know what is preventing these changes from being saved?

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HansV
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Re: Failure to Save Default Changes

Post by HansV »

Perhaps an add-in is interfering. Take a look at Phil Rabichow's Systematic Approach to Behavioral Problems in Word.
Best wishes,
Hans

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DaveA
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Re: Failure to Save Default Changes

Post by DaveA »

After making this changes are you selecting the "Default" button that is in most of the different panes?
This may need to be done in EACH pane that you make changes in.
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JudyJones
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Re: Failure to Save Default Changes

Post by JudyJones »

We followed the suggestions in Phil Rabichow's article and it did not help. We are choosing the "Default" button but somehow the changes we make will not stick. Once we exit and reopen Word, the changes we made are gone. I deleted the Normal.dot and let Word recreate it. I also saved the document with all my changes as Normal1.dot, exited Word, then deleted Normal.dot and renamed Normal1.dot to Normal.dot. I had the default font I wanted in Word but the new toolbar I had created was gone. I am truly baffled. I will be out of the office tomorrow but will check back when I return on Friday to see if anyone has any other ideas.

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HansV
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Re: Failure to Save Default Changes

Post by HansV »

You mention that this is a new installation of Word 2002. Perhaps something didn't go right. You could try Help | Detect and Repair... from within Word, and if that doesn't help, you could completely uninstall, then reinstall Word 2002 (or even Office XP).
Best wishes,
Hans

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JudyJones
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Re: Failure to Save Default Changes

Post by JudyJones »

Installations are done from an image file. It appears that somehow in the image file a choice must have been inadvertantly made to return all settings to the original default each time Word is restarted. This is perhaps something you would want to do on student computers so that changes the student made would not be reflected the next time someone used Word. The problem is nobody knows how to reverse this choice.

I tried Detect and Repair but that did not help. I tried making the changes to the default font and toolbar in my copy of Word and then saved the Normal.dot file and overwrote the one on the user's computer with my Normal.dot and even that did not work.

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HansV
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Re: Failure to Save Default Changes

Post by HansV »

Does this problem only occur in Word? Can the user change the default settings in Excel, for example?
Best wishes,
Hans

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JudyJones
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Re: Failure to Save Default Changes

Post by JudyJones »

I was just informed that the image file was created with a /A which would cause the problem that is being experienced. The people in charge of creating and loading the image will have to revisit those computers and reimage them with an image that will allow users to change defaults within Microsoft Office.

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HansV
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Re: Failure to Save Default Changes

Post by HansV »

Thanks for posting back. It looks like the problem will be solved now.
Best wishes,
Hans