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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
December 9,
2007
Q.
When I click on a .doc file, instead of
Microsoft Word opening, I am getting a run
time error. What is causing this and how do
I fix it?
A.
I will assume that you have Microsoft Word
installed on your computer. If MS Word is
not installed, then any .doc file will be
associated with Wordpad, which is installed
with Windows by default. Wordpad may or may
not be able to open all types of .doc files.
(To find out whether or not MS Word is
installed on your computer, see below).
Most
likely what has happened is the file
extension association for a .doc file has
been corrupted somehow and needs to be
re-associated. Here's how to associate any
file extension with an application so that
double clicking on it will open it in the
correct application.
NOTE:
Windows can be set up so that it requires a
double click (the default) or a single click
to perform an action. If the cursor is an
arrow when held over the filename, it is set
for a double click. If the cursor changes to
a little fist with the index finger
pointing, it is set for single click. In the
example below, if your computer is set to
single click, then substitute a single click
where I indicate a double click.
The
process is the same for Windows XP and
Vista, and a .doc type file is used here. If
you are trying to associate another type of
file, other than a .doc, then you will need
to use the application used to open it in
place of the Winword file in this example.
1.
Right click on the file name
2. Choose Open With
3.
Click on Choose Program
4.
Click the Browse button. (This should
open the Program Files
folder.)
5.
Double click on the Microsoft Office
folder
6.
Double click on the Office11 folder*
7.
Double click on Winword**
8.
Check the box in front of "Always use
the selected program
to open this kind of file"
9.
Click OK.
* The
folder name in step 6 will be "Office9" for
MS Office 2000, "Office10" for MS Office
XP(2002), "Office11" for MS Office 2003, and
"Office12" for MS Office 2007.
** If
your computer is set to display all known
extensions, then the filename in step 7 will
be Winword.exe.
Since I
mentioned the single/double click thing
above, here's how to change it. The process
is the same for XP and Vista with the
exception that in XP it is called "My
Computer" and in Vista just "Computer".
1. Click
My Computer
2. Click Tools, then Folder Options
3. In the section titled "Click items as
follows", set either single or double click.
If single
click is selected, you have an additional
choice, either "Underline icon titles like
your browser", or "Underline icon titles
when pointed to".
Is MS
Word Installed on my computer?
Should
you not know if MS Word is installed or what
version you have installed, I wrote a little
applet that you can use to figure it out for
you. It can be downloaded from the Download
section of this site or by clicking
HERE.
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