WD: How to Ignore User Settings When You Start Word

• Microsoft Word for Windows NT, version 6.0
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, you should first make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat). Both are hidden files in the Windows folder.

SUMMARY

This article discusses methods which can be used to ignore user option settings for versions of Word listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

In Word 6.x for Windows, user settings are stored in the Winword.opt file (located in the Winword folder). To start Word without loading this file, you must rename Winword.opt. Word will then re-create this file.

Word for Windows NT, Word for Windows 7.x, and Word 97 for Windows do not use the Winword.opt file. Instead, user settings are stored in the Windows Registry under the Data key.

The /A switch allows you to start Word without loading the following components.

• The global template (Normal.dot)
• Any add-in templates in the Startup folder
• Any add-in libraries (.wll files)
• User settings stored in the Data key in the Windows NT Registry

NOTE: When you start Word with the /A switch, changes you make in Word that affect any of these components will not be written to disk when you exit Word, and the changes will be lost.

Word 97:

   Assuming that Word is located in the C:\Program Files\
   Microsoft Office\Office folder, use these steps:

   1. Click the Windows 95 Start button, and then click Run.

   2. In the Run dialog box, click Browse.

   3. Locate and click WINWORD.EXE. Then, click the Open button.

      This will fill in the Open box in the Run dialog box.

   4. In the Open box, place the insertion point after Winword.exe.

      NOTE: The path to the Winword.exe in the Run dialog box will be
      enclosed in quotation marks. Be sure to place the insertion point to
      the right of the closing quotation mark.

   5. Type a space and then type "/a" (without the quotation marks).

      The statement in the Open box should now resemble the following:

         "C:\PROGRAM FILES\MICROSOFT OFFICE\OFFICE\WINWORD.EXE" /A

   Assuming that Word is located in the C:\MSOffice\Winword folder, use
   these steps:

   1. Click the Windows 95 Start button, and then click Run.
      (On Windows NT 3.x: On the File menu, click Run).

   2. In the Run dialog, click Browse.

   3. Locate and click Winword.exe. Then, click Open.

      This will fill in the Open box in the Run dialog box.

   4. Place the insertion point after Winword.exe in the Open box.

   5. Type a space and then type "/a" (without the quotation marks).

      The statement in the Open box should now look similar to:

         C:\MSOFFICE\WINWORD\WINWORD.EXE /A

   ARTICLE-ID: Q140097
   TITLE     : WD: How to Rebuild User Preference and Options Settings