WV97: How Word Viewer 97 Determines Default Document Path

• Microsoft Word Viewer 97

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

Word Viewer 97 does not contain or set a default document path in its own registry key. This article discusses how Word Viewer 97 determines the default document path to use when you start it.

HOW WORD VIEWER 97 DETERMINES THE DEFAULT DOCUMENT LOCATION

Word Viewer 97 determines its default document path by following these steps:

1. Word Viewer 97 looks for the Word 97 Doc-Path setting in the following registry key:

         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Word\Options
   

2. If Word 97 is not installed or if the default document path does not exist, Word Viewer 97 looks in the Windows Explorer User Shell Folders\Personal registry key for the folder to use as the default document directory:

         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
         Explorer\User Shell Folders
   

3. If steps 1 or 2 return either invalid or non-existent folder names, Word Viewer 97 will create a My Documents folder on the local hard disk, as in the following example:

         C:\My Documents
   

SETTING A DEFATULT DOCUMENT PATH FOR WORD VIEWER 97

If you want to set a default document path for Word Viewer 97, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: If Word 97 Is Installed on the Same Computer as Word Viewer 97

If Word 97 is installed on the same computer as Word Viewer 97, follow these steps to set the default document folder in Word 97:

1. In Word, click Options on the Tools menu, and then click the File Locations tab.

2. From the File types list, click Documents.

3. Click Modify.

4. Select the folder that you want to use as the default working folder. To do this, use either of the following procedures:

       - To select an existing folder for the default working folder, locate
         and click the folder you want in the folder list.
   

       - To create a new folder for the default working folder, click
         Create New Folder, and then type a name for the new folder in the
         Name box.
   

5. Click OK to return to your document.

Method 2: If Word 97 Is Not on the Same Computer as Word Viewer 97

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

If Word 97 is not installed on the same computer as Word Viewer 97, you must create the Word 97 Options registry key. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Quit Word Viewer 97.

2. Click the Start button, and then click Run. In the Open box, type "regedit" (without the quotation marks), and then click OK.

3. In Registry Editor, locate the following registry entry and select it:

         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft
   

   The Microsoft key should be selected.

4. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key. Type "Office" (without the quotation marks) and press ENTER.

5. With the Office key selected, on the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key. Type "8.0" (without the quotation marks) and press ENTER.

6. With the 8.0 key selected, on the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key. Type "Word" (without the quotation marks) and press ENTER.

7. With the Word key selected, on the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key. Type "Options" (without the quotation marks) and press ENTER.

8. With the Options key selected, on the Edit menu, click New, and then click String Value. Type "Doc-Path" (without the quotation marks) and press ENTER.

9. Under Name (on the right side of the Registry Editor) click to select the Doc-Path entry. On the Edit menu, click Modify. On the Value Data line, type the desired full document path. For example, type "C:\My Documents" (without the quotation marks).

10. Quit Registry Editor and start Word Viewer 97.

Keywords          : wdvw97 kbinterop
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbinfo
Solution Type     : kbworkaround