WD2000: ErrMsg: "Word cannot save or create this file. The disk may be full or write-protected."

ID: Q230155

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word 2000

ERROR MESSAGE

When you quit Microsoft Word 2000, the following error message may appear:

Word cannot save or create this file. The disk may be full or write protected.
Try one or more of the following:
- Free more memory.
- Make sure that the disk you want to save the file on is not full, write-protected, or damaged.

(<path>\NORMAL.DOT)

where <path> is the location to which Word is trying to save Normal.dot.
NOTE: Microsoft Office 2000 has built-in functionality that allows you to get more information about difficult-to-troubleshoot alerts or error messages. If you want to enable this functionality for this and other error messages in Microsoft Office 2000, please download the Microsoft Office 2000 Customizable Alerts file from the Microsoft Office Update Web site at the following address:
http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloadDetails/alerts.htm
NOTE: If you reached this article by clicking the Web Info button in an error message, you already have Customizable Alerts enabled.


CAUSE

Word is trying to save your Normal template into a location where you do not have the proper rights to save.


WHAT TO TRY

Word is trying to save your Normal template into a location where you do not have the proper rights to save.

This problem occurs when all of the following conditions are true:
  • You are running Windows NT or Windows 95 with user profiles enabled.


  • Office 2000 installation has been performed for other users of the workstation, but not for you.


  • The Office folder is in a location that you cannot write to. This may occur if you installed Word with a Run From CD installation, a Run From Network Server installation, or a local installation on a Windows NT workstation if you do not have permissions to write to the Office folder.


  • You start and quit Word for the first time without using the New command on the File menu.


When you quit Word, Word attempts to write a Normal.dot (template) file in the Office folder. Because the Office folder is in a location that you cannot write to, the error message appears.

To work around this problem, follow these steps:
  1. Start Microsoft Word 2000.


  2. On the Tools menu, click Options.


  3. Click the File Locations tab.


  4. Under File types, click User templates, and then click Modify.


  5. In the Modify Location dialog box, select a new folder name and click OK. The default value is as follows:

    For Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98 with profiles:
    <Windows Folder>\Profiles\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates

    For Windows 95 and Windows 98 without profiles:
    <Windows Folder>\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates


  6. Under File types, click Workgroup templates, and then click Modify.


  7. In the Modify Location dialog box, select a new folder name and click OK twice. The default value is undefined (blank).


  8. Quit Word without saving changes to Normal.dot and then restart Word.


Word writes a new Normal.dot file in the location specified in step 5. If Word writes the Normal.dot file in a location other than the one you specified, follow these steps:
  1. Manually move (don't copy) the Normal.dot file to the directory you want.


  2. Follow steps 1 through 5 above to set the User templates path to the directory that contains the Normal.dot file.




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MORE INFORMATION

When Word 2000 starts, it automatically searches for a Normal.dot template file upon which to base Document 1. The search order is as follows:

  1. Local Templates path - On the Tools menu, click Options, and click the File Locations tab. The setting is User templates. This setting is stored in the following registry location:


    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\General


  2. User Customized Templates - On the Tools menu, click Options, and click the File Locations tab. The setting is Workgroup templates. This setting is stored in the following registry location:


    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\General


  3. The program folder that contains Winword.exe.


NOTE: If there is a Normal.dot file in more than one of these locations, Word uses the first Normal.dot file it finds, based on the above search order.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbdta
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: June 23, 1999
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