WD2000: What Does the Word Startup Switch "/a" Really Do?

ID: Q244843

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

SUMMARY

This article describes what the "/a" switch is, what it does, and how to use it.


MORE INFORMATION

What is the "/a" switch?

The "/a" switch is a troubleshooting tool used to determine where a problem may exist when working with Microsoft Word. When you use the "/a" switch to start Word, the switch prevents add-ins and global templates from being loaded automatically. The "/a" switch also locks the setting files; that is, the setting files cannot be read or modified when you use this switch.

NOTE: The "/a" switch is not recommended as a normal operating startup switch. This switch prevents your preferred settings in Word from being retained and should only be used when requested by a Microsoft Support Professional or when you need to troubleshoot Word to determine where a problem may exist.

What specifically does the "/a" switch bypass or lock?

The "/a" switch starts Microsoft Word, bypassing or locking the following:

NOTE: The paths mentioned in the following are the default locations and may be different on your system.
  • Global template (Normal.dot) located in the following folder:


    • C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates
    -or-
    C:\WINDOWS\Profiles\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates
  • Templates and files located in the following startup folder:


    • C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Startup
  • Files that were added as global templates or add-ins. These files can be located when you click Templates and Add-Ins on the Tools menu in Word.



  • COM add-ins.



  • The Word Data key in the Windows Registry at the following location:


    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Data

  • The Word Options key in the Windows Registry at the following location:


    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Options

  • Your currently selected Microsoft Office Assistant whose settings are located at the following Windows Registry location:


    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Common\Assistant

For additional information about a known problem with some settings that are reset to their default when you use the " /a" switch, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q243966 WD2000: Starting Word with the " /a" Switch Resets Some Word Options

How do I use the "/a" switch?

To start Word by using /a:
  1. On the Windows Start menu, click Run.


  2. In the Run dialog box, click Browse.


  3. In the Browse dialog box, click the Winword.exe file, and then click Open.

    NOTE: To locate the Winword.exe file, change the Look in box to the following folder:


    4. C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office
    NOTE: The Winword.exe file may be located in a different folder on your system.

  4. In the Run dialog box, the Open box contains a path similar to the following:


    5. "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe"
  5. Click in the Open box and move the insertion point to after the closing quotation mark at the end of the path statement.


  6. Type a space and then type /a. The path statement should now look similar to the following:


    7. "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe" /a
    NOTE: The "/a" switch must be typed outside of the quotation marks. If it is typed inside the quotation marks, an error message similar to the following appears when you attempt to run the command:
    Cannot find the file 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe /a' (or one of its components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that all required libraries are available.
  7. Click OK to start Word with the "/a" switch.



REFERENCES

For additional information about other Word command-line switches, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q210565 WD2000: Word Startup (Command-Line) Switches and Their Purpose
For more information about about how to control what happens when you start Microsoft Word, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type startup switch in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbdta wd2000
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo


Last Reviewed: January 5, 2000
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