Office & productivity software forum: Can't print in Microsoft Word '03

To get around it run Word in it's safe mode. Here's how.

Click Start Run and enter this.

winword.exe /a

(see http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=word+safe+mode&btnG=Google+Search is you can't make that work.)

Bob

I don't run your PC so I can't know what addins you have for Word. I can only offer a way to turn off those for a test.

If you don't know what addins are or VBA code then you need to tell us. All levels of users come here. Some get upset if I use baby steps and they are experts. And the beginners get irate when I use simple one liner answers.

Bob

Find your default template (a file called normal.dot) and rename it. See if that solves the problem.

- If it doesn't help, you can rename it back, so you keep your own personal Word settings in stead of having to reenter them. Then come back for step #1a (and please tell what version of Word you have).
- If it does solve the problem and you don't like the default setting, come back for step #1b (and please tell what version of Word you have).
- If it does solve the problem, and you don't mind the default settings, come back for step #1c (which is: saying 'thank you').

In Windows XP, the file most likely is in the c:\documents and settings\<your username>\application data\microsoft\templates folder. You might need to change some settings in Control Panel>Folder Options to be able to browse to it (hidden files, hidden folders, file extensions). But it surely is SOMEWHERE.

Kees

It's normal.dot. You should have set the Folder Option to show file extensions (that's the .dot part). Anyway, if you found and renamed it and the problem persisted it's not the cause. So you might rename it back to it's original name if you like (check the setting I mentioned to be sure it's normal.dot again). It's all in the link Bob gave.

Step #2. Check the Startup folder. Move everything out of it. If it works then, one of them is the culprit. Find it by elimination. Details in Bob's link.

Step #3. If still no luck, we assume it's an add-in. To diagnose that, type winword /safe in the Start>Run box. That way, word is loaded in socalled safe mode, with a lot of potential sources of troubles disabled. See if that helps.

Kees

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827706 (description of safe mode)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q304422/ (how to troubleshoot print failures in Word 2000)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826845 (how to troubleshoot print problems in Word 2003).

Might be some work to find out!

Kees

Better make this a new thread.

Kees

need help! i can't print using word, i keep on getting a error message that says "printer has not yet responded" it takes forever to print a document. but if i try excel it works! i've uninstalled and reinstalled the printer driver and microsoft office as well. i'm using epson stylus C90. help!

hi kees..i haven't tried running word in safe mode but i can not find normal.dot...i even tried deleting the registry (i found that out on microsoft website) but it won't work..even if i try to print using notepad. any ideas?

thanks kees..few updates..stupid me, i forgot to check the show hidden files box when i did the search..updates:
- i found the normal.dot changed it to normal.old..result: same thing
- i can print using excel no problems with that..looks like i need to try running word in safe mode first and see what happens there

this is getting frustrating! a little background..i got a blue screen of death a few weeks back, found out that there's bad sectors on my hard drive..changed my hard drive installed everything back but lowered my version of office from '07 to '03 that's when i it happened.

thanks for the help kees really appreciate it!