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word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 6:40:59 AM   
Rule


Posts: 10479
Joined: 12/5/2005
Status: offline 		In a book that I have been writing in word for windows all of the thousands of index markings have become visible instead of hidden. Attempts to redo the index markings yield the same result. Intuitively the markings also look wrong. When trying to use them to generate an index the attempt fails.
 
It must have been the result of my own stupidity - so therefore I put this question in this part of the forum.
 
Several weeks ago I tried to generate a contents page in another document. My version of wfw could not do that, so I tried to adapt and change an indexmarking for that purpose - which also failed - and possibly hit a default button that converted all indexmarkings in all my other books in that way - making them utterly worthless.
 
Does anyone have any clue what I should do to solve this?

< Message edited by Rule -- 8/25/2006 6:43:16 AM >
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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 7:17:12 AM   
Aileen68


Posts: 6091
Joined: 8/2/2005
Status: offline 		Oooohhh...you're screwed.
Actually I have no clue...not techy here.
But if that happened to me I'd be thinking...I'm screwed.

(in reply to Rule)
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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 8:10:05 AM   
pahunkboy


Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
Status: offline 		check out download.com maybe they have softwear to recover it...

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 1:30:09 PM   
Rule


Posts: 10479
Joined: 12/5/2005
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Aileen68
Oooohhh...you're screwed.

I know. I have been considering deleting the word processor and reinstalling the program. Would that do the trick?

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 1:42:32 PM   
NastyDaddy


Posts: 957
Joined: 9/8/2004
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Rule

Does anyone have any clue what I should do to solve this?



Do a Google search for "word index markings" and you will get two hits from a similar discussion in Dec 2005:

If you get errors on the main links try clicking Google's Cached link under each search hit.

This link may be the key for you... (2nd Google hit):

"As a result, if you write a book, you can index it in Word, then import that text into InDesign for layout as a book, then when layout is completed, ask InDesign to build the index, which it will do from the Word index markings."

Hope this helps if you have InDesign.


  

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 2:08:18 PM   
Rule


Posts: 10479
Joined: 12/5/2005
Status: offline 		The problem is that I apparently mutilated the field code for index marking and made it a default setting, affecting all such codes in my books. So I will have to replace in the word processor program the incorrect default field code by the correct one. How do I do that? By simply reinstalling word for windows?

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 2:14:22 PM   
Yang4yin


Posts: 1677
Joined: 7/26/2006
From: NC (USA)
Status: offline 		Try using the Find and Replace function. You can paste in the incorrect field code in the Find What box, and type in the correct field code in the Replace With box. Depending on what version of Word you have, I think you may be able to select the field code from a dropdown menu.
 
Reinstalling Word will be a total waste of time!

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 2:26:33 PM   
NastyDaddy


Posts: 957
Joined: 9/8/2004
Status: offline 		I'm thinking that Word stores each document's setting within each saved document.

Are you seeing the same issues with any word document? Have any backups or older versions to open and compare?

If there is a variable setting to apply to any document, then in the same setting area there should be either a recommended or default setting option to choose?

Removing and re-installing MS Word may help to restore original default settings provided there are no residual .ini files (inititialization files) left over after the removal, as happens sometimes. If all else fails it's worth a shot to uninstall from Control Panel and then reboot... then re-install Word. You may have to uninstall MS Office, or MS Office Suite in order to remove Word.

Another possibility if using NT/2K/XP would be to login as Administrator... see if the problem remains when using Word, if so... the uninstall/re-install may be the last option......

One last thought.... before going the uninstall route, do you have a second computer, laptop or whatever available to open an affected document with in order to see if the issue is actually embedded within the saved document... and not Word?


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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 2:32:52 PM   
Powerman40


Posts: 510
Joined: 7/11/2006
Status: offline 		I would be glad to try and help but I would need you to email the document so I can work thru it myself. You may not want to do that due to it being a book but your welcome to send it if your ok with the trust factor involved. Send me a note on CM if you wish.

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 2:34:25 PM   
Yang4yin


Posts: 1677
Joined: 7/26/2006
From: NC (USA)
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: NastyDaddy

I'm thinking that Word stores each document's setting within each saved document.

Are you seeing the same issues with any word document? Have any backups or older versions to open and compare?

If there is a variable setting to apply to any document, then in the same setting area there should be either a recommended or default setting option to choose?

Removing and re-installing MS Word may help to restore original default settings provided there are no residual .ini files (inititialization files) left over after the removal, as happens sometimes. If all else fails it's worth a shot to uninstall from Control Panel and then reboot... then re-install Word. You may have to uninstall MS Office, or MS Office Suite in order to remove Word.

Another possibility if using NT/2K/XP would be to login as Administrator... see if the problem remains when using Word, if so... the uninstall/re-install may be the last option......

One last thought.... before going the uninstall route, do you have a second computer, laptop or whatever available to open an affected document with in order to see if the issue is actually embedded within the saved document... and not Word?




Again, depending on what version you use... the "older" versions used NORMAL.DOT to store all the default settings. As NastyDaddy said, if this happens in a new document, you can simply close Word, rename NORMAL.DOT to something non-standard like NORMAL.OLD, and then start Word again. You'll lose all of your custom settings, but you'll have a clean slate from which to start. You could then try to copy and paste the "bad" doc into a new doc, and hope for the best.
 
Have you searched through the Microsoft Word Knowledge Base? I'd be willing to bet that there's an article there that will help. Start at: http://support.microsoft.com to find help specific to your version.

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 3:51:07 PM   
Rule


Posts: 10479
Joined: 12/5/2005
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Yang4yin

Try using the Find and Replace function. You can paste in the incorrect field code in the Find What box, and type in the correct field code in the Replace With box. Depending on what version of Word you have, I think you may be able to select the field code from a dropdown menu.
 
Reinstalling Word will be a total waste of time!

One problem is that I have no idea what the correct field code for an index marking is. I have tried to google an example, but as yet without success. So pasting is not yet an option. It may be that I would only have to insert a single sign and that could be automated - but it would be easier to do that in the default setting.
 
quote:

ORIGINAL: NastyDaddy
Are you seeing the same issues with any word document?

That must be so, because this document was not originally so affected, but when I opened it, it was affected. So I do not want to open other indexed documents, hoping that they will not be affected as long as they are not opened.
 
quote:

ORIGINAL: NastyDaddy
If there is a variable setting to apply to any document, then in the same setting area there should be either a recommended or default setting option to choose?

I have tried to find one, but failed. I will try again.

quote:

ORIGINAL: NastyDaddy
Removing and re-installing MS Word may help to restore original default settings provided there are no residual .ini files (inititialization files) left over after the removal, as happens sometimes. If all else fails it's worth a shot to uninstall from Control Panel and then reboot... then re-install Word. You may have to uninstall MS Office, or MS Office Suite in order to remove Word.

A friend some time ago put .ini files and other stuff on my desk top screen so that when the settings are changed, the old settings are always present to replace them again. Could that do the trick, or is it then still necessary to also remove and delete MS Word?

quote:

ORIGINAL: NastyDaddy
Another possibility if using NT/2K/XP would be to login as Administrator... see if the problem remains when using Word, if so... the uninstall/re-install may be the last option......

I do not have those, so not an option.

quote:

ORIGINAL: NastyDaddy
One last thought.... before going the uninstall route, do you have a second computer, laptop or whatever available to open an affected document with in order to see if the issue is actually embedded within the saved document... and not Word?

I will try to email a few lines with a field code in an attachment to another user of MS Word and see if his version replaces the mutilated field code by his default setting.
 
Thank you. Your suggestions seem useful. I hope they help.

< Message edited by Rule -- 8/25/2006 4:07:17 PM >

(in reply to Yang4yin)
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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 6:41:44 PM   
Yang4yin


Posts: 1677
Joined: 7/26/2006
From: NC (USA)
Status: offline 		"A friend some time ago put .ini files and other stuff on my desk top screen so that when the settings are changed, the old settings are always present to replace them again. Could that do the trick, or is it then still necessary to also remove and delete MS Word?"
 
Do you have Word for Windows, or for Mac?
What version of Word do you have?
Do you know how to use Word's built-in Help? (You really ought to try it!)
Did you go to http://support.microsoft.com and try looking for the answer? Microsoft has thousands of articles on this sort of thing.
 
 

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 7:04:03 PM   
NastyDaddy


Posts: 957
Joined: 9/8/2004
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Rule

A friend some time ago put .ini files and other stuff on my desk top screen so that when the settings are changed, the old settings are always present to replace them again. Could that do the trick, or is it then still necessary to also remove and delete MS Word?



It's sort of the reverse of what I was thinking, but valid. Sometimes when a program is uninstalled, Windows will leave the parent folder and last .ini file. I'm guessing it is done as a way to support quick re-install (not overwriting the saved .ini file). Often the installer will prompt you that a newer file exists than the install program contains, giving you the option to overwrite or keep the newer file.

People often uninstall and re-install, opt to keep newer files and can't figure out why everything is the same. I'm speculating the customized .ini or other user files (such as normal.dot mentioned by Yang4ying) may not be getting replaced with the original install default versions... thus making the re-installation appear to be fruitless, and actually a waste of time.

I'd say if you have the original or earlier versions of Word .ini files on your desktop, your problems may go away by replacing the current files with the prior versions. Instead of overwriting current versions though, I suggest you rename them so you don't lose them in their being overwritten by the prior versions (example.ini renamed to example_ini.old or whatever).

That friend who backed those up to your desktop may have in fact been a savior of your time and efforts. Using those backed up .ini files would constitute the same (or near same) result as a complete uninstall/re-install... in theory. I agree it should work unless you did any upgrades, or somehow wound up with a corrupted Word program file or link library file, then a re-install or Repair would be required.

If after using the backed up .ini things are still bad, see if you have a "Repair" option on the Word uninstall prompt. If so... see if it can replace Word's critical files and repair the existing Word installation.

Hope some of this helps, and if you get back to status quo.... I highly recommend keeping a mirror/backup copy as insurance against similar software or computer foibles..... keep yourself a fall-back backup copy of the document(s) in-work. You can never have "too many" backups... only "too few".

     

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 7:14:05 PM   
Yang4yin


Posts: 1677
Joined: 7/26/2006
From: NC (USA)
Status: offline 		Here are a few tech articles that may help you.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/259413

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/212346/en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257919/en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260833/en-us

* http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253957/en-us


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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/25/2006 8:06:32 PM   
Aileen68


Posts: 6091
Joined: 8/2/2005
Status: offline 		Are you people speaking English?

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/26/2006 7:31:52 AM   
Yang4yin


Posts: 1677
Joined: 7/26/2006
From: NC (USA)
Status: offline 		Oui.

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/26/2006 11:33:37 AM   
NastyDaddy


Posts: 957
Joined: 9/8/2004
Status: offline 		Jah Vuhle ... in a nutshell, Rule wants to travel back in time...


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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/26/2006 11:55:26 PM   
Rule


Posts: 10479
Joined: 12/5/2005
Status: offline 		the back up .ini was a system-ini, so of no use to MS Word.
Renaming normal.dot to normal.old had no effect. When index marking a word in a new document, the mutilated index field code still was visible in normal view.
 
I sent a few lines with some index field codes in a new document in an attachment to a friend that also uses MS Word, but she got it in good order and without any field codes present at all in both normal and show field codes view (perhaps because her Word did not recognize those mutilated field codes and therefore ignored them).
 
Before trying something more drastic, like un-installing, I will await the comments of a friend about 36 hours from now.

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/30/2006 1:23:22 AM   
Rule


Posts: 10479
Joined: 12/5/2005
Status: offline 		Apparently I mutilated the marker delimiter in the field code and Word saw that as an opportunity to update the style:
 
"Word detects when you alter the formatting of text containing a style and then automatically updates the style. When Word automatically updates the style, all text formatted with that style changes to match the formatting of the text you just changed."
 
I do not know how to correct that yet. I think that I will delete normal.dot again and perhaps also all user styles.

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RE: word for windows stupidity - 8/30/2006 3:53:29 AM   
cuddleheart50


Posts: 9718
Joined: 2/20/2006
From: Kentucky
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Aileen68

Are you people speaking English?



I'm with her!!!

_____________________________

Dance like no one is watching,
Sing like no one is listening.
Love like you've never been hurt
and live like it's heaven on Earth.


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