Taming the Beast: How to (De)Customize Word 97

Taming the Beast: How to (De)Customize Word 97

The source of this presentation is the book Word 97 Annoyances, by Woody Leonhard, Lee Hudspeth & T.J. Lee, O"Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1997. Information on this book is available at

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/wordannoy/

Changes to Windows 95

Filename Extensions

Make sure that file extensions have not been turned off:

Windows Explorer:à View à Optionsà "Show all Files" should be checked,

"Hide MS-DOS file extensions for types that are registered" is unchecked.

Word Prep
Get the Latest Version

Helpà About Microsoft Word. The first line tells you the release number that you are running.

Microsoft does not necessarily contact you when there are bug fixes. I am currently running "Word 97 SR-1" This release corrects some very annoying bugs, one of them being graphic images automatically changing to large red Xs. To download it:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/office97/servicerelease/

For information on keeping up to date on fixes, etc. a good source of information is Woody’s Office Watch newsletter. To subscribe:

http://www.mcc.com.au/wow/wowsub.htm

Install Anti-Virus Software

The virus alert does no good unless you have virus protection software

http://www.microsoft.com/office/antivirus/

http://web.mit.edu/security/www/isovirus.htm

Word Settings
Paragraph Marks and Tabs

This is essential information in the understanding of Word and its formatting.

Tools à Options à Nonprinting a Tab characters, a Paragraph Marks

Slow Save

Disable "Allow Fast Save"

Tools à Optionsà Save

Fast Save was necessary in the "old days" when hard drives were slower and saves therefore took time. Rather than save the entire document each time, it would append changes to the end of document. Then every so often it would roll all the changes into the main document—bringing almost everything to a near halt—and write a completely new document.