David, I've had another look in all of my user folders, Administrator, Default and my own, but the 'Word Document' option isn't available in the My Documents\File\New\ menu in any of them.  The 'Templates' folders for the three users each contain two Word docs, Winword.doc and Winword2.doc - I have no idea what the significance of two docs might be.

I would have said that my install of Word was correct - it wasn't done any differently than I've done dozens of times before.  However, something obviously went awry.  

Checking my wife's machine, I find that she HAS the Word Document option, so it worked OK there.

Finally, I got hold of my client's laptop, but I'm unable to replicate the 'sharing violation' problem that she reported, and which led to my original post.  Everything seems to be working normally, so maybe it was an errant virus, as you suggested.

Just a few more Windows mysteries, I guess.


Ian Porter
Computer Guys Inc.
Arrowtown
New Zealand
[log in to unmask]

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David Gillett 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2003 4:33 PM
  Subject: Re: [PCSOFT] Opening a Word doc from My Documents


  On 5 Oct 2003 at 14:56, Ian wrote:

  > A customer is running Win2K Pro\SP4 on a laptop.  She phoned to report
  > that suddenly she is unable to create Word docs in her usual fashion.
  >
  >
  > She does this by using a method I wasn't aware of, which is to go to
  > My Documents, then File\New\Word Document.
  >
  > She then attempts to name the new document, which she does by hitting
  > the backspace key, (thus removing all of the characters from the text
  > entry box) but after she's named it and hits 'Enter', Windows
  > complains of a 'sharing violation'. (her words)
  >
  > (She has file extensions turned off, so I can only presume that
  > Windows is proposing the correct .doc file type)
  >
  > I have two questions:
  > 1. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

    I usually get a "sharing violation" if some other program has the file
  open when I try to move or rename it.  Occasionally it appears to be a false
  alarm, and trying again works fine.
    (I believe some of the recent email viruses peek into .doc files, either
  looking for email addresses to target/spoof, or looking for convincing-
  sounding tect to copy.  I've a hunch that my occasional false alarms may be
  due to anti-virus checking the newly-created file....)

  > 2. How does one add 'Word Document' to the My Docs\File\New\ menu?

    There's a magic folder in each user profile called "Templates" which
  contains blank files of various types.  There's a set of registry keys which
  associate "Word Document" as a menu entry with the blank Word document in
  the template folder, and when you pick it from the menu the template gets
  copied to the folder you're working with and highlights the name for you to
  change it.

  > The Word option certainly isn't available on my own XP machine's menu,
  > so I can't check the validity of what she's telling me.

    If you have Word properly installed, it should have added it.

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