>(1) When I boot up the program, a "document1" appears on the screen by >default; if I want to get rid of it (as I always do), MSW insists on Saving >it first, so there's one more duff file on my hard drive to find and kill. >I want the boot-up default to be a blank screen with no file: how do I get >that? I second (or *third*, by now) Nathan Sivin's recommendation to get a Word 6.0 manual. There are just too many things that are obscure enough, bizarre enough, counterintuitive enough, etc., to make them unlikely that you'll ever figure them out on your own. One that I've found especially helpful (not to mention readable) is Woody Leonard's *The Underground Guide to Word for Windows.* I think Woody may be also the author of the *Annoyances* book that's been mentioned. But to answer the question, I don't know of any way to eliminate that "document1" when Word is started. I've tried several workarounds in the past, but to no avail. Surprisingly, Word's Auto___ macros can't seem to touch it. However, I have a partial solution, which is a way to just "Abort" the "document1" (or any other file on the screen for that matter). This will eliminate the other hassle you describe. The solution is to create a macro for aborting a file. This is simply an extension of the FileClose command that passes an additional value to the command--the end result being that you don't get the dialog box asking if you want to save changes; instead, the file is just closed without saving changes (i.e., aborted). Here's how to create a macro with "abort" functionality: 1) Under tools, click Macro 2) Type in a name (such as "Abort") for the macro you're going to create. Click Create. 3) You'll get a macro screen with the text "Sub MAIN[return][return]End Sub". On the middle (blank) line, type "FileClose 2" (without the quotes). 4) Now Close the macro window, saving the changes. 5) Your macro is complete and has been stored. 6) Use Tools/Customize to assign the macro to a key combination and/or toolbar button. I think the Help system documentation should be an adequate resource for how to do this. If you want a "Store" macro, it's the same thing, only use a different macro name and "FileClose 1". >In fact, is there ANY straightforward way to erase/delete a file while >working within MSW? Yes, via an add-on. I don't remember where I found it, but I've used it for years. It's a file you stick in Word's startup directory (Check Tools/Options/File Locations to determine where that is); anything in this directory is automatically loaded when you start Word. The add-on adds a "Delete..." item under the File menu. Selecting this brings up a dialog box from which you can select, then delete, files. (I don't know why MS left this functionality out. Perhaps it's along the same philosophical lines by which the default toolbar has an "Open" toolbar button but no "Close" button.) I've attached the file (17K), called WDDEL.WLL. If you don't want it from me (the E-mail virus thing and all that) you should be able to find it on the Web by searching for WDDEL(.WLL). Someone else on the list said that one could call up the Open box, highlight a file, then press Delete. That doesn't work for me; YMMV. >At this point, I scream "Where's *.DFL?" If I go to Help and ask about >Defaults, I get told to go to Tools and then to Customize; but I don't >_have_ a Customize -- instead I have something called Customize Add Menu >Shortcut... The so-called .DFL file is under Tools/Options. There's lots of good stuff there; Woody's aforementioned book guides you through helpful settings. Two especially sage changes to make are under Save: (1) Uncheck the box for "Allow fast saves"--this default setting tends to corrupt files; (2) Check the box for "Prompt to save Normal.dot." Since normal.dot controls all the interface and functionality in Word, shouldn't the user have control over whether it is altered or not? Seems like a no-brainer to me. (BTW, if you've created the above macro(s), they will have been stored in normal.dot, which counts as a "change." So when you exit Word you'll be asked if you want to save changes to normal.dot. You'll probably want to avoid rewriting the macros, so click Yes.) If you have no Tools/Customize, then perhaps you don't actually have Word 6.0? I mean, no offense, but I've had people insist to me that they had Word 6.0 for Office 97; if you have Office 97 you have Word 97, which is two versions removed from 6.0. Another possibility is that your installation of Word has had a virus. One in particular, CAP, is a mostly harmless virus, but it removes the Customize line from under Tools (and a few other such menu items). Once you've removed the virus, you can restore these menu options by simply deleting normal.dot (shock!), then restarting Word--Word rebuilds a "factory issue" normal.dot from scratch if it's missing; your menu items will thus be restored. >Needless to say, none of these problems *is* a problem in XyW. Right-o. (-: So back to good ol' Xy. --TLO Timothy_Olson@xxxxxxxxAttachment: WDDEL.WLL
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