Re: Off-Topic -- Apparently intractable problem with MSWord

["J. R. Fox" jr_fox@xxxxxxxxxx]

"Yo Intl. YK" wrote:

> Hmm... if your already removed and reinstalled MS Wurgh, then this sounds
> more like a Windows problem.
> Before you reinstall the OS, how about running one those utilities that
> check and correct the Windows registry? All sorts of garbage and assorted
> dead links accumulate there, and can cause various kinds of trouble.

You're quite correct, and I can say this from personal experience: the
Windows Registry can get hosed easier than most people realize, and once this
happens your Windows installation may well be toast. There are probably more
than a few app.s whose installation can do this. I would stay far away from
any version of Scansoft's Pagis Pro Suite, for example. It killed everything
to do with the use of my scanner in NT, and I've heard from two other people
who had very similar experiences. (Prior to this install, PhotoShop and the
s/w native to my scanner had been working fine.) Uninstalls / Re-installs
did not help, Norton CLEANSWEEP could not touch some of the Registry Keys
this program left behind, and even CONFIGSAFE could not "turn the clock back"
to a system status before the damage was done. If I want to regain use of
the scanner in NT, my only recourse is to nuke the partition and restore a
partition image made in 11/00, the most recent one predating the damage.
Partly because I spend so little time in the Win environment, I still haven't
gotten around to doing this.

This was a hard lesson, but everytime you install something into Windows,
you are playing Russian Roulette. You never know what already installed item
might crump as a result. I'm so glad this has never been a consideration in
OS/2, whose Registry is totally different and vastly simpler.

Jordan