How Word Viewer 97-2000 Determines Default Document Path

Microsoft Word Viewer 97-2000 does not contain or set a default document path in its own registry key. This article describes how Word Viewer 97-2000 determines the default document path to use when you start it.

How Word Viewer 97-2000 Determines the Default Document Location

Word Viewer 97-2000 determines its default document path by following these steps:

1. Word Viewer 97-2000 looks for the Word 97 Doc-Path setting in the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Word\Options
2. If Microsoft Word 97 is not installed or if the default document path does not exist, Word Viewer 97-2000 looks in the Windows Explorer User Shell Folders\Personal registry key for the folder to use as the default document directory:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\User Shell Folders
3. If step 1 or 2 returns invalid or non-existent folder names, Word Viewer 97-2000 creates a My Documents folder on the local hard disk, as in the following example:
   C:\My Documents

Setting a Default Document Path for Word Viewer 97-2000

If you want to set a default document path for Word Viewer 97-2000, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: If Word 97 Is Installed on the Same Computer as Word Viewer 97-2000

If Word 97 is installed on the same computer as Word Viewer 97-2000, follow these steps to set the default document folder in Word 97:

1. In Word, click Options on the Tools menu, and then click the File Locations tab.
2. In the File types list, click Documents.
3. Click Modify.
4. Select the folder that you want to use as the default working folder. To do this, use either of the following procedures:
   • To select an existing folder for the default working folder, locate, and then click the folder that you want in the folder list.
   • To create a new folder for the default working folder, click Create New Folder, and then type a name for the new folder in the Name box.
5. Click OK to return to your document.

Method 2: If Word 97 Is Not on the Same Computer as Word Viewer 97-2000

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

If Word 97 is not installed on the same computer as Word Viewer 97-2000, you must create the Word 97 Options registry key. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Quit Word Viewer 97-2000.
2. Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. In Registry Editor, locate, and then click the following registry entry:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft
   The Microsoft key should be selected.
4. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key. Type Office, and then press ENTER.
5. With the Office key selected, on the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key. Type 8.0, and then press ENTER.
6. With the 8.0 key selected, on the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key. Type Word, and then press ENTER.
7. With the Word key selected, on the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key. Type Options, and then press ENTER.
8. With the Options key selected, on the Edit menu, click New, and then click String Value. Type Doc-Path, and then press ENTER.
9. Under Name (on the right side of Registry Editor), click to select the Doc-Path entry. On the Edit menu, click Modify. On the Value Data line, type the full document path that you want--for example, type C:\My Documents.
10. Quit Registry Editor, and then start Word Viewer 97-2000.

When you click Open on the File menu, the default folder should be the one that you specified in step 9.

Note You can use the Microsoft Word 97-2000 Viewer to view documents that were created in Microsoft Word 97, in Microsoft Word 2000, in Microsoft Word 2002, and in Microsoft Office Word 2003.

For additional information about Word Viewer 97-2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: