How to troubleshoot printing problems in Word 2002 (Part 2)

This article is part 2 of a series of two Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that present a systematic approach to eliminating printing problems in Microsoft Word 2002. For more information about part 1 of this article, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The following topic is covered in part 1 of this article:

• What Are Some Specific Error Messages I May Get?

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to Eliminate Document-Specific Printing Problems

Printing problems in Microsoft Word can be specific to particular documents and templates. You may have one or more documents that may not be printed or that result in some type of error message. To resolve problems similar to this, follow these steps.

Step 1: Can You Print Other Word Documents?

If you have problems trying to print a particular document, close the problem document, and then try to print a different document.

If you cannot print other documents, create a new document and try to print it. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Close all open Word documents.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. On the General tab, click Blank Document, and then click OK.
4. In your new blank Word document, type some text.
5. On the Print menu, click Print.
6. In the Print dialog box, click OK.

If you can print this new document, you have identified that the problem is specific to particular Word documents. Proceed to the "Step 3: Create a New Custom Template" section of this article.

If you cannot print this new document, proceed to the "Step 2: Rename the Normal.dot Template" section of this article.

Step 2: Rename the Normal.dot Template

If you cannot print the new Word document that you created in step 1, rename the Word global template (Normal.dot). To do this, follow these steps.

1. Do one of the following.
   • Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6:
     1. Quit Microsoft Word.
     2. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
     3. In the Named box of the Name & Location tab, type Normal.dot. Change the Look in box to your C: drive or Local hard drives (C:,D:) if you have multiple hard disks. Make sure the Include subfolders check box is selected, and then click Find Now.
     4. For each occurrence of the Normal.dot template that is found, rename it Normal.old. To do this, follow these steps:
        1. Click Normal.
        2. On the File menu, click Rename.
        3. Type Normal.old and then press ENTER.
     -or-
   • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) or Microsoft Windows 2000:
     1. Quit Microsoft Word.
     2. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
     3. In the Search for files or folders named box, type Normal.dot. Change the Look in box to your C drive (or local hard drives if you have multiple hard disks).
     4. Click Search Now.
     5. For each occurrence of the Normal.dot template that is found, rename it Normal.old. To do this, follow these steps:
        1. Click Normal.
        2. On the File menu, click Rename.
        3. Type Normal.old, and then press ENTER.
     -or-
     
     
   • Microsoft Windows XP:
     1. Quit Microsoft Word.
     2. Click Start and then click Search.
     3. Under What do you want to search for, click All files and folders.
     4. In the All or part of the file name box, type Normal.dot. Change the Look in box to your C drive (or local hard drives if you have multiple hard disks).
     5. Click Search.
     6. For each occurrence of the Normal.dot template that is found, rename it Normal.old. To do this, follow these steps:
        1. Click Normal.
        2. On the File menu, click Rename.
        3. Type Normal.old, and then press ENTER.
2. Restart Microsoft Word. Word automatically creates a new Normal.dot file.
3. In the new blank Word document, type some text.
4. On the File menu, click Print.
5. In the Print dialog box, click OK.

If you can print the new Word document, you have determined that the problem is a damaged Normal.dot file. You can now print new documents that are created from the new global (blank document) template (Normal.dot).

However, you may still be unable to print existing documents that were created by using your old Normal.dot file. If this is the case, proceed to the "Step 4: How to Print the Problem Document" section of this article to resolve problems with these documents.

If you cannot print this new document, there may be a problem that prevents Microsoft Word from printing. If this is the case, proceed to the "What Are Some Other Things I Can Try?" section of this article.

Step 3: Create a New Custom Template

You may still not be able to print particular Word documents. Examine the problem documents to determine whether they were created from the same custom template.

To determine which template the problem document was created from, follow these steps:

1. Open a document that you cannot print.
2. On the Tools menu, click Templates and Add-ins.
   
   The template that the document was created from should be listed in the Document template box.

If the template listed is Normal.dot, proceed to the "Step 4: How to Print the Problem Document" section of this article to resolve the problem with this document.

If the template listed is a different template, create a new custom template. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click New.
2. On the General tab, click Blank Document, and then click OK.
3. In the blank new Word document, type and create your template as you want it to appear.
4. On the File menu, click Save As.
5. In the Save As dialog box, type a new file name for your new custom template, change the Save as type box to Document Template, and then click Save.
6. On the File menu, click Close to close your new custom template.
7. On the File menu, click New.
8. Click the new template you created, and then click OK.
9. Type any additional text you want, and then click Print on the File menu.
10. In the Print dialog box, click OK.

If the document that you created from your new custom template is printed correctly, you have determined that the major problem is with a corrupted custom template. You need to create a new custom template for new documents.

However, the documents created from your corrupted custom template still may not be printed correctly. If this is the case, proceed to "Step 4: How to Print the Problem Document" section of this article to resolve problems with these documents.

Step 4: How to Print the Problem Document

You have reached this step because you have determined that a damaged document is preventing you from printing the document correctly.

To print your document, try one or more of the following:

• Try printing a range of pages. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. On the File menu, click Print.
  2. In the Print dialog box, click Pages, and then type a range of pages you want to print. For example, type 1-1. This prints the first page of your document.
  3. If this page prints correctly, repeat the print and specify the next range of pages as needed to print your entire document.
  -or-
• Save your problem document as Rich Text Format. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. On the File menu, click Save As.
  2. In the Save As dialog box, type a new file name for your document in the File name box.
  3. Change the Save as type box to Rich Text Format.
  4. Click Save. Your new document is saved with the RTF extension.
  5. On the File menu, click Close to close the new RTF document.
  6. On the File menu, click Open and open the new RTF document that you just saved.
  7. On the File menu, click Save As.
  8. In the Save As dialog box, change the Save as type box to Word Document, and then click Save.
     
     NOTE: You do not need to type a new file name in the File name box, because you renamed your new document in step b.
  9. On the File menu, click Close to close your new Word document.
  10. On the File menu, click Open and open the new Word document that you just saved.
  11. On the File menu, click Print.
  12. In the Print dialog box, click OK.
  If you can print your new document, you have resolved the problem with your damaged document. Delete the old Word document that was caused the printing problem, and work with the new Word document.
  
  -or-
• Copy and paste your entire Word document into a new Word file. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Press CTRL+END to go to the bottom of your Word document.
  2. Press CTRL+SHIFT+HOME to select the entire document and go to the top of your Word document.
  3. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
  4. On the File menu, click New.
  5. On the General tab, click Blank Document, and then click OK.
  6. In the new blank Word document, click Paste on the Edit menu.
  7. On the File menu, click Print.
  8. In the Print dialog box, click OK.
  If you can print your new Word document, you have resolved the problem. Your old Word document is damaged. Save your new Word document and work with it. Then you can delete the damaged document.
  
  -or-
• Copy and paste sections of your Word document to a new file. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Select a portion of your Word document. If your document contains sections, do not select a section break.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
  3. On the File menu, click New.
  4. On the General tab, click Blank Document, and then click OK.
  5. In the new blank Word document, click Paste.
  6. On the File menu, click Print.
  7. In the Print dialog box, click OK.
  If you can print your new Word document, you have determined that your existing Word document is damaged. Repeat these steps with the next portions of your damaged document, and copy them into your new Word document. You may want to copy a portion at a time and print your new Word document after you paste each portion. This ensures that you do not copy a damaged portion to your new Word file.
  
  IMPORTANT: Do not copy and paste any section breaks into your new Word document, because this may copy the problem into your new Word document.
  
  After you have all the portions of the damaged document copied to your new Word document, save it as a Word document with a new file name. When you can print your new Word document, you may want to delete your old damaged Word document.

If these steps still do not allow you to print your Word document, proceed to the "What Are Some Other Things That I Can Try?" section of this article.

What Are Some Other Things That I Can Try?

You have reached this section because you cannot print any document from Microsoft Word. You can try the following methods to correct this problem.

Reinstall Printer Driver

A damaged printer driver can cause printing problems in Microsoft Word. If this is the case, delete and reinstall your printer driver. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Quit all Windows programs.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
   
   NOTE: In Microsoft Windows XP, click Start and then click Control Panel.
3. Right-click your installed default printer, and then click Delete on the shortcut menu that appears.
   
   You receive the following message
   Are you sure you want to delete the printer 'printername'?
   where 'printername' is the name of your installed default printer.
4. Click Yes.
   
   You may also receive an additional message when you delete your printer driver:
   Some files were used only for this printer and are no longer needed. Would you like to delete these files now?
5. After Windows removes your installed default printer and its associated files, re-install the printer. To do this, do one of the following.
   • In Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000, double-click Add Printer in the Printers dialog box (click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers). Follow the Add Printer Wizard to reinstall your Windows printer driver.
     
     -or-
   • In Windows XP, click Add a printer under Printer Tasks in the Printers and Faxes dialog box (click Start and then click Printers and Faxes). Follow the Add Printer Wizard to reinstall your Windows printer driver.
     
     -or-
   • Use the disk that was provided by your printer manufacturer, and install it according to the installation instructions. For more information about how to install the printer driver provided with your printer, please contact your printer manufacturer.
   For more information about hardware and software vendor contact information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://support.microsoft.com/gp/vendors (http://support.microsoft.com/gp/vendors)

Delete Word Data Key

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

Printing problems in Microsoft Word can be caused by a damaged Word Data key in the Windows registry. If this is the case, you need to delete the Data key. When you restart Microsoft Word, Word recreates the Word Data key automatically.

IMPORTANT: After you delete the Word Data key, some settings in Microsoft Word are reset to their default settings.

To delete the Word Data key in the Windows registry, follow these steps:

1. Quit all Windows programs.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type Regedit and click OK.
4. Open the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word
5. Under the Word key, click the Data subkey.
6. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
   
   You receive the following message:
   Are you sure you want to delete this key?
7. Click Yes
8. On the Registry menu, click Exit.

After you delete the Word Data key, restart Microsoft Word and try to print your Word document. If you can print your document, you have resolved the problem.

Additional Troubleshooting Resources

For more information about troubleshooting steps that may help you solve printing problems, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Microsoft Support Options

If you cannot resolve this issue, several support options are available to assist you.

Quickly Find Answers Yourself Online

Use Microsoft Online Support to search the Microsoft Knowledge Base and other technical resources for fast, accurate answers. You can also customize the site to control your search.

To begin your search, browse to the following Web site:

Microsoft Product Support

Contact a Microsoft Product Support professional to assist you with troubleshooting problems.

For more information about obtaining help with troubleshooting Microsoft Windows, click Help Topics on the Help menu in Windows Explorer. On the Contents tab, double-click to open the Troubleshooting book. Then double-click to open the Contact Microsoft Technical Support book to view your support options.

For more information about obtaining help with troubleshooting Microsoft Word, click About Microsoft word on the Help menu, and then click Tech Support.

Microsoft Solution Providers

Microsoft Solution Providers are independent organizations that have teamed with Microsoft to use technology to solve business problems for companies of all sizes and industries.

To locate a Microsoft Solution Provider in your area in the U.S. and Canada, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. If you are outside the United States, contact your local subsidiary. To locate your subsidiary, see the Microsoft World Wide Offices Web site at: