Publisher 2002 starts when you double-click a .pub file created in Publisher 2007 or in Publisher 2003

When you double-click a Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 or Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 .pub file, Publisher 2002 may start.

This problem occurs if you have installed Publisher 2002 after you installed Publisher 2003 or Publisher 2007 on your computer. When you installed Publisher 2002, it registers itself in the Windows registry, and becomes associated with .pub files and certain system registration entries.

To work around this problem, decide if you want one or both versions of Publisher installed on your computer, and then use one of the following methods.

You Do Not Want All Versions of Publisher Installed on Your Computer

If you want only one version of Publisher on your computer:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3. In the list of installed programs, click Microsoft Publisher 2002.
4. Click Remove, and then click Yes to remove Publisher 2002.
5. In the list of installed programs, click Microsoft Publisher 2003 or Microsoft Publisher 2007.
6. Click Remove, and then click Yes to remove Publisher 2003 or Publisher 2007.
7. Restart your computer.
8. Install the version of Publisher that you want to use.

You Want All Versions of Publisher Installed on Your Computer

If you want to run both versions of Publisher on your computer:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3. In the list of installed programs, click Microsoft Publisher 2002.
4. Click Remove, and then click Yes to remove Publisher 2002.
5. In the list of installed programs, click Microsoft Publisher 2003 or Microsoft Publisher 2007.
6. Click Remove, and then click Yes to remove Publisher 2003 or Publisher 2007.
7. Restart your computer.
8. Install Publisher 2002.
9. Install Publisher 2003 or Publisher 2007, and do not remove Publisher 2002:
   1. Start Publisher 2003 or Publisher 2007 Setup, and then click Custom, Typical, or Complete for your installation type.
   2. In the Remove previous versions of Office Applications dialog box, click Keep all previous versions.
   3. Follow the instructions on the screen until Publisher Setup is complete.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.