How to troubleshoot error messages that you receive in Word 2003 or in Word 2002 (Part 2)

This article is part 2 of a series of three Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that describe how to troubleshoot error messages in Microsoft Office Word 2003 or in Microsoft Word 2002.

For more information and troubleshooting steps, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

The following topics are covered in part 2 of this article:

How to troubleshoot invalid page faults and exception errors that occur while you print or format the document

Invalid page faults and exception errors may occur while you are printing or formatting the document. These actions trigger the use of several Windows components, including the following Windows drivers:

• Printer driver
• Video driver

Back to topics

Is the printer driver damaged?

Word frequently queries the printer driver for information that it requires when you format and print a document. A damaged printer driver may cause an invalid page fault or exception error to occur when you are working in a document.

Most non-PostScript based printers use the Hewlett-Packard Printer Control Language (PCL) or a variation of PCL. These drivers use a common core file named Unidrv.dll. This includes Microsoft Fax and Generic/Text Only. Therefore, if you are using a PCL printer driver and you want to troubleshoot the printer driver, you must install a non-PCL printer driver.

Almost all PostScript printer drivers use a common core file named Pscript.drv. Therefore, if you are using a PostScript printer driver and you want to troubleshoot the printer driver, you must install a non-PostScript printer driver.

To troubleshoot this problem and install a different printer driver, follow these steps:

1. Exit all programs that are running.
2. Click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes.
   
   Note For Microsoft Windows 2000, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
3. Use the appropriate method for your type of printer.
   • Method 1: PostScript Printer
     
     If you currently print to a PostScript printer, follow these steps:
     1. Click Add Printer under Printer Tasks on the left.
        
        Note In Windows 2000, double-click Add Printer to run the Add Printer Wizard.
     2. Follow the instructions in the wizard to install a local PCL printer driver or some other non-PostScript printer driver.
   • Method 2: Non-PostScript Printer
     
     If you currently print to a non-PostScript printer (for example, a PCL, dot-matrix, or ink-jet type printer), follow these steps:
     1. Click Add Printer under Printer Tasks on the left.
        
        Note In Windows 2000, double-click Add Printer to run the Add Printer Wizard.
     2. Follow the instructions in the wizard to install a local PostScript printer.
4. Right-click the printer icon, and then click Set As Default.
5. Start Word as you typically do (without using the /a switch), and then try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem is corrected, you have identified the problem as a damaged printer driver. Follow the steps in the next section, "Remove and reinstall the printer," to resolve the problem.

If Word does not function correctly, follow the steps in the "Is it the video driver?" section of this article.

Remove and reinstall the printer

Note To follow these steps, you may have to have your Microsoft Windows CD or the printer driver files supplied by the manufacturer of the printer.

To remove and reinstall the printer driver, follow these steps:

1. Exit all Microsoft Office programs.
2. Click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes.
   
   Note In Windows 2000, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
3. Right-click the printer that is causing the problem (the printer that you were using before you started troubleshooting the printer driver), and then click Delete.
4. Click Yes to confirm the deletion. You receive the following message:
   Some files were used only for this printer and are no longer needed. Would you like to delete these files now?
5. Click Add Printer under Printer Tasks on the left.
   
   Note In Windows 2000, double-click Add Printer to run the Add Printer Wizard.
6. Follow the instructions in the wizard to install the correct printer driver for the printer that you print to, or follow the instructions that came with your printer.
7. After the printer is installed, right-click the printer's icon, and then click Set As Default.

Back to printing or formatting

Is the video driver causing the problem?

Word frequently queries the video driver for information that Word requires when you format and print the document. A damaged video driver may cause an invalid page fault or exception error.

To troubleshoot this problem, install a different video driver. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Restart your computer.
2. Before the Windows 2000 or Windows XP startup screen appears, press F8.
3. Select Enable VGA Mode, and then press ENTER.
4. In the Please select the operating system to start section, click Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional or Microsoft Windows XP, and then press ENTER.

Note The operating system now loads the Standard VGA driver. Start Word as you typically start it. Do not use the /a switch. Then, try to reproduce the problem. If the problem is corrected, you have identified the problem as a damaged or incompatible video driver. Contact the manufacturer of the video card for an updated video driver.

For information about your hardware manufacturer, visit the following Web site: If Word does not function correctly, follow the steps in the next section of this article, "How to troubleshoot invalid page faults and exception errors that occur while you work on a document."

Back to printing or formatting

How to troubleshoot invalid page faults and exception errors that occur while you work on a document

Invalid page faults and exception errors may occur while you are working in a document because of any of the following:

Back to topics

Is the custom dictionary damaged?

When you type a space or press ENTER, the spelling checker tries to check the word. If the spelling checker does not find the word that you typed in the main dictionary, the spelling checker looks in the custom dictionary. When you check spelling and grammar, and then you click Add to add a word to the spelling dictionary, the word is added to the custom dictionary. If the custom dictionary becomes damaged for some reason, an error occurs when you start to check spelling.

To correct this problem, follow these steps:

• Microsoft Windows XP
  1. Quit all Office programs.
  2. Click Start, and then click Search.
  3. Click All Files or Folders, click More advanced options, and then click to select the Search hidden files and folders check box.
  4. In the All or part of a file name box, type *.dic.
  5. Set the Look in box to your local hard disk (or to a different user location if you are running Word from a network server).
  6. Click Search Now to search for the file. The default name for the custom dictionary is Custom.dic. The default location is in the following folder:
     ...\Application Data\Microsoft\Proof
     Note Your custom dictionary file may have a different file name and it may be located in a different folder than the default. If you are using profiles, your custom dictionary may be located in your Profiles folder.
  7. For each occurrence of a custom dictionary file that appears in the Search Results dialog box, right-click the file. Click Rename. Type a new name for the old custom dictionary file (for example, OldCustom.dic), and then press ENTER.
  8. Close the Search Results dialog box, restart Word as you typically do (without using the /a switch), and then try to reproduce the problem.
• Windows 2000
  1. Quit all Microsoft Office programs.
  2. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
  3. In the Search for files or folders named box, type *.dic.
  4. In the Look in list, select your local hard disk (or a different user location if you are running Word from a network server).
  5. Click Search Now to search for the file. The default name for the custom dictionary is Custom.dic, and the default location is in the following folder:
     ...\Application Data\Microsoft\Proof
     Note Your custom dictionary file may have a different file name, and it may be located in a different folder than the default. If you are using profiles, your custom dictionary may be located in your Profiles folder.
  6. For each occurrence of a custom dictionary file that appears in the Search Results dialog box, right-click the file and then click Rename. Type a new name for the old custom dictionary file (for example, OldCustom.dic), and then press ENTER.
  7. Close the Search Results dialog box, restart Word as you typically do (without using the /a switch), and then try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem is corrected, you have identified the problem as a damaged custom dictionary file. You have created a new custom dictionary file, and it does not contain any of the words that you added in the past. If you want to add the words from the old custom dictionary file, follow the steps in the "Add words to the new custom dictionary" section of this article.

If Word does not work correctly, follow the steps in the "Is the AutoCorrect file causing the problem?" section of this article.

Add words to the new custom dictionary

To add words from an old custom dictionary (or any text file) to a current (or new) custom dictionary, follow these steps:

1. Open the old custom dictionary file in Word. If you recently renamed the old custom dictionary file using the steps outlined in this article, the file is most likely named OldCustom.dic.
2. If background spelling is turned on, you see red wavy underlines under each word. Right-click each word, and then click Add.
   
   Note If background spelling is not turned on, click Spelling and Grammar on the Tools menu. After all the words have been added, you can close the file and delete it.

Back to working in the document

Is the AutoCorrect file causing the problem?

When you type a space or press ENTER, the background AutoCorrect tries to correct the spelling or grammar of a word or add special symbols instead of some characters. The AutoCorrect list (ACL) stores a list of words and characters to act upon and what to substitute for them.

If the AutoCorrect file (.acl file) is damaged, you may experience an invalid page fault when Word tries to access the .acl file. To correct this problem, follow these steps.

Note The .acl files can be customized so that you can enter personal AutoCorrect entries. If you rename these files, you will lose any customizations that have been made. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you rename and not delete the .acl files.

• Microsoft Windows XP
  1. Quit all Office programs.
  2. Click Start, and then click Search.
  3. Click All Files or Folders, click More advanced options, and then click to select the Search hidden files and folders check box. In the All or part of a file name box, type *.acl.
  4. In the Look in list, click Local Hard Drives.
  5. Click Search Now.
     
     When the search is completed, a list of .acl files appears.
  6. Right-click one of the .acl files, and then click Rename.
  7. Press END on the keyboard. Type .old, and then press ENTER. The file appears with ".old" appended to the end.
  8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for all .acl files.
  9. Repair Office from Add or Remove Programs.
     
     This procedure detects and repairs problems that are associated with installed Microsoft Office programs, such as registry settings and missing installation files. This procedure does not repair personal files, such as worksheets or templates.
     
     Office 2003
     1. Click Start , point to Settings , and then click Control Panel.
     2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs, click Microsoft Office 2003, and then click Change.
     3. In the Microsoft Office 2003 Setup dialog box, click Reinstall or Repair, and then click Next.
     4. Click Detect and Repair errors in my Office installation, and then click Install.
     Office XP
     1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
     2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs, click Microsoft Office XP, and then click Change.
     3. In the Microsoft Office XP Setup dialog box, click Repair, and then click Next.
     4. Click Detect and Repair errors in my Office installation, and then click Install.
     Note If you choose to detect and repair problems in your Microsoft Office installation, click to select the Restore my Start Menu Shortcuts check box to rebuild your Microsoft Office shortcuts.
  10. Restart Word as you typically do (without using the /a switch), and then try to reproduce the problem.
• Windows 2000
  1. Quit all Office programs.
  2. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
  3. In the Search for files or folders named box, type *.acl.
  4. In the Look in list, click Local Hard Drives.
  5. Click Search Now. When the search is completed, a list of .acl files appears.
  6. Right-click one of the .acl files, and then click Rename.
  7. Press the END key. Type .old, and then press ENTER. The file appears with ".old" appended to the end.
  8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for all .acl files.
  9. Repair Office from Add/Remove Programs.
     
     This procedure detects and repairs problems that are associated with installed Microsoft Office programs, such as registry settings and missing installation files. This procedure does not repair personal files, such as worksheets or templates.
     
     Office 2003
     1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
     2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs, click Microsoft Office 2003, and then click Change.
     3. In the Microsoft Office 2003 Setup dialog box, click Reinstall or Repair, and then click Next.
     4. Click Detect and Repair errors in my Office installation, and then click Install.
     Office XP
     1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
     2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs, click Microsoft Office XP, and then click Change.
     3. In the Microsoft Office XP Setup dialog box, click Repair, and then click Next.
     4. Click Detect and Repair errors in my Office installation, and then click Install.
  10. Restart Word as you typically do (without using the /a switch), and then try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem is corrected, you have identified the problem as a damaged .acl file.

If Word does not work correctly, follow the steps in the section of this article titled "Is the spelling and grammar checker causing the problem?"

Back to working in the document

Is the spelling and grammar checker causing the problem?

When you type a space or press ENTER, the spelling and grammar checker checks what you typed. If what you typed is incorrect, the spelling and grammar checker flags it as a misspelled word (with a red wavy underline) or as a grammar error (with a green wavy underline). If either the spelling files or the grammar files are damaged, there may be an error when you type. To test whether this is the problem, try to reproduce the problem with the spelling and grammar checker turned off.

To turn off (or turn on) the spelling and grammar checker, follow these steps:

1. Open the document, if you can.
2. Immediately, before you do anything else, click Options on the Tools menu.
3. Click the Spelling and Grammar tab.
4. Click to clear the Check spelling as you type check box and the Check grammar as you type check box.
5. Click OK, and then try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem is corrected, or if you could not follow these steps, you may have identified the problem as damaged Proofing Tools. To correct the problem, click Detect and Repair on the Help menu. After Detect and Repair is complete, turn on the background spelling and grammar checker.

If Word does not work correctly, follow the steps in the "Are the fonts damaged?" section of this article.

Back to working in the document

Are the fonts damaged?

A damaged font may cause an invalid page fault when you are working with Word (or another program).

If Word stops responding while you are working on a document, try to determine what fonts are in the document, and then apply these fonts to a new document based on Normal.dot. If the problem occurs in the new document, systematically reduce the number of fonts in the new document until you are left with the font that causes the problem.

Note Tahoma is the font that is used in the dialog boxes and menus in Word and Office. If Word stops responding when you start Word, a damaged Tahoma font may be the cause. Follow the instructions later in this article for removing and reinstalling the Tahoma font.

After you determine (or suspect) a damaged font, follow these steps to remove and reinstall the font.

Note This procedure removes the font from your system. You must be able to reinstall the font from its original source.

1. Exit all Office programs.
2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
   
   Note In Windows 2000, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Fonts.
4. Drag the font (or fonts) that you think may be damaged to your desktop (or to some other location outside the font folder). The font is now removed from your computer. Any document formatted with that font actually has another font substituted.
5. Close the font folder, restart Word as you typically do (without using the /a switch), and then try to reproduce the problem.

If the problem is corrected, you may have identified the problem as a damaged font. To resolve the problem, click Detect and Repair on the Help menu. After Detect and Repair is complete, try to reproduce the problem.

Note If the font that you removed came from a different software program, you may have to reinstall that program to replace the font on your system.

If Word does not work correctly, follow the steps in the section of part 3 of this article titled "Start Word as cleanly as possible."

Back to working in the document

For more information about how to troubleshoot invalid page faults and exception errors in Word, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.