Description of the Word 2003 post-Service Pack 3 hotfix package: December 7, 2007

List of issues that are fixed

This hotfix package fixes the following issues:This hotfix package fixes the following issues that were not previously documented in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

DBCS characters overlap when they are printed

You open a document that contains double-byte character set (DBCS) characters. If you print the document to a printer other than the default printer, the DBCS characters may overlap when they are printed.

The left side of a table in a right-to-left document shows in the preview pane of the Open dialog box

You click Open on the File menu to open a document that contains text in a right-to-left language. Additionally, the preview pane is enabled in the Open dialog box. If the document that you select to open contains a table at the beginning of the document, the left side of the table unexpectedly shows in the preview pane. You expect the right-side of the table to show in the preview pane.

Word stops responding when you try to save a new document as an XML document

You create a custom template that has an XML scheme attached and that contains a "Visual Basic for Applications" macro. You right-click the template in Windows Explorer, and then you click New to create a new Word document. In this scenario, when you try to save the new document as an XML document, Word stops responding. Additionally, CPU usage is 100 percent.

A custom task pane remains closed after you check the spelling in a smart document

You open a smart document that uses a custom task pane. When you check the spelling in the document, the custom task pane is closed. After the spelling check is complete, the custom task pane remains closed. In this scenario, you must manually reopen the custom task pane.

Word closes unexpectedly when you run a New Document macro

When you run a New Document macro, Word closes unexpectedly. Additionally, you receive the following error message: When you view the data in the error report, the report contains an error signature that resembles the following error signature. Additionally, other program versions, module versions, and offsets are possible.

This problem occurs when all the following conditions are true:

• The Windows in Taskbar option is selected. To find the Windows in Taskbar option, click Options on the Tools menu, and then click the View tab.
• Additional documents that are opened by the macro are also closed by the macro.
• A blank, unsaved document is already open when you click New on the File menu, and then you click one of the following options on the New Document task pane:
  • From existing document
  • On my computer
• Additional documents have not been opened during the current session of Word.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

This hotfix package is a post- Office 2003 Service Pack 3 hotfix package. To install the hotfix package, you must have Office 2003 Service Pack 3 installed.

For more information about Office 2003 Service Pack 3, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Restart information

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix is not replaced by any later hotfix.

Registry information

To use one of the hotfixes in this package, you must either create a registry key or modify a registry key. For more information about the registry keys, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

File information

This hotfix may not contain all the files that you must have to fully update a product to the latest build. This hotfix contains only the files that you must have to correct the issues that are listed in this article.

The global version of this hotfix package uses a Microsoft Windows Installer package to install the hotfix package. The dates and the times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in the following table. When you view the file information, the date is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Download informationMicrosoft Windows Installer .msp file informationAfter the hotfix is installed, the global version of this hotfix has the file attributes, or a later version of the file attributes, that are listed in the following table: