In Word 97, if you open a Word 95 master document that contains several subdocuments with bullet or numbering formatting and you make some changes to the document, the following error message appears:

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When the subdocuments are expanded, information about the subdocuments is copied to the master document. This eventually prevents Word from being able to keep track of the information.

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To correct this problem, you must obtain and install the fix listed in step 1 and then modify the Windows registry as described in step 2.

NOTE: Before installing the fix and modifying the Windows registry, quit all Windows programs.

Step 1: Obtain and Install the Latest Word 97 Fix

To resolve the problem described in this article, obtain and install the latest Microsoft Word 97 update from the following Microsoft Web site: IMPORTANT NOTE: Microsoft Word 97 post-service release fixes are cumulative. The latest update contains all of the fixes since Service Release 2. If you install the latest update for Word 97, you do not need to install any other updates after Service Release 2.

For additional information about the fixes included in the latest update for Word 97, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Step 2: Modify the Windows Registry

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.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a Windows registry-activated fix, and you must modify the Windows registry. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	On the Windows Start menu, click Run.
2.	In the Open box, type regedit and then click OK.
3.	Select the following key in the Windows registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Word\Options
4.	On the Edit menu, point to New, and click String Value. Then add the following registry value: Value Name: LTOverflowRecovery Value: 1
5.	On the Registry menu, click Exit.

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To manually recover the master document and subdocuments, follow these steps:

1.	Open the first subdocument in Word 97.
2.	Remove and then reapply the bullet or numbering formatting.
3.	On the Edit menu, click Select All.
4.	On the Edit menu, click Copy.
5.	On the File menu, click New, and then click the General tab.
6.	Click the Blank Document template, and then click OK.
7.	On the Edit menu, click Paste.
8.	On the File menu, click Save.
9.	In the File Name box, type the file name you want, and then click Save.
10.	On the File menu, click Close.
11.	Repeat steps 1 through 10 for each subdocument.
12.	Open the master document.
13.	Click the subdocument icon on the left side of the screen, and then press the DELETE key.
14.	Repeat step 13 for each subdocument icon.
15.	Delete any unwanted section breaks from the master document.
16.	On the Edit menu, click Select All.
17.	On the Edit menu, click Copy.
18.	On the File menu, click New, and then click the General tab.
19.	Click the Blank Document template, and then click OK.
20.	On the Edit menu, click Paste.
21.	Insert each subdocument into the new master document.
22.	On the File menu, click Save.
23.	In the File Name box, type the file name you want, and then click Save.
24.	On the File menu, click Close.

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Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. The fix for this problem is included in the latest Microsoft Word 97 for Windows patch. Please see the "Resolution" section of this article for more information.

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