OFF97: Multiple General Tabs in File New Dialog Box

• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 For Windows
• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Office Binder 97
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you click New on the File menu, more than one General tab may appear.

CAUSE

You have a folder named General located in your User Templates or Workgroup Templates folder.

Note: This problem may occur even after you delete the General folder.

To check where your User Templates or Workgroup Templates folder is located, do one of the following:

• In Microsoft Word: On the Tools menu, click Options and then click the File Locations tab.
  
  -or-
  


• In Microsoft Office: Right-click on a blank area of the Office toolbar. On the shortcut menu, click Customize and then click the Settings tab.

WORKAROUND

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).
To correct this problem, use the following steps.

1. Quit all Office programs.



2. Right-click Start and then on the shortcut menu, click Explore.



3. Open your User Templates or Workgroup Templates folder. For example, open C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates



4. Delete the General folder. If you have files located in the General folder, be sure to move those files to a different location before you delete the General folder.



5. On the File menu, click Close to quit the Windows Explorer.



6. Click Start and then click Run.



7. In the Open box, type regedit and then click OK.



8. Delete the following registry key:




HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Common\FileNewGroups

9. On the Registry menu, click Exit.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

Additional query words:

Keywords          : kbdta kbtemplate word8 word97 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug 

Last Reviewed: January 30, 1999