WD2000: How to Rebuild User Preferences and Options Settings

ID: Q198553

The information in this article applies to:


IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

This article describes how to rebuild user preferences and user options settings.

Word stores user preferences and options settings in the following registry keys:

User Preferences:


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Data

 User Options:


HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Options


MORE INFORMATION

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 rebuild the Word Data and Options registry keys, do the following:

  1. Quit all applications.


  2. Click the Windows Start button, and then click Run.


  3. In the Open box, type "regedit" (without the quotation marks), and then click OK.


  4. Go to the following registry key:

    User Preferences:


    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Data

    NOTE: The status bar will display the following:


    My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office
    \9.0\Word\Data

    User Options:


    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Options

    NOTE: The status bar will display the following:


    My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office
    \9.0\Word\Options


  5. Click the registry key to select it.


  6. On the registry menu, click Export Registry File, type a file name, and then click Save.


  7. On the Edit menu, click Delete.


  8. Close the registry.


NOTE: Repeat steps 4-7 to export and delete both keys, as necessary.

When you restart Word, new settings will be stored in the Data and Options registry keys.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q232605 WD2000: How to Ignore User Settings When You Start Word

Additional query words: 9.0 Word9 rename delete restore rebuild options tshoot troubleshoot troubleshooting refresh registry regedit register howto 


Keywords          : kbdta wd2000 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: May 19, 1999