Microsoft Word Problem

[mike2002]

Can I post a third-hand query?

My daughter is running Windows 98 (not sure if it's 98 or the SE version). But not from my location though.

She accidentally pulled out the USB printer cable, then reconnected it
(If I want a device to run unhindered, I disconnect and reconnect other USB devices - such as a Zip drive or TV tuner without any problems).

BUT since the printer cable incident, she finds that the printer is not functioning properly, and additionally cannot open up Microsoft Word. When she attempts to open Word, she gets a message saying that the system is low on memory resources, to close running programs, then try again. To no avail.
When she clicks Ctrl/Alt/Delete, instead of the usual box displaying a list, she gets the programs listed singly, i.e. one at a time.

She doesn't have any backups of her Documents, and posseses only a floppy-disk drive which, according to her, would take a couple of days to backup. Are there any solutions?

[mjc]

Have her try booting into Safe Mode and removing all pronters found.

It probably got hung up trying to detect/resinstall the printer after the incident, especially if there was something printing at the time.

[mike2002]

mjc: Thanks for the suggestion.

To clarify; do you remove (uninstall) the Printer Port in Device Manager, in addition to using the Printer's uninstall function?

[mike2002]

My daughter informs me that the printer is working fine; after the incident it printed gobbdegook, then righted itself.

But, in addition to not being able to open Word, Excel is also affected
and cannot be opened.

Something has screwed up the system.

[Paul Komski]

Try the office cd or add/remove programs and choose to repair or reinstall office as a possible fix.

You could try entering excel in the run box - but I wouldn't hold out too much hope of that working.

[mike2002]

Paul: One thing I thought of that may provide a temporary solution;
how about if she used the 'Open With' function, and opened the Word files in Notepad.

As they are both Microsoft programs, I don't see why it shouldn't work.

Notepad lacks the more sophisticated functions and formatting of Word.
But there's nothing to lose in trying.

[pave_spectre]

Note pad cant handle word documents Ive tried and it throws a tantrum, however WordPad can, provided there are no images in the file.

Opening in wordpad will mess up the formatting but at least its readable.

[mike2002]

pave_spectre: Sorry, meant to say Wordpad in the first place.

But success with Wordpad. I talked her through the 'open with' proceedure, and she was delighted with the result, and the fact that she can print out all her invoices and correspondence etc.

Also, contrary to what she initially told me, Excel is working OK.

[Paul Komski]

You can also "Open With" Internet Explorer! ;)

[mike2002]

Paul: I tried your ("Open With" Internet Explorer!) suggestion with one of my Corel WordPerfect documents.

I was surprised to find that it opened identically as if I had clicked on WordPerfect's normal file icon.

How DOES it do this?