Help! Problems with Normal Template

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Zebedee - 28 May 2006 10:56 GMT

Hi all

I've recently upgraded to OS 10.4.6 & I'm having a few problems with
certain applications - one of which is Word.

I can use Word OK, but when I try to quit I get an error message: "This
is not a valid file name. Try one or more of the following: * Check the
path to make sure it was typed correctly. * Select a file from the list
of files and folders. (Normal)." You then have no choice but to click
on the "OK" button.

This then brings up the Save As dialog box, asking where you want to
save your Normal Template. I've tried creating a new one & even
overwriting the old one...but nothing seems to work.

Lastly I get a dialog box which says: "Changes have been made that
affect the global template, "Normal". Do you want to save those
changes?".

Does anyone out there know why I'm getting this problem & how to solve
it? It's driving me mad!

Many thanks.

Zebedee.

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John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh] - 28 May 2006 15:11 GMT

Yeah. You are getting it because the user ID you are logged in with does
not have write access to the Normal template.

Find your Normal template and delete it. Do a Search of your hard drive:
there may be more than one copy. Delete them all.

When you next start Word, it will attempt to create a new Normal. If it
gives you the same error, check in Word>Preferences>File Locations... Click
"Modify" on the User Templates entry and look to see where it's pointing.
It should be in your Microsoft User Data folder. Anywhere else and you may
indeed not have write permissions in there.

And fire up Disk Utility and do a Repair Permissions. If the file
permissions are wrong following your upgrade, you will not have write
permission to the files you need to be able to change.

Hope this helps

On 28/5/06 7:56 PM, in article
1148810191.789473.132740@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com, "Zebedee"
<zebedeerules@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all
>
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
>
> Zebedee.

Signature

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <john@mcghie.name>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

Reply to this Message

Zebedee - 28 May 2006 22:11 GMT

Hi John

Just wanted to say thank you very very much. Modifying the File
Locations didn't work, so I did the Repair Permissions which went OK.
Went back to File Locations & tried again, but still didn't work. I
then went into Word again & tried saving the Normal template into the
folder you suggested. This time it was accepted & I haven't had that
error message since.

Thank you soooooooooooooooooooo much. I am forever in your debt.

Best wishes.

xx

Reply to this Message

Clive Huggan - 29 May 2006 02:41 GMT

On 29/5/06 7:11 AM, in article
1148850711.018065.263440@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, "Zebedee"
<zebedeerules@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hi John

<snip>

> Thank you soooooooooooooooooooo much. I am forever in your debt.

<snip>

Watch out, Zeb! John may live here in Australia, but he has a mobile credit
card machine, and he travels.... ;-)

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
===================

Reply to this Message

John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh] - 29 May 2006 10:38 GMT

Oh, he doesn't have to send the credit card... Just the number will do :-)

Thanks Zebedee: good to know you're out of trouble!

Cheers

On 29/5/06 11:41 AM, in article
C0A08E80.1BB5F%REMOVETHISoffice@ANDTHISstrategists.com.au, "Clive Huggan"
<REMOVETHISoffice@ANDTHISstrategists.com.au> wrote:

> On 29/5/06 7:11 AM, in article
> 1148850711.018065.263440@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, "Zebedee"
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> Canberra, Australia
> ===================

Signature

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Mac Forum / Applications / Word / May 2006

Help! Problems with Normal Template