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Thread ID: 115961 2011-02-11 21:16:00 New Word documents opening at 194% Beemer (6956) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1177212 2011-02-11 21:16:00 Lately I've been having trouble when opening a new Word document from the Start menu. Instead of it opening at 100% as it usually does, it's opening at 194% and it's really annoying as I have to then resize it down.

I'm hoping it's just a setting that needs tweaking, but I can't find anything that relates to the size a page opens at. It doesn't seem to do it when I open an existing document from My Documents or from any other location, it's just doing it when I open a new Word document via the Start menu.

Any ideas how to fix it? It's Word 2003 if that makes any difference.
Beemer (6956)
1177213 2011-02-12 01:05:00 I would suggest you find and delete normal.dot

Word will create a new normal.dot when you restart it.
Snorkbox (15764)
1177214 2011-02-12 08:28:00 Ta, will give that a try tomorrow! Beemer (6956)
1177215 2011-02-12 19:53:00 Sorry to be dense, but how do I do this? I've tried searching online for help with this but it all says to go to 'My Computer' and I don't have that option, and I can't get any of the screens they show shots of. Beemer (6956)
1177216 2011-02-12 20:05:00 I will assume you are using WinXP. Firstly make sure you have Word closed.

Go to Start > Search, then read this: How To Search for Files and Folders in Windows XP (support.microsoft.com).

Make sure you select your C drive, and under the more advanced options, select search hidden files and folders.

In the search box, enter in normal.dot and start the search. When the search has completed, select and delete all the normal.dot files.

Exit out of the search and then open Word again. Let us know if this fixes your problem. :)
Jen (38)
1177217 2011-02-12 20:36:00 Sorry, should have said, using Windows Vista Home Premium, does that make a difference? Beemer (6956)
1177218 2011-02-12 20:45:00 Might be in C:\users\username\appdata\roaming\microsoft\templa tes. Thats where it is on here. Altho, I'm using Office 2007 Speedy Gonzales (78)
1177219 2011-02-12 21:15:00 Searching for hidden files in Vista is a bit more harder.

Click on the globe start button and enter in normal.dot in the bottom search field and then click 'search everywhere' (see search-1 image).

Ignore the first search results in the window that opens, and click the 'advanced search' button (see search-2 image).

Under advanced options, select C drive and 'include non-indexed, hidden and system files' (see search-3 image), and click search.

This should locate all normal.dot files. I use Office 2007 so my normal.dot files are called normal.dotm in the screen shot.
Jen (38)
1177220 2011-02-12 21:52:00 Just to put a spoke in the wheel - in earlier iterations of Word, normal.dot contained a lot more information than simply your formatting preferences.

For example it included all my postal addresses that I had built up over several years. Many of them were not recorded elsewhere, or if they were, it took a long time to type them back in when in a fit of madness I deleted my normal.dot. Other things were lost as well, such as Auto correct options, use of cm instead of inches, etc etc.

Is that still the case - I am remembering several years ago? If it is, you might save time and irritation by solving the magnification problem, only to find yourself in a pickle over addresses etc and have to spend a lot of time knocking normal.dot back into shape.
John H (8)
1177221 2011-02-15 00:25:00 That would irritate me John! I have heaps of auto correct options!

The weird thing is, all of a sudden (and without deleting normal.dot or doing anything I can think of) it has stopped doing it and all new documents are opening at 100% again! I may just leave it for now and see if it stays that way.
Beemer (6956)
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