Normal Template (2000 to XP)

[hlewton]

Does Word XP or Word 2002, whatever it is called, use the same Normal.dot that Word 2000 does?

When I went from Office 97 to Office 2000 I was able to continue to use my modified Normal.dot from Office 97 in Office 2000. Can I do the same going from Office 2000 to Office XP?

Thanks.

[AndrewO]

Yes you can.

[hlewton]

Andrew,

Thanks.

[Gary Frieder]

While as Andrew points out, you can use the same Normal.dot from Word 97 in Word 2002, on the other hand if you've been using the same Normal.dot for that long, it might be a good idea to start out with a fresh brand-new one now.

One reason is that there are some compatibility differences between Word 97 and Word 2000, and from Word 2000 to Word 2002 (I don't have Word 2002, but in Word 2000 you can see this by going to Tools > Options > Compatibility tab).

If you use a Word 97-based Normal.dot to create all of your new documents in Word 2002, these documents are probably going to have compability set to Word 97. If you plan on doing all your work in Word 2002 from now on, it's better to have your documents' compatibilty set to Word 2002.

Another reason for updating your Normal.dot is that Normal.dots are very susceptible to corrupting - for that reason it seems a good practice to get a clean new Normal.dot from time to time.
You can readily transfer most of your customizations from the old Normal.dot to the new one, by using the Organizer.

Gary

[hlewton]

Gary,

Thanks. That is what I was worried about because I do have some custom macros attached to toolbar buttons that I created years ago and forget how I did it.

I may not have to worry about it for awhile because after doing a search and comparing prices I haven't found a reasonably priced Office XP Pro yet. I like to buy the full versions then I can keep my previous version, in this case Office 2000 Pro, and use its license on one of my older machines.

Again, thanks for your help.

[jscher2000]

Moving a toolbar is a special case not handled by the Organizer. However, there have been threads here (or maybe VBA board) on moving and/or sharing toolbars that list the step-by-step on how to do it.

[hlewton]

jscher2000,

Thanks for the info.