normal.dotm missing Word2007 Win7Starter

Hello
I have recently moved to Tanzania and my new employer bought me
a Compaq 615 laptop with
Windows 7 starter
IE 8.0
Word 2007 (and Excel etc.)
I installed a SP via Windows Update. I thought it was for IE8, but my help-about still shows 8.0, so maybe it was a Windows Service pack. I do not know where to check that.

When I change my Word 2007 document settings, such as
normal font, margin settings, paragraph settings, and I click
that I do that for all doc's, Word always asks me if I want to
save that in my NORMAL template. I thought that he was talking
about my normal.dotm file.
But when I close and restart Word, the changes have not been saved.
I could not find normal.dotm, so I tried the advise from
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=831
and also I searched for normal.dotm with Windows Explorer.

Since I am using Windows 7 STARTER, my administrator rights had
been reduced initially. Windows told me that I am an admin but I am not.
I have made the invisible admin account visible, as advised in option 2 of
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html
with an elevated command prompt.
After that, when I logged in as administrator, I still could not find any
version of normal.dotm and I am having the same error still:
I save my style preference, he asks me if I want to save this in the
NORMAL template, and the next doc is again in the font Calibri.

In the Word settings I can find the location where the templates
are supposed to be, but I do not see them there.
I had already clicked the hidden files visible.

Can the Starter version be causing more problems than the normal Windows 7?
Do I need stronger admin rights to " search stronger" for a normal.dotm?
As you might see in another thread, I have also problems with a
javascript on a certain web-site.. Is that related to the same admin rights problem?
But a normal.dotm should be produced by Word, shouldn't it?
Thanks
Fedde

Have you tried creating a blank word document wih the font, margin settings etc, click on the office button (Top left) and choose save as word template?

In my Vista Home Premium computer, normal.dotm is located at C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates.  Substitute your actual username for username.

Hoi Jokerman
I have tried that one, it does not work.

Hoi Soybean
I have been looking there.
Even stronger, my Word says that it should be saved there, but it is not there, even if I click to make hidden files visible.

Anybody better ideas?
Thanks !

Review this; http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100307561033.aspx

[Moderator]

You need to do a search on your system. Normal.dot is created each time Word opens if the previous version is not found. Read this:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HP011210281033.aspx

[Moderator]

Oops - that's essentially the same link Soybean posted - sorry.

Hoi Allan and Soybean
The link that you are refering to is about Word 2003.
I am talking about Word 2007. The normal.dot thing is very
different there.
Still, all links that I found on the web about the
2007 normal.dot normal.dotx and normal.dotm write
that word makes it himself if it is not there.
And that is NOT TRUE on my computer.
Not for the admin, not for the user.

So my question is: Is that because of the OS which is
Windows 7 STARTER,
which is lighter than Windows 7 other versions.
Thanks!

[Moderator]

While I wouldn't bet my life on it, I sincerely doubt that the OS is to blame. Word needs a normal.dot template to operate - well, normally. Are ANY other templates in the default folder (are you looking in Options - Advanced - General - File Locations - User Templates)?

Hoi Allan
You are precisely showing my thoughts and my feelings.
Precisely where you describe, it refers to the usual path
...roaming / microsoft / templates
And  in that directory there is NO document with the
name normal
or extensions .dot .dotm .dotx

Everytime when I use Word, the documents are as if
Word comes from the factory:
Calibri 11, big distance between the lines etc.

Several times I have saved myself there a
normal.dot
normal.dotm
normal.dotx
But when I open Word again, it shows again the
factory settings Calibri 11, big line distance.

For an unknown reason, it happened once that
I close word and reopened it, and the doc2
had "my" settings. But when I swithced the computer
on and off, Word was not using my self made normal file
and I was back to the factory setttings of Calibri 11.

Hoi Allan and Soybean
The link that you are refering to is about Word 2003.

Allan's link refers to Word 2003; mine refers to Word 2007.

I had this exact same problem in Windows 7, but finally fixed it. First you must go into settings and change the setting to show hidden files and folders. Then you will be able to find your User/Roaming folder, where Microsoft has cleverly hidden the Normal template. I had to use Save As Template, instead of Save, which presumably just saves it as Doc1, the default. Good luck to all Windows 7 users! This must be affecting millions of people...

Good luck to all Windows 7 users! This must be affecting millions of people...

Same thing could happen with Windows Vista or Windows XP.  It's more an Office issue than a Windows issue.

By the way, this disccusion is over 4 months old.