simple quesiton for MS Word 97

[bullwinkle8]

I know this is a bit out of date, but so am I.  I'm trying to change the default parameters on the document you receive when you boot up Word 97.  DOC1 is the name, but changing that does nothing to affect the default settings.

Anyone know this answer?


Thanks

[Peccavi]

I wish I could understand the problem...More details please...

[bullwinkle8]

OK - when you boot up MS Word you get a blank sheet of paper.  The paper is formatted, font, margins, etc.  I want to change those parameters instead of having to manually change them every time I want to begin a new document.

The name of this blank document is doc1 but changing that makes no difference for when you run it again, you are back to the old settings.

How to change it permanently?

[Peccavi]

Choose Stlye and Formating...(7-th from above in drop down menu) from Format(5-th from left) menu. On the right of your page so called pane will be opened. Choose Create Style from there and give your preferred parameters to that style. Give it name and check two boxes at the bottom of your page.Click ok.
When you open Word you'll have again default style and all you need to do is choose your own style from drop down list and you'll get your parameters..

ps: there may be some name errors above , i transalte it from another language. I have Office in Not english so i wrote places in numbers

[Michael]

If you want the new blank document to load as you set everytime it starts, create a template for your purpose.
Type "template" in Help and you'll get the answer.

[Rob Pomeroy]

Or try this way:

The settings and the blank document are all based on a special template, called "Normal.dot".  You will find that in (usually) C:\Program files\Microsoft Office\Templates.  Or it may be in your Windows profile: C:Windows\Profiles\your name\Application Data\Microsoft... etc.  If you can't find it, just do a search for "Normal.dot" in Explorer.

Once you've found it, you can open it in Word.  Don't double-click it - that will simply create a new document based on the template.  To change the template itself, either use the File->Open menu option in Word (choose Document Templates from the "files of type" dropdown) or find the file in Windows Explorer, right-click it and choose Open (rather than New).

Make any changes you like to the Normal.dot template and then save it.  You're done.

Edited to amend some typos.

[soybean]

Do what robpomeroy said.

[bullwinkle8]

Robpomeroy's answer worked!

Thanks to everyone who offered to help.

[Michael]

Make sure you know how to create templates for other purposes and not always amending the same default template.