I have a Dell computer about 5 yrs old. We have Microsoft Word 2000. We have been able to use it up to two days ago. Two days ago we started getting error messages when we tried to open the program or open a file created with it. The error messages said that Word could not open because of lack of memory, etc. and there was another message that said "Winword has caused an error in USER.EXE". What does all this mean? How do we fix the problem? On a deadline, this is crucial. Thanks in advance.
If you have any other questions that would help you if I answered them, I'll answer them in Additional Details.
2006-08-26 04:30:35 · 4 answers · asked by MakeBelieve. All you want. 4 in Computers & Internet ➔ Software
*A friend sent me something about the normal.dot thing. I don't quite understand it so I'll check that out.
*No other programs are listed on the taskbar. We were also wondering if maybe there could be a document that's been open in Word, without us knowing it? Is that possible?
*If we need more RAM how would we go about that?
2006-08-26 04:41:17 · update #1
*We haven't found a cd with it on there. We're kind of doubting we had on to begin with.
2006-08-26 04:43:07 · update #2
*It says we've used a third of our memory. How this works out to not be enough memory to run a program I have no idea.
2006-08-26 05:11:55 · update #3
Try this solution from Microsoft. They say it may have something to do with the normal.dot file. The link below has a step by step instructions to fix it:
2006-08-26 04:38:11 · answer #1 · answered by Skepticalist 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Memory shortage means you need more RAM; check with someone who knows your type of computer to figure out what type and how much. You need to make sure the memory you get is compatible with your computer--new chips probably won't be; you may have to poke around on craigslist or ebay. The good news is that upgrade memory will probably be cheap.
Find out what programs are always running in the background, and shut down anything you don't need. If you've got antivirus software, stop it *when you're not online* and that kind of thing.
You can also try getting rid of files that may be taking up so much hard drive memory, and then de-fragging your hard drive. Sometimes that helps. Clear your recycle bin, get rid of any large files you don't need (multiple copies of photos, or videos that could go on a disc instead of your hard drive, or a large set of MP3s), and run defrag.
That might work short-term, and clear enough memory for WinWord to run smoothly for a while. (Because when Windows runs out of RAM, it starts using the hard drive as temp memory.) But this sounds like a hardware-upgrade problem.
You can contact me for more info, but I'm not much of a computer geek. Mainly I could try to find friends who could explain it better, and maybe find websites that have a walkthrough for whatever specific procedures you need help with.
Secondary note: you may have to re-install Word. Don't do that until you've tried several other options, though.
2006-08-26 11:58:08 · answer #2 · answered by Elfwreck 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you open word 2000, do you have other applications running on your pc at the same time? It sounds like you are low in ram (memory) and unable to open the application or you are running out of disk space and the application needs space on your drive in order to load up the app.
2006-08-26 11:38:31 · answer #3 · answered by Grasshopper 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have the CD with the Microsoft Word 2000? If you do then re-install it. If the problem is still there, try going to www.microsoft.com and try to find your answer there. If you still need help then go to a computer technician.
2006-08-26 11:40:25 · answer #4 · answered by ROBERT W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋