mitchsc

I have no idea if this is the correct forum for this question. If not, my apologies. I use a freeware backup program called FBackup. http://www.fbackup.com/ I've been using it for years and am quite happy with it. I have created 5 backup jobs for the various folders I choose to send to an external backup drive. There is a tricky series of steps to trigger a "Group Backup" which sequentially runs all 5 backup jobs, then shuts down the PC. Please see screenshot below. I was wondering if it is possible to create some sort of link or shortcut to the menu item that starts the Group Backup. The Group Backup steps are the following: Open FBackup > Right click the FBackup icon in the notification area of the Taskbar > Hover over "Backup Group" > move pointer to the left and click on "Backup My Backup Jobs Group". Thanks for any help or direction on this... Uploaded with ImageShack.us FBackup Group Backup.doc

I shall check it out. Thanks...

I see. I wasn't aware of that. So, if I understand you correctly, you're suggesting that I would be better off keeping open Word docs to a minimum, and closing them between uses to delete temp files? There is one file I use constantly, all day long, and rarely close it during a given day. This is also the large file I was referring to. Perhaps opening, and closing it as needed would solve the Read-Only problem for me. Thank you. This is excellent news!

Hello all. It's been several weeks, and I have gone thru all possible recommendations to solve the Read-Only problem. The bad news: Nothing has completely "solved" the problem. The good news: updating Office 2003 to SP3 helped dramatically. I've noticed that the larger the document, and the more Word docs I have open at the same time, the more likely the Read-Only problem will occur. Here is some unexpected information that may be useful to others. Putting Word 2003 in Compatibility Mode - XP SP3, causes a bizarre problem. With multiple Word documents open at the same time, Saves gradually take longer and longer. I measured up to 6 seconds per save. Rebooting resets the delay. It seems to accumulate over 30-60 minutes of use. I would not recommend putting Word 2003 in Compatibility Mode - XP SP3. It had no positive effect whatsoever on the Read-Only problem. Well, I seem to have run out of options to solve the Read-Only problem, so I guess I'll have to live with it until someone discovers a solution. Based on the forums I've read, this problem has been going on for years with every version of Word and Windows. People have been quite upset with Microsoft for not addressing it. Thanks to all for your support and kind assistance... MSC

Thank you all...

Thank you GL. Not mentioned previously. I shall give it a try... I have no add-ins. Can you elaborate on "Checking the paths for template"? Regarding Normal.dot I cannot change my default formats the conventional way. I have to do it within the Normal.dot template. Is that any indication of a problem with that Template that could be related to the Read-Only issue? This is another Word issue that many people seem to have. I know that deleting Normal.dot should create a new one upon reopening Word. Deleting this template won't affect any saved preexisting documents will it? MSC

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try that sequence. I cannot find any articles from Microsoft suggesting 1) Unchecking “Allow Background Saves” 2) Unchecking “Save Auto-Recover info” to solve the Read-Only problem. It may not have been KB articles. I seem to remember at least 2 forums where this was suggested by a Microsoft support engineer. I know that people's personal experience and suggestions may not always be accurate, but here are 2 forums where several people have indicated these 2 changes to solve the Read-Only problem have worked for them. http://help.lockergnome.com/office/Word-2007-randomly-makes-doc-working-read--ftopict951118.html (LOL: Now I can't find the 2nd forum, but you get the idea)

I actually did that last week. There are 4 updates beyond SP-3. 2 of them relate to Office 2003, but nothing to do with this issue (KB2543854 and KB907417). The other 2 are Outlook updates (KB2760582 and KB2760754). KB907417 actually increases the possibility of crashes in Office 2003. So I did not include these in the update. Again, I really must thank you for sticking with me on this. I really appreciate all the time you've spent. The only thing left that I can think of, is the Compatibility Mode. Just an observation (that I think I may have already mentioned somewhere in all of this): I can't remember the Read-Only flip occurring in anything but large Word documents. The 1st one that happened over and over was 40 pages. Today, in a different document, it was 37 pages. It's possible that it's happened in smaller documents, but I can't say for sure at this point. Microsoft recommends doing 2 things to fix this problem. They didn't work for me (or others) in the past, but that was before my update to SP-3. 1) Unchecking “Allow Background Saves” 2) Unchecking “Save Auto-Recover info” Your thoughts on any of this?

So much for my 110% certainty. I just got a Read-Only "flip" on a Word 2003 SP-3 document. Things are much better than before the SP-3 update, however. Now I'll try putting Word back in Compatibility Mode for XP SP-3, and see what happens. Stay tuned...

Update: Sorry for the delay. This Read-Only problem is now so intermittent that I had to give it some time, and try a few different combinations. This is what I have learned. 1) Running Word 2003 (no Service Pack) in XP SP-3 Compatibility Mode greatly improved the problem, but did not eliminate it. 2) Running Word 2003 SP-3 (not in Compatibility Mode) "may" have SOLVED the problem. Still need to give this one some time, but it's looking good. 3) Running Word 2003 SP-3 in XP SP-3 Compatibility Mode made no difference over bullet #2 above. As an aside, I did notice that running Word 2003 in XP SP-3 Compatibility Mode "seemed" to cause a several second delay when jumping between open Word documents. Quite annoying, So as of now, Compatibility mode is off, and I'm running Word SP-3. So far so very very good, but not 110% certain I have a solution. Thank you SO MUCH submix for this suggestion!!! It is clearly the best yet, and hopefully the end of this Read-Only problem for me. You may have just saved me thousands in therapy costs. Cheers...

Update and Possible Solution! Since this problem never occurred in XP (just started in Windows 7), it occurred to me that Using Compatibility Mode set for XP SP3 may create a friendlier environment for Word . For anyone interested, Procedure: - Right click on Word 2003 shortcut - Compatibility tab - Check: Run Program in Compatibility Mode for: Windows XP SP3 - Apply > OK. It has been over 48 hours since any of my Word documents switched themselves to Read-Only. This is unprecedented for my system. I can usually only do several saves before Read-Only kicks in. I'm cautiously optimistic, but was so encouraged, I just had to post this update. Keeping my fingers crossed.... Thanks again.

I'm back SubMix, and have read all the reference material your provided. Interesting! I went through all the testing and settings, and none of them made any difference. Also, I have no add-ins. This is what I can say with absolute certainty: 1) I did not have this problem with XP and Word 2003 2) It does not occur is Safe Mode (I did 50 saves) 3) After saving a Word doc in Safe mode, the problem can go from every 2-3 saves, to 3-5 days before it happens again. I suppose I could just work in Safe Mode... Thank you so much for giving me all these things to try. Any other thoughts?

WOW! Thank you for all the reference material. I'll have to read thru all this carefully, which may take some time. Will report back. I can answer your questions now though. - Registered and activated - Local location / internal HDD - No Crash. I use CCleaner every day to clear out temp files. - I don't even know what Word Viewer is, so I don't think I have it. - Security and Save settings: (not sure how to insert my screenshots) Security Tab: same as yours + "Make hidden markup visible when opening or saving". Save Tab: It has always been same as yours until today. I just unchecked "Allow background saves" (Per Microsoft for this Read-Only problem) Thank you so much!!!

Thanks SubMix. I hope it is allowed to reference another post in this thread. If not, sorry. Maybe you could take a peek at this other weird problem I'm having in Word 2003. I posted the issue at Again, Thank you...

This is driving me crazy! Word documents switch to Read-Only after several saves in Word 2003. Seems more prevalent in large documents. It gets to the point where it switches after only 2 or 3 saves. I have to copy the entire document to the clipboard, close and reopen the document, paste back everything with it's changes, then save. There is a lot written on this topic, but nothing has worked for me. Microsoft recommends turning off "Allow Background Saves", but that hasn't worked for me or many others. Interestingly, I ran across some obscure comment about opening and saving the document in Safe Mode. I tried it, and to my amazement, the problem disappeared for 5 days. Have done this twice now with same results. Is this a clue? Any ideas about a more permanent solution? Thank you...

Thank you (for both)... SubMix: From what I have read, including MS knowledge base, I "should" be able to change the format from any word doc by using the Default button after the change, which subsequently changes Normal.dot. This works fine on my XP laptop. However, on both of my Win7 PCs, I must navigate directly to the Normal.dot file, and make the changes there. I don't know why. Many other people seem to have this problem as well. Thanks again...

Problem Solved: I just remembered that my Word program does not allow me to change any Formatting from within a Word document by using the Default button after a change is made. I must go into Normal.dot and make the changes there. I still don't know why this is, but it works. It just occurred to me that adding a Toolbar button may be considered a "format" change, so I added it in Normal.dot, and it stuck. Thank you all. I hope this information will be of use to someone else. (PS: I don't see a way to mark this thread as solved.)

Hello All. I'm trying to add the "Find" button to the Standard Toolbar in Word 2003. Used Customize, and dragged in the button from the Edit category. This works fine, and the button is functional and displaying in all Word documents. But if I close Word altogether, when I reopen a Word document, the new Find button is gone. In fact, even rearranging the order of Toolbar buttons using Customize, reverts back to the default order after I close and reopen Word. Haven't been able to find anything on this topic. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks...

Wow!!! SB, you are a genius! At this point I was beginning to think I would never get this figured out. It was the Pathway! The one you gave me led to a Normal.dot file that was NOT Read-Only. Problem Solved! Two curious things: 1) There are 2 other pathways (that I got from articles and other forums) that also lead to a Templates Folder containing Normal.dot, but these are Read-Only. Somehow, they are even linked. If I deleted one, they all disappeared. FYI: The 2 pathways I was using were: OS (C:) > Documents and Settings > <username> > AppData > Roaming > Microsoft > Templates and OS (C:) > Documents and Settings > <username> > Application Data > Microsoft > Templates Someone also suggested the following, but it doesn't show the full pathway including "Users". "The location of the Template folder varies in different Windows versions, so the quickest way to find it is to enter this string in the search or run box in the Start Menu: %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates" 2) I can now change the default settings directly in Normal.dot (thanks to you), but still cannot within a regular Word document by hitting the default button after a format change. ??? All in all, I am thrilled! Can't thank you enough for sticking with me on this. I just hope it doesn't arbitrarily revert to Read-Only in the future. Cheers to you SB...

Got it. Thanks. Sorry, but if you don't mind, I have one more question. Before I got too deep into this, I thought I'd try deleting or renaming Normal.dot and letting Word create a new one (as I've read it does when a new Word document is opened) to see if it's still Read-Only. When I do so, it does not create a new Normal.dot. The Templates folder just remains empty, but Word still works. Everything I've read just says to open a new Word doc to create the new template. Am I missing any steps here?

Thanks Spoiled. Unfortunately, your suggestion is "above my pay grade". Any idea why Normal.dot would be read only? That's not "normal" is it? BTW, I didn't get an email when you replied to my post. Isn't this the correct notification setting: Notification method for replies to topic... Thanks again.

Windows 7 SP1 64 bit. + Office 2003 I used to be able to change default settings in Word using the conventional method, such as Format > Font > select desired settings > Default Yes. Several months ago, Word inexplicably reverted to the factory default formats, and I could no longer change them as above. Since then I've had to format each new document individually. Finally did some research into this, and located the Normal.dot file, thinking I would just set my defaults there. Upon opening Normal.dot, I found it to be Read-Only, so of course it would not allow me to save any changes. I've tried everything I read about. Deleted Normal.dot, and let Word create a new one. Accessed it in Safe Mode, Deleted to Recycle bin and restored. Opened the file properties to ensure the Read-Only wasn't checked. But it keeps coming back as Read-Only. I also accessed the Templates folder from 2 different pathways: Start > Computer > OS (C:) > Documents and Settings > Username > AppData > Roaming > Microsoft > Templates AND: Start > Computer > OS (C:) > Documents and Settings > Username > Application Data > Microsoft > Templates An odd Caveat. During one attempt to delete and restore from Recycle bin, it came up ONCE without being Read-Only. I was able to change the Font default, but before I could configure any other settings, it reverted back to Read-Only. This has been driving me nuts all day, and I can't find much on this Read-Only topic. Can someone please tell me how to get rid of this Read-Only situation. Thanks very much... PS: I'm setting up a new PC, also Win 7 64 bit + Office 2003. Just checked it's Normal.dot file. Also Read-Only. I must be missing something here. No where in my reading did it allude to this file ever being Read-Only.

Well thanks SubMix. That gives me a great starting point. Without realizing it until this moment, I guess I actually have my own "hard" version of a VM. When I want to test something I'm not sure about, I've just popped in a clone of my HDD. If I destroy it, I just re-clone. Take about 10 minutes. But the VM sounds a lot simpler. Also, big news on my end! The slipstream went well, and loaded flawlessly the 1st time. Knocked off hours of update loading, etc. (as you well know). nLite is absolutely awesome! Thanks again for all the help...

Mike- You're obviously a good guy, and I really do appreciate the technical support and suggestions. I also appreciate the advice in regards to having a "thicker skin". I'll give it my full consideration. Back to the topic of VMs. As you may have guessed, I never ever heard of a VM before this forum. It sounds like an excellent and safe tool for testing. It may be straight forward to create one. I haven't looked into the process. I just have a sense that it's something I would rarely use. Of course, not ever having used one, I may be surprised. It's been interesting, and even fun at times working on my computers. But my goal is strictly maintenance and repair. I'm afraid it's too late for me to reach the level of expertise that clearly exists on this forum. Well, now you have me curious. Can you recommend a good site where I can read "accurate" information on VMs and how to create one? I know I can Google it, but I've discovered that half of what I read out there is incorrect. I'm going to burn that CD right now and see whether it loads. Yikes !!! Thanks again... M

Thank you -X-. I never intended for you to take the time to test the scenario. That was really very gracious. Also saved me a couple hours of recreating the ISO. THANKS! And Mike, thank you for all the suggestions. The technical advice was very useful. I appreciate your point of view in regards to certain responses I have received. I would propose that it took more effort to chastise me for being a "newbie" then it would have to just have answered the question. If that was intolerable for certain people, then I would again propose, just don't respond. I'm sorry, but there is no explanation I would find acceptable for being rude and disrespectful. I like to think that we live in a civilized society. I would also like to think that that includes cyber space. There are others on this forum, such as yourself and -X-, that have been kind and helpful. For that I am grateful. I have learned a great deal, and that is always of value. I will never be a computer expert, nor is that my goal. I am trying to create one CD for one PC (not my primary). It would actually take me less time to recreate the ISO from scratch, than to set up a virtual machine. Please don't misunderstand, I do appreciate the helpful suggestions tonight, and I'm not trying to be sarcastic. It's not my style. But if non-expert visitors to this forum are such a nuisance, perhaps there should be a large warning on the home page, that "this forum is for advanced users only". Seriously. I regret that this issue has resurfaced. I have tried to put it behind me. I think I have figured out the basics of nLite, again through the kind assistance of certain experts on this forum, so I will try not to visit often, if at all. Again, than you very much... Sincerely, M