html docs keep opening in word...

vibe666

I have a couple of PC's that keep opening html files in word (well almost). basically, when I click on an html document on the local PC or network word opens and I get an error that the file could not be found.

here's the weird bit. if i have a browser window open the html document will open in a new IE window, but as soon as i have no IE windows open and click on an html file it opens (of fails to rather) in word. very odd.

before you ask, my file accociations are correct, and all .html and .htm docs are set to open in IE, not word, so it's not that. I've even tried re-associating them to make sure but it make no difference. google is no help cos every time you put 'html' and 'word' in the same sentence you get millions of crap pages telling you the ins and outs of Word web page design. [shivers]

so, does anyone know what the craic is with this thing? it's driving me nuts and this is the 3rd PC this has started to happen on. it's got nothing installed on it that isnt on 50 or more other PC's which are working fine.

I'm stumped. the MSKB is no help either as far as I can see.

Mercury_Tilt

This post has been deleted.

hostyle

Sounds like you may have HTM docs set to open with IE, but set to edit with word, and that they're going into edit mode my default rather than open mode. Double check your file associations under advanced / edit or whatever.

vibe666

no that's not it either. it's definately some sort of screw up somewhere.

i've checked the default editor (internet options, programs) and although it was set to word before, even if i change it to something else (notepad is the only other option) it still opens web pages in word.

I can't find any settings in Word itself to change, although there's one for default picture editor strangely enough.

I'm guessing that there's some little setting in the registry that just needs pointing to IE rather than word, but I'm buggered if I can find it.

the really weird thing is that if there's a web page already open on the machine and i click on an html page it opens fine in IE.

Seth Brundle

similar to what has been said try associating the file by right clicking on a html file, choose 'open with' and a menu will pop out. Select 'Choose Program'. Shortly a dialog box will open. From this choose Internet Explorer and tick the box at the bottom asking to use this program all the time.
May not help but worth a try.
K.

Capt'n Midnight

IE has program options too - check programs in internet options and chage the default html editor to notepad to see what happens - it's a straw to clutch

Mercury_Tilt

This post has been deleted.

vibe666

Originally posted by Mercury_Tilt
hmmm try looking in word/options/general/web options/files and try unticking the "check if word if" options

it's word 97 (yeah, i know, not my choice though:rolleyes:) so it doesn't have web options in 'options, general'.

Other than that you might want to look at HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and try and mess with the .html "open with" settings in there.

not sure I want to start messing too much in the registry, as aside from this little anoyance this machine is all set up and ready to go out to a user, so I don't want to mess it up now.

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
IE has program options too - check programs in internet options and chage the default html editor to notepad to see what happens - it's a straw to clutch

yep, tried that, but it still opens in word, even with notepad set to edit web pages.

Originally posted by kbannon
similar to what has been said try associating the file by right clicking on a html file, choose 'open with' and a menu will pop out. Select 'Choose Program'.

tried that already, but made no difference.

Where's Colm[OSFT] when you need him.