I am using Windows 98 and Word 2000. Each time I save a file in Word I get the message ‘This file is in use by another application or user C:WINDOWS…TEMPLATENORMAL.DOT’. I click OK and get a Save As screen containing the Normal.dot Word file. If I then click Save it says it is a Read Only file and will not let me save. If I click Cancel then I get a blank (grey) Word screen. Finally, if I Close this I then get the message ‘Changes have been made which affect the normal template, Normal.dot. Do you want to save?’ I click ‘No’ and at last the document is saved. Is this normal? It seems to be as I had the same problem with Word 2000 with Windows 95 on another computer, but it is an annoying exercise to go through.

As with my response to Kay’s problem I suggest that you make Word create a clean copy of Normal.dot and then do a scan for any Word Macro viruses. If the problem still persists, a third possibility is if you are using Microsoft Outlook and have chosen to use Microsoft Word as your email editor. If this is the case, try closing Microsoft Outlook to see if the problem persists. These are the most common reasons for your problem to occur. As I mentioned to Kay, try reinstalling Word and see if that makes a difference. If your problem does not go away, please contact me again and I will investigate your problem further. And as always, if any other readers have any suggestions, please send them in.