Windows NT File Manager: Run .DOC File Does Not Open Document

• Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0
• Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1

SYMPTOMS

When you run a .DOC file from Windows NT File Manager (for example, double- click on a .DOC filename) Word 6.0 for Windows starts but does not load the .DOC file.

If you run a .DOC file while Word is already running, the document is opened in Word.

STATUS

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use the following steps to modify the .DOC file association:

1. Start Windows NT File Manager.

2. From the File menu, choose Associate.

3. Select .DOC from the "Files with Extension" option.

4. Choose Change Type.

5. The Command option in the Change File Type window will read something like:

         C:\WINWORD\WINWORD.EXE /w
   

   Add a "%1" (without the quotation marks) just before the "/w" so that it looks like the following example:

         C:\WINWORD\WINWORD.EXE %1 /w
   

6. Choose OK and then choose Close.

MORE INFORMATION

Under Windows, if Word is not running when you run a .DOC file, Word starts and then a DDE command is sent to Word instructing it to open the file.

Under Windows NT, the DDE command is sent to Word only if Word is already running. Adding the %1 to the command line, instructs Windows NT to include the name of the document inside the instruction that starts Word. Using this, Word opens the document.

If Word is already running, Windows NT correctly uses the DDE instruction to instruct Word to open the document.