WD97: Attached Template Changes to Normal After Saving Document (173621)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q173621

SYMPTOMS

When you save a document in a file format other than "Word Document (*.doc)," the document may lose its association with the template it was created from. When you reopen the document, it may be attached to the global template (Normal.dot).

NOTE: This problem occurs with documents that are created from any template other than Normal.dot.

CAUSE

When you save your document in a different format, for example "Text Only (*.txt)," the document is saved as text, but this format is still based on the Word 97 template (Normal.dot).

MORE INFORMATION

The following table lists whether the attached template for your document stays the same or is changed to Normal.dot when you reopen your document, after you save it in a different format. 
   Save as type                                      Attached template
   --------------------------------------------------------------------
   Word Document (*.doc)                             Same
   Text Only (*.txt)                                 Normal.dot
   Text Only with Line Breaks (*.txt)                Normal.dot
   MS-DOS Text (*.txt)                               Normal.dot
   MS-DOS Text with Line Breaks (*.txt)              Normal.dot
   Rich Text Format (*.rtf)                          Same
   Unicode Text (*.txt)                              Normal.dot
   MS-DOS Text with Layout (*.asc)                   Normal.dot
   Text with Layout (*.ans)                          Normal.dot
   Windows Write (*.wri)                             Normal.dot
   Windows Write (*.wri)                             Normal.dot
   Word 3.x-5.x for MS-DOS (*.doc)                   Normal.dot
   Word 6.0 for MS-DOS (*.doc)                       Normal.dot
   RFT-DCA (*.rft)                                   Normal.dot
   WordStar 7.0 (*.ws7)                              Normal.dot
   WordStar 4.0 (*.ws4)                              Normal.dot
   Ami Pro 3.0 (*.sam)                               Normal.dot
   Word 2.x for Windows (*.doc)                      Same
   Word 4.0 for Macintosh (*.mcw)                    Normal.dot
   Word 5.0 for Macintosh (*.mcw)                    Normal.dot
   Word 5.1 for Macintosh (*.mcw)                    Normal.dot
   Word 6.0/95 (*.doc) (See Note 1 below)            Same
   Word 6.0/95 (*.doc) (See Note 2 below)            Normal.dot
   WordPerfect 5.0 (*.doc)                           Normal.dot
   WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS (*.doc)                   Normal.dot
   WordPerfect 5.x for Windows (*.doc)               Normal.dot
   WordPerfect 5.1 or 5.2 Secondary File (*.doc)     Normal.dot
   WordPerfect 5.0 Secondary File (*.doc)            Normal.dot
   Works 3.0 for Windows (*.wps)                     Normal.dot
   Works 4.0 for Windows (*.wps)                     Normal.dot
   HTML Document (*.html; *.htm; *.htx)              Same
Note 1: This "Word 6.0/95 (*.doc)" converter was shipped with the initial release of Word 97. This is not the converter that shipped With Microsoft Word 97 Service Release 1 (SR-1). This converter actually saves your document in Rich Text Format (RTF), but with the *.doc file name extension.

Note 2: This "Word 6.0/95 (*.doc)" converter shipped with Microsoft Word 97 SR-1. This converter saves your document in the native (binary) Word 6.0/95 format, which is different than the format Word 97 uses.

For information about how to obtain the converter mentioned above, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

183070 WD: Embedded OLE Objects Are Changed to Pictures After Save As

212265 WD: Additional Text Converters and Image Filters Available in Microsoft Office Converter Pack

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Office 97 Service Release 2 (SR-2).

For additional information about SR-2, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

151261 OFF97: How to Obtain and Install MS Office 97 SR-2

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:9/22/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbbug kbtemplate KB173621
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