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I am using Microsoft Project 2003 at my workplace. My version is supposed to be the same as my boss’s version but I do not have the top line menu items (File Edit View Insert Format Tools Table Window Help). Why is this so?

While both computers may have the same software version, it’s not uncommon for different users to have made different adjustments to the interface. This is true of any software offering any level of customization.

Disappearing Menu Bar

The File | Edit | View | Insert | Format | Tools | Table | Window | Help display that you are referring to is called the “menu bar.” When the menu bar disappears, it’s extremely difficult to work unless you know all of the keyboard shortcuts for your favorite commands. Fortunately, restoring the menu bar is relatively easy.

Full Screen Mode

The first thing to check is to see whether you are running Project in full screen mode or not. Full screen mode automatically removes the toolbars and menu bar so that more of your document is visible on the screen. To switch to regular mode, press Alt + V and then press U.

Checking the Toolbar Settings

First, if you have any toolbar showing in the upper screen at all, right-click a blank area of one of the toolbars. Does a submenu come up? Does it have a line that says “menu bar?” If so, click the menu bar line to enable its reappearance. This works in many programs including Internet Explorer. This technique is useful whenever you suspect that a toolbar is missing from any number of software products.

Using the View Menu Command to Restore the Menu Bar

Press the Alt + V keys which will open up the View Menu command. Now, press T to display the Toolbar menu.

Resetting Menu Bar                  

Another option is to try resetting your toolbars to the default setting. To do this, press Alt + T + C. This opens the Customize Toolbars command. Here you can select the menu bar and choose “reset.” This should replace your missing menus.

In a table, what is the alignment?

Tables as a Design Element

Whether you’re working with tables in Microsoft Word, Excel, or even a Web page, the table’s layout is a key design consideration. In fact, many Web pages are plotted out in tables rather than one solid block where the text and images fall wherever they may. Tables, which are like configurable grids, allow the designer to accurately place each of the elements on the page and control its alignment. Without tables, text, photos, and other elements are harder to control.

Using Tables to Align Text or Numbers

Just as you can center, justify, indent, align, and manipulate text in a regular document, so too can you do the same in tables. For example, if you were to create a table in Microsoft Word and wanted all of your text in column 1 aligned left, you would simply enter your text, highlight the column and then click the left alignment icon in Word’s toolbar. This works for single cells, columns, and rows.

In addition, you can align the entire column within your page through the Table Properties dialog box. Go into Table Properties by right-clicking the small table symbol (it looks like a plus sign) and choosing Table Properties. Once inside this dialog box, choose the alignment that meets your needs.

In Excel, the entire workbook is like one giant table. To adjust the alignment, simply highlight the cells that you want to align and then click the desired alignment icon on the toolbar. Excel offers even more table alignment options. For example, if you to Tools >Format Cells (or click the Alignment icon in the Home tab of Excel 2007) and then go to the Alignment tab, you can choose from both horizontal and vertical alignment types as well as rotate the text 180 degrees.

I can’t take off a line such as “- - - -” between text. I created it by putting a series of dashes and then pressing enter. It will not delete. I have tried highlighting it and deleting it. It does not work. I even tried copying my text and opening a new document but the line appears in the new document as well. Software is Microsoft Word 2003.

Word’s AutoFormat Tool

Okay, I feel your pain. What you are seeing in action is Word’s AutoFormat feature. When enabled, a series of dashes followed by pressing the Enter key automatically become a Word border. If you act quickly, you can undo this change by either pressing the little lightning bolt symbol that appears and then choosing Undo Border Line.

But as you discovered, if you don’t act quickly, removing this border line becomes an exercise in frustration. In fact, the first thing that I did when starting this article was type in a series of dashes and press Enter. I, too, have an annoying border line that is stubbornly refusing to go away.

Unlike a line inserted using drawing tools, you can’t simply click the line and then press the Delete key. Plus, you can’t even simply copy and paste your text elsewhere because the line follows you.

Steps for Removing the Page Border

In Word 2003, try placing your cursor just above the line and then go to the Format > Borders and Shadings menu. Choose None. You may need to highlight the line first or choose Control + A for selecting all text.

In 2007, the steps are different. Word 2007 users need to go to Page Layout and click the Page Borders icon. From there, click the Borders tab and choose None. Since I have Word 2007, I used these steps. After much fiddling, the pesky line finally disappeared.

If your first few efforts don’t work, keep trying. My line finally disappeared when I placed the cursor at the end of the text just preceding the line.

Preventing Future AutoFormat Lines from Appearing

If you want to prevent future lines from appearing, you can turn off AutoFormat borders as you type option. Go to Tools > Auto Correct> AutoFormat as you type. Find the “Apply as you type” section and remove the checkmark for border lines.

I recently installed a free trial of Microsoft Office Professional 2007. It expired so I tried to uninstall it without success. I used an uninstaller to uninstall it, which it did. Now that I have I a disc to install Microsoft Word onto my computer, it is saying I still have Word on my computer!

Microsoft Office is finicky about installing when the computer has another version of it lurking in the background. Since you’ve already uninstalled the trial version of Office Professional, I’m wondering if your computer might not have another trial version installed on it. For example, many computer manufacturers preinstall the trial version of the Home and Student version of Office 2007. Another possibility is that the uninstall somehow failed. Let’s take a look in the Add & Remove Programs (Programs and Features in Vista) section to see if we can find any versions of Office that may have been overlooked.

Add and Remove Programs

Go to Start > Control Panel and find either Add and Remove Programs or Programs and Features (depending on your operating system). Scroll through the list to make sure that no instances of Microsoft Office are installed. If any are, remove them. If you do find a version of Office on your computer and remove it, you should now be able to load the new version from your Microsoft Office disc.

Manual MS Office Removal Steps

On the other hand, if Add and Remove programs didn’t show any additional copies of Office or didn’t work, the next step is to try a manual workaround. The uninstaller program that you used should have completely uninstalled Office but it appears that something has been left behind and is tricking the new installation program into thinking that Microsoft Word is still on your computer. Since it sounds like original trial version was partially uninstalled, you may have a leftover file in an installation folder or the Windows registry.

Manually removing Microsoft Office is a complex process involving:

• Removing Microsoft Office installer packages
• Stopping the Office Source Engine service
• Removing Microsoft Office installation folders
• Removing Microsoft Office installation files
• Removing registry subkeys for Microsoft Office

Fortunately, Microsoft provides a step-by-step knowledge base article detailing these steps. Read Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 928218 and follow the steps. Restart the computer and try installing your copy of Office from CD. It should work now that all of the leftover installation files have been removed.

When I try to update my laptop, I get a message saying I don’t have Microsoft Office SP3. I thought I downloaded a pack recently but it still comes up with the same message.

MS Office Updates

Depending on your computer’s operating system and version of Office that you are using, the update process varies slightly. For example, Windows Vista users can update their Office 2007, 2003, and XP products through the regular Windows Update process. Currently, Office 2007 is in SP1 phase while Office 2003 has an SP3 update, so I assume you are using Office 2003.

Missing Office Service Pack 3 Update

If you did recently update Office to SP3, the update may not have worked properly which could generate this error. Likewise, if you’ve performed a System Restore, you may have restored the laptop to a time prior to applying the update. Either way, the update service is not detecting the service pack.

In addition, depending on how you have Windows Update configured, the update may have been downloaded but not yet installed.

Reinstalling the Office Service Pack

First, check in the Control Panel for the Windows Update icon. Click it and see if any updates are waiting for you to install them. Before clicking the Install Updates icon, click the View Available Updates link if it is present. This will show you additional updates that are ready to be installed. If Office Service Pack 3 is present, place a check mark in the box and install it.

Downloading the Office Service Pack

Depending on which version of Office you are using and your operating system, you have several options. When updates fail through the Windows Update service, you can go directly to the Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 download site and do yourself. However, you may be prompted to insert your original Office CD. If you do not have the CD handy, Microsoft provides a workaround for it.

Microsoft Office Online also offers Office updates for Office versions dating all the way back to Office 97.

Try reinstalling the service pack. If you suspect a failed service pack installation, you may not be able to easily remove it. For example, the Windows 2003 SP3 update requires removing Office 2003 and then reinstalling it from the original CD. If you want to try a clean install, use Add and Remove Programs and remove Office 2003. From there, you will need to use your Office CD to reinstall it before trying once again to update it.

If you have a text with various line spacing in Microsoft Word, how do you make all lines single space?

Adjusting Line and Paragraph Spacing in MS Word

Many publishers require specific line and paragraph spacing, making it necessary to change the settings to meet these requirements. In addition, when cutting and pasting text into a document, the formatting from the source is often copied with the text which results in uneven line spacing. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to change a document’s line spacing.

Microsoft Word 2007’s Paragraph and Line Spacing Feature

Microsoft Word is a word processor that offers numerous features for formatting your documents including line and paragraph spacing. Depending on which version of Word you have, the process may vary slightly. In Word 2007, highlight the text, go to the Home tab and look in the center section of it. See the block labeled “Paragraph”? Click the small square shape in the lower corner of the Paragraph block. This will launch the Paragraph dialog box. From there, go to the Spacing section and click on the Line Spacing text box. The down arrow lists several popular line spacing options. In this case, select Single.

While you’re at it, also check to make sure that the Before and After text boxes contain a value of “0 pt.” This is because even if you have single spacing selected, if either of these boxes have a value above “0 pt,” Word will put that amount of space between paragraphs, giving the illusion of additional line spacing.

Microsoft Word 2003’s Paragraph and Line Spacing Feature

In Word 2003, the process is a bit different. Highlight the text, click on Format > Paragraph > Indents and Spacing. This will open the Paragraph dialog box. From there, go to the Spacing section and click on the Line Spacing text box. The down arrow lists several popular line spacing options. In this case, select Single.

While you’re at it, also check to make sure that the Before and After text boxes contain a value of “0 pt.” This is because even if you have single spacing selected, if either of these boxes have a value above “0 pt,” Word will put that amount of space between paragraphs, giving the illusion of additional line spacing.

Using the Formatting Toolbar to Adjust Line Spacing

If you have the Formatting toolbar displayed, a quick shortcut is to click on the Line Spacing icon. The icon has two vertical arrows on its side and horizontal lines going across. From there, a submenu with line spacing choices appears. In this case, choose the number “1″ which will make your lines single spaced. If you need double spacing, you’d choose a value of “2.” Click the Line Spacing Options link if you want to adjust the Before and After values as described above.