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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.

I am having a problem getting Adobe Flash on my mini lap top model no E70001A0. It says it’s downloaded, but when I click on to open nothing happens.

The two things that come to mind when you have this kind of a problem is that you either have an incomplete installation that is not allowing it to run properly or be downloaded again completely, or you have a permissions issue. Let’s take each scenario one step at a time.

Adobe Uninstaller

If you have tried unsuccessfully to download the program in the past, you may have pieces of it left on your system. First, go to Add/Remove Programs in your computer and manually remove anything that is associated with the Adobe Flash Player. Next, you need to use the Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller that can be found by clicking on the link. Download the Uninstaller, quit all open applications (this is important), and run the uninstaller on your system. Once it has been completely removed, you can go to the website and do a clean Adobe Flash Player installation.

Some mini laptops run Linux, so make sure you are choosing the right operating system when you download the new version. On the Flash Player page, just click on “Different Operating System or Browser” and use the arrow to indicate what operating system you are using.

Security Issues

It’s possible that you aren’t being allowed to download Flash Player because your security settings are too high. If you are using Internet Explorer, get into Internet Explorer and go to Tools and then Internet Options. Find the Security tab and then Custom Level. Find the ActiveX Controls and Plug Ins. Set “Download Signed ActiveX Controls” to Prompt. Also set “Run ActiveX Controls and Plug Ins” to Prompt. Make sure your security settings aren’t on the highest level. If you are running a third party security system, make sure those settings will allow the download.

Permission Issue

You may also have a permissions issue or a damaged registry. There is a Microsoft download that will fix these issues. Follow the link to find SubInACL step by step instructions and a download link to Microsoft.

If you are still having problems, let us know the make and model of your laptop and what operating system and error messages you are getting and we can try to help you further.

My printer prints fine except from word works Microsoft. It used to work about a year ago now it empties queue but prints a blank paper please help

Since you can print from other applications, the problem is most likely with the program that you are using and not the printer. Try the first set of directions first, move on to the next two, and then if all else fails, use the final set of directions.

Run the Repair Option

If you still have the installation disk for the computer, then you can reinstall Microsoft Works. Use the disk to select and run the repair option. That should make a difference and you should be able to print now. Repairing the program will not cause you to lose your saved work. If this hasn’t worked, don’t lose hope as more than one problem might be creating this scenario so just try the next option.

Update the Printer Drivers

Quite a few printing problems are readily solved simply by updating the printer drivers. Visit the website for the manufacturer of your printer and search for the latest drivers using the model number of the printer. Download and install any updated drivers. Typically, updated drivers include improvements that simplify and reduce the potential for problems or printing errors.

Reduce the Resolution Setting

Sometimes this type of problem can be resolved by reducing the resolution setting for the printer. Follow these directions to decrease the resolution setting on your printer:

1)      Select “File” in the menu of the document that you are trying to print.

2)      Select “Print.”

3)      In the print dialog box, make sure that the printer you are trying to use is selected in the “Name” box and click “Properties.”

4)      Select the tab for “Graphics.”

5)      Look for the “Resolution” box and select a lower resolution setting.

6)      Select “ok.”

7)      Now select or place a check in the box for “Draft quality printing” and click “ok.”

8)      Print the document.

Reinstall Microsoft Works

If none of the above solutions have worked for you, then you will probably need to reinstall Microsoft Works. Save your work on a USB drive or CD so that you don’t lose it when you reinstall the program.

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.