BleepingComputer.com: MSWORD2000 open program problem

I'm still more or less happy with MSWORD2000 (I know I am a dinosaur). I have exactly the same problem I saw posted in a PCTech archive with no response. Every time I open Word I get this strange error message. It occurs in a box called Natural Word. I can click on the OK button and get through it, but it is annoying. The description is as follows:

Unable to change to the required directory. Error opening registry key.

I run Windows XP Home updated to SP3 on my Toshiba satellite laptop. 1 GB RAM, 2.5 GHz P4 Intel processor.

I think Natural Language may be some kind of AI program connected with the Microsoft Word grammar checker, which I do not use. But I'm speculating.

My bet is I have something screwy in the registry. I don't want to muck about with it unless someone can tell me how to fix this.

Thanks very much. You guys have been great in the past!

Hi Joe.

Quote

In a quick search, closest thing that came up first is this program, which functions as a word AI.
If "whatever" it is functions as a word AI, seems to me removing the AI from word would be the simplest fix if you do not want it to begin with. Look in the word startup folder or see this article.

Hi HitSquad!

I tried to remove the program you suggested, but I don't seem to have it on my computer. I tried to download it, both a version 1.0 and a v..96 thinking I might use the uninstaller if it existed to remove any fragments still on my computer. But every time I tried that I got a 404 error. I'm not certain that company still exists.

However, there is something I missed. I still have a pull-down menu in Word 2000 that says Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS). I had once installed DNS, but uninstalled it because it took up too much RAM. I had used the Windows uninstaller. So I went to the DNS website and used their uninstaller. No effect on the menu.

When I click on the DNS menu I get one line which says "Use Natural Word." There are Users, Tools and Help options that are all grayed out. I click on Use Natural Word and get the same error message I get when I start up Word, as in my first post. The other thing that happens when I click on the DNS menu is that I get a DNS box which says Dragon Naturally Speaking with Natural Word. In the box it says versions of DNS and Natural Word are unavailable. It also states that the DNS word processor is different from the Natural Word module and users should first become familiar with the DNS word processor before using this Natural Word thing. I also get a Visual Basic error, Run Time error 53. File not found: w97comp.dll. Indeed I cannot find that file anywhere on my laptop and I have looked in hidden files and whatnot.

All of this makes me think that old installation of DNS somehow altered Word 2000 in various ways (like prserving the non-working DNS menu) which the uninstallers failed to fix. I have gone through all the Knowledge Base articles on the DNS website and they did not help. Their email tech service is very expensive so I don't want to go down that road.

My bet is that the DNS installation changed some things in my registry, but I don't know how to proceed from there. I'm a bit scared of RegEdit but if you guys have some suggestions about what to look for in the registry, I could try that.
Best,
Joe