A better method is more complex. The problem with your method is that it
will not allow for an individual to customize his or her own Word
configuration without becoming a Word expert. The method you describe is
better than having all users share a single file.

To me, a preferred method would be to have one or more global templates that
hold customizations other than styles and to put styles in document
templates in a workgroup templates folder. Styles should be different in
different uses. For instance, briefs, pleadings, and letters can all use
different formatting to serve the same purposes. When text is copied from
one of these to a different one it will assume the appropriate formatting.
For most routine work, I base a new document not on a blank page, but on a
document template that already has formatting and text appropriate to the
new document. I use the blank page primarily as a scratch pad.

It is also possible to have a global template other than normal.dot hold
styles, but this is not as simple.
http://addbalance.com/word/stylesheet.htm.

See http://addbalance.com/word/movetotemplate.htm for step-by-step
instructions on moving / sharing / copying / backing-up customizations
including AutoText, AutoCorrect, keyboard assignments, toolbars, macros,
etc.

For more on the different kinds of templates, tabs on the file new dialog,
and locations of templates folders see
http://addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/ which is awesome!
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"Jacqueline" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have been involved in several discussions regarding this recently and
would like to try and clear this up. My firm hold the normal.dot (and
all other templates) in a central templates folder on our network.
Each user has a copy on their C drive which updates every day when they
log on. This means if the network crashes they can still work with
their template(s). Normal.dot contains all of our macros, styles,
autotexts etc. When I update I simply update the master version and
this is replicated to each pc. This means if a user's normal.dot gets
damaged it can be copied from the master, and if something goes wrong
with the master I can copy my (or someone else's c drive version).

This seems to work well but everything I read tells me we shouldn't use
normal.dot as our blank document - can anyone tell me a good reason
why we should change?

thanks