In a previous tip, I showed you how to create a new global template in the event that Word would not start. However, if Word launches fine but crashes or freezes when you attempt to perform certain functions, the global template is likely not the culprit. The culprit is likely a corrupt data key within the registry.

To resolve the problem, you will need to delete the Data folder within the registry as outlined below.

1. If Word is open, close the application.
2. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Office \ 10.0 \ Word.
3. Delete the Data folder and exit the Registry Editor.
4. Open Word.

When you open Word, it will look for the Data folder in the registry. If it cannot locate it, Word will recreate it.