Post by Ivan Walsh. Follow me on Twitter.

Last week we showed you how Bullet Lists can crash MS Word. We outlined some techniques to reduce the file size, mostly by creating pre-formatted bullet lists in advance. But what happens if you’re given a User Guide that’s already bloated to massive proportions. It’s too late to create new styles at this stage.

Here’s what to do.

1. Open the User Guide in Microsoft Word.

2. Cut and paste every graphic from the file into an image-editing tool, such as Snagit.

Create a naming convention, (e.g. Page1-A.gif, Page1-B.gif etc) and name each graphic using the same naming convention.

WARNING: DON’T SAVE THE FILE YET!

3. In Word, select File, Save As HTML.

Name the file with an HTML extension, e.g. Proposal.html and then close Word.

4. Re-open Word. Select File, Open and select the Proposal.html file.

5. Select File, Save As and save Proposal.html with a .doc extension, e.g. Proposal.doc.

TIP: This process of converting the Microsoft Word file into HTML and back into Word, removes unnecessary (i.e. corrupt) code in the file and will significantly reduce the file size.

6. Insert the graphic back in the correct order.

I’ve seen Word files larger than 20 MB reduced to less than 3MB in less than one minute by using this technique. Might be worth a try!  The reason you don’t save the file at Step 2 is because this would trigger Word into action (e.g. I WILL now save this file etc) and as it struggles to save the oversized file, will probably crash the application.

I hoped you enjoyed these articles on fixing corrupt or damaged documents. What’s been your experience using Word?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh shares Action Plan Tips at Klariti. He also creates Business Plans for SMEs

Related posts:

1. Sherlock Holmes Guide to Finding Hidden Styles in Microsoft Word 2007?
2. How to Stop Your Business Proposal Files From Crashing – Part 1

Post written by Ivan Walsh. Follow me on Twitter

Sandra wants to know where is the Styles menu option in Microsoft Word 2007. She wants to update her new business plan and add Notes, Messages, Quotes and other pre-formatted styles. The Styles in Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007 seem to be different.

He’s right. The Microsoft Word user interface in 2003 and 2007 is very different.

1. The best way to add Styles, such as Notes etc (2007) is to go to the Home tab. It’s the default.

2. Click the little arrow button under Change Styles.

3. This opens the Styles menu along the right-hand side of the page.

4. Select the text you want to change.

5. Scroll down and find the Note style, for example.

6. Change the text.

Does it work?

<styles would be saved but in my “styles” drop down menu, I do not see these styles.

Do you see the little arrow under Change Styles. Click this and the Styles will appear! If not, drop me a line.

PS – if you’re looking for tips on writing user guides, then check out I Heart Technical Writing.

Related posts:

1. How to Stop Your Business Proposal Files From Crashing – Part 1
2. Kate Winslet’s 7 Smart Ways to Read Business Proposals