Cannot Find Microsoft Word installed on your system

[rack222]

Has anyone had issues with the "Cannot Find Microsoft Word installed on your system" message coming up when attempting to create printed documentation? I'm using RoboHelp 7 HTML on Windows XP with Word 2007.

I need to generate printed documents from the Help Project and have been getting this message for about 2 weeks. This WAS working fine. I've uninstalled updates and programs that were installed within the 2-week period but without success. I've read through some of the possible solutions lowering security for Word Macros and have had no success. Some of and the registry solutions weren't applicable because it looked like everything was as stated in the thread. I"ve also uninstalled and reinstalled office without success.

Any help is appreciated. I've just about had it with this program.

[Peter Grainge]

Welcome to the forum

Take a look at Printed Documentation Issues on my site.

[marilyng]

Rack222,
After three hours, I finally have this working. In my case, I was moving to a new computer, and Office was installed, but not activated when I installed Robohelp Technical Suite. So, based on all the suggestions in other posts here is what I did. Now, I have no idea why what I did managed to make it work, or if you need all the steps. But nevertheless, here they are:

-Uninistall Robohelp (or technical suite) reboot computer.
-Go to documents and settings\yourUserName\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Word\Startup and remove the robohook.wll (if it exists)
-Reinstall Technical Suite.
-Open Word. Go to Help>>About>>Disabled Items and make sure the PDF creator is not disabled.

Now I opened the Clownfish Project in Robohelp.
---------------------------------------
Open Tools>>Options.
When the window opens make sure these settings are correct:
File Associations: .xml, .js
HTML Editors:
robohelp WYSIWYG <Internal> Default = Yes
Notepad
Word 2003
Auto Select Editor (Checked)

Then try to generate printed documentation.
---------------------------------

If that doesn't work, then change the default editor to Word 2003.
-Open a few of the Clownfish project htm files.
-Robohelp will flash a message and open the document in word.
-Reset the default editor back to Robohelp
-Try to generate printed documentation.

---------
If that doesn't work:
-then copy winword.exe to the c:\ (root directory)
-Go back to the Tools>>Options window
-Add a second Microsoft Word HTML editor and point this entry to the c:\winword.exe copy.
-Set this as the default editor
-Check the Use Default Editor
-Save and Close the window.

Now, try to open one of the html project files.
-Robohelp will flash a message that these need to be edited in a third party editor.
- Then a "windows installer" program opens for the new instance of word and installs word for the current user and path.
- then the project page opens in word.
- You should be able to import Word documents into your project.

Now, go back to the Tools>Options window.
-Set Robohelp as the default editor
-delete the second Microsoft Word entry
-Check the Auto-Select Editor
-Save and close the window.

My printed documentation now works.

I think it was the word installation that was somehow not associated with my user ID on my computer that caused the problem. Somehow getting the mini-installer to run seems to do the trick.

Hope this helps.
Marilyn

[Peter Grainge]

Marylyng

If you look at the page to which I pointed Rack222, you will see that your scenario is covered under "The Document Wizard cannot locate Microsoft Word. Please install Microsoft Word before generating printed documentation." That is the error message you should have seen as you had not activated Word.

The only thing I needed to do on the occasion I encountered that was to activate Word.

Some of the steps you have covered above I definitely would not recommend, for example copying winword.exe. That file can get replaced when Microsoft issue updates but they will not know about that copy.

[marilyn3000]

Peter, thank you for your notes. Word was activated, and I did go through all of the steps you listed, including the registry checks. I had a laptop with the same Technical suite installed that didn't have a problem, so it was unique to one machine.

Copying Winword.exe to another location was temporary. When I made it the default editor, then window installer kicked in, and whatever wasn't recognizing that Word was installed for my userid on this machine was corrected. Once it was, I REMOVED THE ENTRY, AND THE COPY OF WINWORD.EXE. (See line that says, DELETE SECOND MICROSOFT WORD ENTRY)

Robohelp worked fine after that, so did office. Just reporting how I got it to work, that's all.

[MergeThis]

Please mark it as the answer, for future generations of the lost and weary.


Good luck,
Leon