Word Cannot Start the Converter mswrd632

Problem:  You try a .doc file and get the error message "Word cannot start the converter mswrd632" and nothing opens.

Microsoft states this happens because "...a file has the ".doc" file name extension, but the content is a plain text file or another kind of file that is not a Microsoft Word binary file, and that file is opened in Microsoft Word..."

This problem appears after installing Microsoft's security update 973904.

How to "fix" it:

1.  Open the Registry Editor and browse to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Text Converters\Import\

2.  Delete "MSWord6.wpc"

If you are not familiar with the Registry Editor:

1.  Go to Start > Run... and type:  notepad

2.  Click OK.

3.  Notepad will open.  Copy and paste the following lines.  Make sure you copy all three lines, meaning there should be a blank line in between the two lines with text.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Text Converters\Import\MSWord6.wpc]

4.  Go to File > Save As... and save the file to your Desktop as:  AllowImport.reg


5.  Click Save.  Locate the file "AllowImport" on your desktop and double-click it.  Click Yes and OK and you should be able to open those files.

Update:  Microsoft provided a "Fix it for me" solution for this issue.

Word 2003 Crashes When Inserting Bullets or Numbers

When weird things happen in Word, we're taught that re-creating your normal.dot file will refresh and start anew. But if you find Word 2003 crashing whenever you press that bullets button, the normal.dot trick won't work. These settings are kept in the registry out of the reaches of normal.dot.

This is the key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\List Gallery Presets

If you know how to navigate the registry, then just delete the "List Gallery Presets" key as indicated above. If you're not familiar with the registry, then do the following:

1.  Copy the following:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\List Gallery Presets]

2.  Open Notepad and paste the above lines. NOTE: There are three lines, including the blank line in between.

3.  Save the file as "Bullets.reg" -- meaning, make sure the file does nto end in ".txt" -- to your desktop.

4.  Find "Bullets.reg" on your desktop and double-click it. Click "Yes" to verify you want to add it to the registry and "OK" to confirm.

There! Restart Word and all should be well. If you still have trouble, try rebooting your system.