Taming Microsoft Word 2007’s File Associations and Document Windows, Part One

The other day, I sort of randomly posted about a number of the stupid little Windows Vista issues that bother me on a regular basis. It wasn't really that random. I had just recently had dinner with a couple of friends, also Windows enthusiasts, about some of this stuff and it was obviously in the back of my mind. One of the things I had brought up at dinner was an issue that's really a Microsoft Word bug (though I suppose it's this way by design). And Rafael, of Within Windows fame, told me he'd fix it. Well, he has. But before providing that information, he fills in some background about the issue and why it happens...

Last weekend, Paul Thurrott, Bryant Zadegan, and I met up downtown (Washington D.C.) for dinner and ranted on various issues that drive even the expert Microsoft Windows users up the wall. Oh and we even talked about the iPhone, but that’s another story.

One of the gripes Paul had was with the z-order of his open windows being tampered with when opening two (or more) Microsoft Word documents. At first I thought of saying, what the hell are you talking about Paul, but resorted to the less abrasive: What?

Paul explained that if you open a Word document, minimize it, open an Excel spreadsheet, then finally open another document, both Word windows come to front, preventing you from ALT-Tab'ing to the spreadsheet you were working in.

So we have to wait for part two for the fix. :) Nice cliffhanger!

Discuss this Article 11

yert
on Aug 31, 2008
Some bugs just make no sense.
jeffhex
on Aug 31, 2008
Some features just make no sense either.
subzerohitman721
on Aug 31, 2008
Now thats what I'm talking about. Instead of whining and crying like John Dvorak, actually talking and doing something about issues in Windows and or Word. I think thats the real difference between rags like PC Magazine and PC World versus the supersite. Taking up the issues with Microsoft to get some results. Paul, your stock is rising today. Great job.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Aug 31, 2008
subzero To be fair, John Dvorak's job is to be the cranky, old curmudgeon. (As opposed to 20 years ago when his role was to be the cranky, young curmudgeon.) Think of him as Jerry Pournelle: The Next Generation
richardfrisch
on Aug 31, 2008
A Vista Annoyance - Why does Vista leave the original empty folder when I move a folder from one to location to another where the receiving location already has a folder with the same name? I then have to manually delete the old, empty folder. This is inefficient and poorly programmed, IMO.
Tero
on Sep 1, 2008
"Now thats what I'm talking about. Instead of whining and crying like John Dvorak, actually talking and doing something about issues in Windows and or Word. I think thats the real difference between rags like PC Magazine and PC World versus the supersite. Taking up the issues with Microsoft to get some results. Paul, your stock is rising today. Great job" I have a feeling even Paul's heroic efforts cannot change how MS makes its products. Windows Vista is a usability nightmare. It is such not because of some Dvorak guy's doabouts, but because of MS's not having to care about some Dvorak guy -- or me or you.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 1, 2008
"Taking up the issues with Microsoft to get some results." I will say that anyone can "take up issues with Microsoft and get results" Having been a Program Manager there, I can tell you that feedback from users is taken very seriously. Bugs in a beta, for example, typically get investigated, resolved and fixed very much like internal testing bugs and end up in the same tracking database. Data from user experience programs and error reporting gets taken very seriously in working on updates and new versions.
subzerohitman721
on Sep 1, 2008
Mike, I actually do write Microsoft or any software vendor when I'm not happy about things. But hearing Dvorak constantly whine about it instead of being proactive about a problem, is very counterproductive. I've blogged on his own site about his lack of proactivity. Anyone including a baby can whine. An intelligent adult takes action and is accountable for spreading F.U.D. Later.
Ocean
on Sep 1, 2008
>>Having been a Program Manager there, I can tell you that feedback from users is taken very seriously.<< There is 'serious' from the perspective of MS and there is 'serious' from the standpoint of the customer. They are not necessarily the same.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 1, 2008
Ocean Serious from the point of getting the problem fixed. That's pretty much the one that matters.
mneimeyer
on Sep 1, 2008
IE7 does the same thing... will your fix work there too?

Please or Register to post comments.

IT/Dev Connections

Las Vegas
September 30th - October 4th

Paul ThurottYou'll have the opportunity to experience:
• 120 Technical
Sessions
• Networking with Peers
• Expert Speakers


Come See Paul Thurrott & Mary Jo Foley in Person!

Register Now

Office 365 InfoCenter

Get the latest insight and info from Paul

Read Now!

What I Use