When Word crashes, it often trashes your document. But when Word restarts, the Microsoft Office Application Recovery feature may offer you a replacement document. If it does, check the file carefully and save it under a different name. If it doesn’t, use Windows Explorer to make a backup copy of the damaged file; then switch to Word and open the original damaged document, but click the Open button’s drop-down arrow and select Open and Repair. Word will try to fi x the file. No good? If you’ve set up Word to make backup copies, look for your fi le with a .wbk extension tacked on; most of your data may still be there. If not, open the damaged document with WordPad and collect as much usable material as you can.

Sometimes I think Microsoft intentionally configures Word to run slowly. Click Tools->Options and make the following changes to improve Word’s speed and attitude: On the View tab, uncheck the Animated text box. If you use Word in Normal view, check Wrap to window. On the General tab, un -check Provide feedback with animation. If you work with many documents, bump the ‘Recently used file list’ entries to 9 (the highest setting). If you use simple Auto - Shapes, uncheck Automatically create drawing canvas when inserting Auto Shapes. On the Spelling & Grammar tab, uncheck Check grammar as you type and Check grammar with spelling. Really need speed? Turn off the on-the-fly spelling checker too, by un selecting Check spelling as you type. On the Print tab, turn off Background printing; most printers and networks spool print jobs plenty fast. Click OK.

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Starting next year you won’t be able to buy a new PC loaded with Windows XP, despite the lukewarm reception of Windows Vista.

Microsoft will stop selling Windows XP to PC makers such as Dell, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard by January 31, a company representative confirmed Thursday. The software maker will stop selling XP to system builders, the smaller custom PC makers, a year later, the representative said.

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