[X4U] Can't set MS Word as the default

[John Baltutis]

On 10/26/08, James Hurley <jhurley0305 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> I don't know how this happened but my Mac suddenly has trouble 
>> recognizing Word documents.
>>
>> Even the screen icon is now missing on Word documents.
>>
>> If I control-click on a Word document, the default program to open 
>> a Word file is Text Edit. If I select Other and choose MS Word in 
>> my Applications folder it does open it word. But only that one 
>> time. The next time I try to open it, Text Edit is again the 
>> default application.
>>
>> If I do a Get Info on a Word file, Text Edit is listed as the 
>> application in which the file will open. If I select Other and 
>> choose Word, then MS Word appears in the drop down menu as the app 
>> to open  the file. But if I then click on the "Change All"button, 
>> the drop down menu changes to Word Pad, an application that needs 
>> to go through Fusion to open.  It is not possible to do a Change 
>> All to MS Word.
>>
>> Any thoughts on this very weird avoidance of Word as the app for
>> opening Word documents?
>
> I have had some second thoughts on this issue--my Mac not 
> recognizing .doc files as Word documents.
>
> I used to regularly get a message when I tried to open a Word 
> document on one computer when another computer on the network was 
> running Word. It was something  to the effect that I couldn't run 
> word on two computers at once.
>
> But I don't get that message any more. I don't mean to be paranoid, 
> but is  it possible the MS has altered the cache (or whatever in the
> System files) so that Word is no longer recognized on this one computer?

Sounds like a hosed LaunchServices database file. Launch the Terminal.app in
/Applications/Utilities/, copy and paste the following command into window, hit
the return key, quit the Terminal.app, and restart (Note that this is all one
line):

Leopard:

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister
-kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

Tiger:

/System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister
-kill -r -f -domain local -domain system -domain user

After restarting, CMD+I on a .doc file and set Word to open it, and click on
the Change all button.