Vista - Cant open .doc files by double-clicking (Using Word 2007)

I've got a Vista Home Premium system with Office 2007. I can't open Word *.doc files by double-clicking on them, either on the desktop or when they are attachments in emails (the most common way I get them.) All I get is an error saying the file I'm trying to open is "not a valid Win32 application."

When I right-click the .doc file icon and go to "Open With" there is an option that reads "Microsoft Office 2007 component" and it has the Office 2007 Word icon next to it. I again get the "not a valid Win32 application."

I can open one of these documents when I have Word already running and just Open File, but its just annoying and time consuming over and over again.

Any thoughts? Help a brother out?

cmd

Are the *.doc files downloaded, or e-mailed? is word set as the default app in open with?

ken

The .doc files are either on my desktop or in email attachments.

I'm really not sure if they are associated with Word properly. They have icons that look very similar to Word 2007 file icons (the blue W on a piece of paper looking icon), but they're a little different. Double-clicking them (the .doc file) gets me the "not a valid Win32" error. If I go to "Open With" I don't have an option for Word, I have an option for "Office 2007 component" (with the Word icon next to it), and with that I get the identical "not a valid Win32 application" error.

On a side note, I've gone into "Open With" and "Choose default program" and selected "Browse" to find the WinWord.exe file for Word 2007. When I select it and hit "Open" I'm taken back to the "Open With" list of possible compatible programs, only now WordPad is selected for some reason. I click OK and WordPad loads up with the .doc file in question and of course its giberish and unreadable. No idea why WordPad is connected to WinWord.exe in this case. If I just double-click on that same WinWord.exe file thru Windows Explorer Word 2007 fires right up.

cmd

is there anything in event viewer (type that in search) relating to the problem? Look for errors (red "X" in left column) relating to this problem

ken

I dont see any red Xs, but I do see this in the Administrative Events and in the Application section of Windows Logs 2 errors/warnings that were duplicated four times for a single event it seems:

Detection of product '{90120000-0030-0000-0000-0000000FF1CE}', feature 'WORDFiles' failed during request for component '{0638C49D-BB8B-4CD1-B191-051E8F325736}'

as well as--

Detection of product '{90120000-0030-0000-0000-0000000FF1CE}', feature 'ProductFiles', component '{6252B847-BADA-43D4-9252-E39767FA40A1}' failed. The resource 'HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pip\' does not exist.

Hi Call Me Dizzy
It may be worth trying Word Diagnostics to see if that helps.
Open Word - Click the Microsoft Office Button - and then click Word Options.
Click Resources.
Click Diagnose, click Continue, and then click Start Diagnostics.
Refer link for Results of Microsoft Office Diagnostics.
Hope that helps you.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/wo...863431033.aspx