Lost Insert menu items

[J. Hynes]

I'm using Word 2002 on Windows XP. I was adding an em
dash to a document, using the Insert/Symbol/Special
Characters menu. I noticed that you could also add an em
dash by typing (I think) Control + Alt + - [hyphen]. So I
tried that, and my little pointer turned into a fat black
dash. When I clicked the appropriate spot in the text to
add the em dash, nothing happened. So I moved the
dash/pointer up to the Insert drop down menu and clicked
on Symbol--which then disappeared from the menu entirely.
The dash has become a pointer again (somehow), but I
cannot resurrect the Symbol entry on the Insert menu. I
reinstalled Word from the CD, and that didn't work, so I
uninstalled Word entirely and reinstalled it again, and
that still didn't work. No matter what file I open, the
Insert menu simply doesn't show the Symbol entry any
longer. Any suggestions?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

This is a common error. The shortcut for an em dash is Alt+Ctrl+Num - (which
means the minus sign on the numeric keypad). Alt+Ctrl+Hyphen is the command
some people call the Terminator, also known as
ToolsCustomizeRemoveMenuShortcut. When you get the big minus sign and click
on any menu item, it is gone! This can be very handy, for example, for
removing dead files from the MRU list, but obviously it can also be
dangerous. Restore the Symbol command by opening Tools | Customize,
selecting Symbol in the Insert category, and dragging it back to the menu
(see http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/RestoreMenuCmd.htm).

 

[J. Hynes]

Thank you very much!

-----Original Message-----
This is a common error. The shortcut for an em dash is Alt+Ctrl+Num - (which
means the minus sign on the numeric keypad). Alt+Ctrl+Hyphen is the command
some people call the Terminator, also known as
ToolsCustomizeRemoveMenuShortcut. When you get the big minus sign and click
on any menu item, it is gone! This can be very handy, for example, for
removing dead files from the MRU list, but obviously it can also be
dangerous. Restore the Symbol command by opening Tools | Customize,
selecting Symbol in the Insert category, and dragging it back to the menu
(see http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/RestoreMenuCmd.htm
).

I'm using Word 2002 on Windows XP. I was adding an em
dash to a document, using the Insert/Symbol/Special
Characters menu. I noticed that you could also add an em
dash by typing (I think) Control + Alt + - [hyphen]. So I
tried that, and my little pointer turned into a fat black
dash. When I clicked the appropriate spot in the text to
add the em dash, nothing happened. So I moved the
dash/pointer up to the Insert drop down menu and clicked
on Symbol--which then disappeared from the menu entirely.
The dash has become a pointer again (somehow), but I
cannot resurrect the Symbol entry on the Insert menu. I
reinstalled Word from the CD, and that didn't work, so I
uninstalled Word entirely and reinstalled it again, and
that still didn't work. No matter what file I open, the
Insert menu simply doesn't show the Symbol entry any
longer. Any suggestions?

.