This is most likely caused by an AddIn clearing the clipboard. To confirm,
see if it happens in Safe Mode (hold down Ctrl while starting Word). Next
try disabling your AddIns and adding them back one at a time to find the
guilty one.

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Enjoy,
Tony
> Whenever I open a new or existing Word document and attempt to paste
> something from the clipboard into it, I find that it is grayed out and
> that I must go back and recopy the material that I want to paste into
> Word.
> Is there something I can do to avoid this problem? This does not happen
> when I try to paste into applications other than Word. Thanks.
You have a third party add-in that is messing up the Office Clipboard. I
presume that if Word or the document is open first there is no problem with
Copy/Paste.
You need to search to see what add-ins are on your PC that are messing with
the clipboard in Office. Note that Office uses its own clipboard utility and
not the Windows clipboard, so if you have installed some third party
clipboard viewer, it will mess up the Office clipboard.

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Terry Farrell - MSWord MVP
> Whenever I open a new or existing Word document and attempt to paste
> something from the clipboard into it, I find that it is grayed out and
> that I must go back and recopy the material that I want to paste into
> Word.
> Is there something I can do to avoid this problem? This does not happen
> when I try to paste into applications other than Word. Thanks.
Bob Tyrka - 14 May 2008 02:03 GMT
Thanks for the tips, but I have no idea what an add-in is, never mind a
third party add-in. Help, please?
> You have a third party add-in that is messing up the Office Clipboard. I
> presume that if Word or the document is open first there is no problem
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>> Is there something I can do to avoid this problem? This does not happen
>> when I try to paste into applications other than Word. Thanks.
Suzanne S. Barnhill - 14 May 2008 02:45 GMT
See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CheckIfAddinsInstalled.htm

Signature
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
> Thanks for the tips, but I have no idea what an add-in is, never mind a
> third party add-in. Help, please?
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>>> Is there something I can do to avoid this problem? This does not happen
>>> when I try to paste into applications other than Word. Thanks.
Bob Tyrka - 14 May 2008 15:09 GMT
I followed the instructions at the site you indicated including:
1.Open Word and go to the Tools => Customize menu and choose the Commands
Tab.
2.In the left pane choose the "Tools" category.
3.In the right pane choose the "COM Add-Ins" command, click on it and while
holding down the left mouse button drag it to your Tools menu, just below
the "Templates and Add-ins" location.
COM Add-Ins showed only an unchecked Web Page Wizard. I have not installed a
third party clipboard viewer, but at times a little window shows up that
would seem to allow me to add to the clipboard without erasing what was on
it previously. Might this have something to do with the problem?.
Bob
> See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CheckIfAddinsInstalled.htm
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>>>> Is there something I can do to avoid this problem? This does not
>>>> happen when I try to paste into applications other than Word. Thanks.