You can certainly use the method you used in Word 2000 including the use of
the mail merge helper if you want, and you don't have to use the merge
wizard. The only thing that has really changed is the default method of
connection to the data, and even that isn't insurmountable.

See http://www.gmayor.com/mail_merge_labels_with_word_xp.htm

I don't, but...

You don't have to use it.

You can enable the Mailmerge toolbar (it doesn't appear/disappear the way it
did in Word 2000) using Tools|Customize.

To get the old Mail merge helper back, go into Tools|Customize|Commands,
select category All Commands, then locate MailMergeHelper in the right hand
column and drag it to a toolbar (e.g. the MailMerge Toolbar).

However, none of those things will get back the old default connection
mechanism (DDE) - to do that, check Word Tools|Options|General|Confirm
conversion at open, try going through the connection process again, and
select DDE when offered, or ODBC, if that is what you used before (in which
case you would have used the Select Method checkbox in the old Open Data
Source dialog)

That may be enough to make things work right again, but if you have not yet
tried reconnecting using the new method (OLEDB) I think it is worth one more
go.

Peter Jamieson