Do you get the same problem with all files, or just a few? If the latter, they may be corrupt.

What 3rd-party addins do you have installed (see under File|Options|Addins)?

Have you tried running Word, for example, in safe mode? To do this:
1. Select Run from the Windows Start menu.
2. Type winword.exe /a (you must insert the space before the /a).
3. Click OK.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]