Word looks at the data in the first record in the datasource in order to decide what you need. I suspect that some of your fields are merging OK because they have more than 256 characters in the first record. Edit the first record so that it has more than 256 characters in any fields that are long for some records.


To do the DDE thing, follow these steps:
In Word 2007...Office Button >
Word Options > Advanced > General > Confirm file format conversion on open
Then close Word and re-open, reconnect to the Excel file and then you will be given the option of connecting via DDE

If you have Window XP, you do not need a service pack for Windows 2000. The problem you are having is a common complaint about mail merge and does not indicate anything about what service packs you have.