I don't want to open things in WORD if I can help it due to the macro virus problems. I don't know why. I know that at one time Outlook was checking spelling as I wrote replies. Now it isn't. I don't recall changing any of the settings, but things flow around, with tool bars in odd places.
Nothing seems to stay still.
It is not ready for prime time, and it has too few paths back to where you used to be. Stay with Office 97 and FrontPage 98 for a while. Or use Works. Or use some other office suite entirely. The arguments around my Intellectual Capital column continue over in mail, and they're very good.