It’s been a weakness in Word for probably 20 years now. The problem has affected you, me, and just about everyone.

I’m speaking of the Open dialog box. Specifically, the handy tool in the lower right corner of the dialog box called the File Type drop-down list. To wit:

The File Type drop-down list sets the type of file visible in the Open dialog box. It’s designed to help you. For example, by selecting only Word Documents you see only Word documents in the Open dialog box. Because Word primarily edits Word documents, that’s a boon to folks who don’t understand the concept of file types.

Where the File Type drop-down list becomes a pain is that it doesn’t only dictate which types of files appear in the Open dialog box’s file list. Nope, it also sets the way Word opens the file. That’s a bad thing.

You see, when you forget that you’ve selected a certain file type, such as the useful but potentially frustrating “Recover Text from Any File,” Word remembers that. So when you go to open a Word document, the program dutifully recovers text from the file. The results you see on the screen are gross.

To fix the problem you need to add a mental step: Check the status of the Files of Type drop-down list. That’s it. And when you do accidentally forget (as do I), just close the document without saving, then re-open it after choosing “Word Document” from the Files of Type list.

Microsoft v. Yahoo Dept. Yahoo has resoundingly rejected Microsoft’s hostile take-over bid. I believe they’ve made a wise move. I also believe this underscores Microsoft’s continuing Internet desperation.

Peripheralitis Dept. One of the big issues that plagues us computer geeks is finding enough power outlets for our favorite gizmos. In my books, I’ve recommended Kensington Smart Sockets. From Ideative Inc. comes Socket Sense, an expandable way to keep your power bricks from elbowing each other off the power strip.