I hope this is posted on the correct forum but I honestly don't understand enough to be sure.

I am using a Dell Inspiron 1501 computer with Windows Vista Home Basic.

SOMETHING changed on the main page when I open Word. In the past when I opened Word the most recent documents were listed on the right side of the page. Now nothing is there but there is just a thin vertical dividing line about two thirds of the way from the left hand side. Inside the portion to the left of this dividing line is what looks like a miniature perpendicular symbol. If I click on the symbol it switches to an "L" and then to a backwards "L" when I click again.

Formerly, if I wanted to open any saved document I would double click on the yellow open document icon and a list of all my saved documents would appear. If I do that now, no list appears but a new large screen appears with the word open in the top left corner. I cannot write anything on this screen or at least cannot figure out how to.

I cannot figure out how to "get back" to the normal situation where recently opened documents are listed on the right side of the page and more importantly, I am able to open previously saved documents.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!
Here is an extensive article re "word". Hopefully it may contain a solution to your current problem. If it does not please return and let us know and we shall go from there.
http://www.officearticles.com/word/steps_to_troubleshooting_microsoft_word.htm
truenorth
P.S. I suspect some user defined parameter has been altered.I'm afraid that article is way BEYOND my ability to comprehend.That is too bad.It might be helpful to you if you only dealt with it a bit at a time and dealt only with the aspects of it that seem to fit your circumstances. If you can execute a command to the PROGRAM (Microsoft office) to "restore defaults" that will perhaps get you back to where you want to be. Try this link it is not a broad as the other and is specific to restoring the defaults of "word" ,truenorth
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070316210706AAMOeCWQuote from: lebowl on November 11, 2012, 01:42:21 PM

Formerly, if I wanted to open any saved document I would double click on the yellow open document icon ...

Do you mean the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar? If you click on Start, and then click Documents to open your Documents folder, do you see your files there?

This was something I had already tried, but no luck. I guess footnotes aren't the kind of fields/numbers that get updated via F9.