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"From the article you quoted, from a comment by Stuart towards the end:
I’ve had the same problem in Word 2002
(XP). In my observations below, DM =
document map and TOC = table of
contents.
Tips to prevent or deal with the problem
Exclude the TOC until you’re ready to either print the document or
convert to PDF. The TOC and the DM
seem to interact to create
instability.
Always close the DM pane before closing your file or Word. The DM is
more stable when a document is opened
with the DM pane is closed.
Always open documents with DM pane closed. If you’re uncertain, start
Word first, close the pane, then open
your document.
You can tell that your DM is being scrambled if Word shows the “Word is
formatting the document…” status bar
while the file is opening.
Always check your DM when you first open the file.
The only time I’ve noticed a DM become scrambled is on open. This
doesn’t mean there aren’t other times
it’ll become scrambled. For example,
I’d be cautious by closing the DM pane
when generating a TOC, or printing or
converting documents to PDF,
especially if they contain a TOC.
I don’t know what makes a file susceptible to scrambling on open in
the first place.
As soon as you notice your DM is scrambled, close your document without
saving.
Saving the file with a scrambled DM will permanently scramble both the DM
and the TOC. It’s actually the heading
level tags that get scrambled.
Use Word’s auto-backup feature: Tools -> Options; Save tab; check
“Always create backup copy.” Lets you
roll back one save.
Create and keep frequent backups of your own, even several in a day if
you’re being particularly productive:
time is precious; disk space is cheap.
If you don’t need the really rapid navigation offered by the DM, try
using Outline view instead. According
to what I’ve read, it’s not prone to
scrambling.
Additional observations: Merging an older, unscrambled copy with a
scrambled copy passes the scrambling
on to the good copy, no matter which
direction you merge (good into bad, or
bad into good), or which document’s
formatting you opt to retain. I
haven’t found any way to
repair/recover a scrambled and saved
file, but I haven’t tried any
commercial recovery products.
To remedy
If your DM becomes scrambled and you
haven’t saved your document:
Close the document and Word without saving
Open Word
Close the DM pane
Open your file
From another comment by by Jan Zambor :
To repair a scrambled doc:
1. select entire doc (Ctrl+A)
2. go to Paragraph windows
3. set Outline level to ""Body Text"" (headings will NOT be set to body text, you should end up with the correct doc)"
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