If you work with Microsoft Office files regularly, you’ve undoubtedly run into a case of file corruption. Fortunately, there are a few good tricks specifically designed to recover and repair Microsoft Office files.

• Try opening the file by holding down the [Shift] key and double-clicking the file in Explorer. This will keep automatic VB code from running, as well as other automatic commands that may be the cause of the error.
• Use the “broken fonts add-in” that ships with Office 2003. In Word, install the add-in. Then, on Tools menu, click Repair Broken Text.
• Select File + Save As Web page, quit Word, reopen the htm file in IE. Or try saving in Word 2 format. Unfortunately, you will lose a lot of formatting.
• If even that doesn't work, select File + Open, set the “Files of type” list box to “Recover Text from Any File”, and open the corrupt document. You'll lose all of your formatting.
• Open the Damaged Word Document in Draft Mode
  On the View menu, click Normal.
  On the Tools menu, click Preferences.
  Click the View tab.
  Click to select the Draft Font check box.
• Insert the File into a Blank Document: from Insert-file option.
• Use the Paste Link Command to Open the Document via a Link.
• Copy Everything Except the Last Paragraph Mark to a New Document.
• Open the file in Microsoft Wordpad or Write.
• Strip out the header information:
  go to a DOS prompt and type:
  copy con+corruptdocfilename.doc newname.doc
  Press the spacebar 12 times and press [Enter].
  Then, open the newname.doc in Word.
• Try this safe and best bet (but it will cost you all customization you made to your Word):
  StartButton|Run winword /regserver (there is a blank before the switch)