'there was a problem sending the command to the program' error message in windows 7 using word 2007

After trying the procedures above, I finally figured it out.  In order to fix this problem you need to switch to M_A_C

I am having the same problem. Short of a complete uninstall/reinstall, I have tried everything suggested here and spent hours searching the Net for other possible answers. VERY frustrating!

There's got to be another way. My symptoms are identical but none of the above corrected the problem. This is very irritating.  As a matter of fact I believe the entire Office 2007 is a giant step BACKWARDS everything is completely different and what use to be done with one click now takes three for four.  I can't believe they call this an improvement. I'm afraid to look at 2010... instead, I'm just about ready to give up, uninstall, and go back to 2003. Can somone convince me that I shouldn't?   Please.

I had the same problem in Word and Excel. Here is what solved both problems.

Delete the Word Data registry key Most of the frequently used options in Word are stored in the Word Data registry key. A common troubleshooting step is to delete the Word Data registry key. The next time that you start Word, Word rebuilds the Word Data registry key by using the default settings. 

To view these options in Word 2002 or Word 2003, click Options on the Tools menu.

To view these options in Word 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options.

Note When you delete the Word Data registry key, Word resets several options to their default settings. One such option is the "most recently used file" list on the File menu. Additionally, Word resets many settings that you customize in the Options dialog box. 

To delete the Word Data registry key, follow these steps:

1. Exit all Office programs.
2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate the following registry subkey, as appropriate for the version of Word that you are running:
   • Word 2002:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft \Office\10.0\Word\Data - Word 2003:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Office\11.0\Word\Data - Word 2007:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Office\12.0\Word\Data - Word 2010:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Word\Data 4. Click Data, and then click Export on the File menu. 5. Name the file Wddata.reg, and then save the file to the desktop. 6. Click Delete on the Edit menu, and then click Yes. 7. Exit Registry Editor. 8. Start Word.

Is there a simpler solution than going spelunking in the Windows Registry?