You can prevent this behavior by not accidentally hitting the Insert
key.

If you find you struggle with this then there are a few methods you
can use to help prevent it from happening. However those methods are
only for Word and you'll keep encountering Overtype mode in other
applications so it's best to simply try and break the habit. Either
that or get an Office keyboard - they moved the Insert key about the
10-key pad and it's a lot harder to accidentally hit.

--
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine: http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site: http://mvps.org/


"Cannery Works" Cannery wrote in
message news
I don't know how the overtype function going from off to on in the
middle of
typing in Word is helpful. I'm typing at a fast rate, occasionally
cutting
and pasting, rewriting as I go, and instead of inserting new words
into the
existing text, all of a sudden I'm typing OVER the text I want to
keep with
my addition. It's very annoying and turning OVERTYPE OFF in the
options
setting doesn't last; it keeps popping back on.

Any suggestions? Thanks. Same thing with Outlook, too! Overtype
function
just pops into motion and whoosh - there goes several words in the
email. A
real time waster!

Thanks for any help.