I suspect that the reason is that .wbk files are not visible in File
Open/Save unless you have "All Files" displayed, so users would ordinarily
be unaware of them, and they do tend to accumulate. If HD space is at a
premium, this can be an issue. And users don't like "mystery files." Look
how exercised they get about temp files, and those are deleted (or are
supposed to be) when you close the document.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
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"Opinicus" wrote in message
...
"Graham Mayor" wrote
If the option to create a backup file is not set - and
this is the default -

Really? I never noticed that. One can't help wondering who
made such a dumb design decision. Has to have been somebody
who never had a program lose his work.

--
Bob

Kanyak's Doghouse
http://www.kanyak.com