Can anyone tell me how to activate a preview pane in File Search
or suggest a workaround?

In my version of Word 2003, there is a Views button in the Open window, but
not in File Search. In Word 2000, File Search (or Find File) did have a
View button, and it was VERY useful. That is what I want back.

If Open and File Search worked together so that only the found files show in
the Open window, that would work too, but Open and File Search do not seem to
work together that way. Now I can only seem to select one of the found files
at a time, hope and pray that it is the right one. If not, I have to wait
through another tortuous File Search session, since File Search closes after
you select a file and does not save its previous results.