Bob,

As far as I know, none of the people that replied to your question is a
Microsoft employee. To answer your question directly, no you can't
turn Word into a typewriter. Have you considered buying a typewriter?
There are several very capable models that cost less than a copy of
Word. Of course even new model typewriters have these have moved on a
bit with time and might dissappoint.

I disagree with your assessment of Word Help. It is fairly
compreshensive. Then you also have these support News Groups which
provide quick and responsive help. Case in point, Daiya Mitchell
responded with a very informative and polite reply in less than 45
minutes. Her fur didn't appear to be up.

Word is a very powerful Word processor. I agree that it has annoying
bells and whistles and that it can be frustrating at first to get it
tamed to your liking, but it can be done. You have spent more time
bantering here than it would take to resolve all the issues in your
orginal complaint by following the helpful tips that Daiya provided.
Usually when someone comes in firing for effect there will be a few
rounds fired back. I suggest you just ignore them and get on with
resolving your Word issue. If you just find that Word won't do then
you can always try Note Pad.