Online Learning Resources
Several things could be happening here. If we change the default behavior when you download Word files, we should be able to circumvent the immediate problem. Double-click My Computer, then click the Tools menu and click Folder Options. Click the File Types tab inside of the Folder Options window. In the Registered File Types list, scroll down and search for DOC. Click on DOC. Click the Advanced button. Check Confirm Open After Download and Browse in Same Window. Click OK to close the Edit File Type window, and the Folder Options windows. When you click a Word document, you should now be prompted to save the file. Save the file to your desktop and try opening it from there.
Research has revealed that some people with Star Office have experienced this problem. As OpenOffice is closely related to StarOffice, this may be the problem. The solution Sun provides is the same as the suggestion above. If convenient, try un-installing and re-installing OpenOffice.