Migrated Word now wants to connect to scanner and camera - slows launch

Question

I have a new MBA, running the latest 10.6. I have migrated my apps and am checking each -- so far, so good, until I came to MS Word (2004).
When I open any .doc (or simply launch Word) it takes a l-o-o-o-o-n-g time, then puts up a dialog box that says "Unable to connect to scanner or camera. Check the connection and reinstall driver if necessary."
I don't have a connected camera or scanner!?!?! I've looked for some setting in Word (or in the OS) that would make this system think that it should look for a scanner but, so far, have not spotted what could be causing this. (Word's Help was not very Helpful.)
A couple of threads here suggest, to get an unrecognized scanner to be detected, going to [Word] Insert/Picture and then selecting the "From scanner or camera..." option. That is supposed to "jog" Word into bringing up a "Devices" list which can then be used to fix the settings. When I try this, nothing happens (no doubt because of the state that Word is in, due to its non-detected scanner/camera situation).
How can I get Word to stop looking for a scanner/camera device on launch?

Answer 1

baltwo wrote:
Move the com.microsoft.Word.plist to the Desktop from your Preferences folder, restart, and launch Work '04. That should do the trick. If so, move the deleted file and reset your Word prefs. Works here.
That was a great suggestion. Sadly, it didn't make the message go away. ;-<
I even tried a couple of other things, while I was in that Preferences folder, on subsequent restarts (each):
.. copied over the com.microsoft.Word.plist file from the Mini (which is also running 10.6 and which was the source of this copy of Word);
.. copied over (replaced) all the com.hp.xxx plist files (since they are most likely the suspect scanner-related objects ... from a far distant scanner, now gone)
But none of these make a difference -- Word still gives the error message on launch.
Any other things I might try?