Both word 97 and Word 2000 offer a way to prevent others from changing the contents of your documents, while letting them open the document freely without a password. Alas, Microsoft's description is so obscure that you might never find this method. Follow these steps after your document is in its final form:

1. Select ToolsòProtect Document.

2. Select Forms in the Protect Document dialog box.

3. Type a password of your choice in the Password field and click OK.

4. Type the password again in the Confirm Password dialog box and click OK.

If you need to remove the protection for editing, open the document, select ToolsòUnprotect Document, enter the password when prompted, and then click OK.