Deals.Woot

Here's an answer to your unspecified question on Word. As a self-proclaimed power user (breaks arm patting self on back), the biggest challenge is formatting when there are bullets or other indentations about.

Format Painter is really the tool to make the most use of. And the biggest hint I will offer is that if you double-tap the format brush, your cursor will stay in "paint mode" until you re-click the same button (or hit the escape key). This way, you can keep applying the same format that you've gotten right to the other areas as you scroll on down.

There's my answer to your unspecified question.

@greenaccord: Ha! That's hilarious. You read my mind. Thanks! I'll try that out.

I prefer to use Open Office. It's freeware and it's compatible with most other document programs, including Word.

@foonatic: Yes, Word's auto-correct features drive me nuts. That's why I turn 'em off!
In Office 2010, you'd go to File > Options > Proofing
There you will see the auto-correct options for spellcheck and grammar. Click the "AutoCorrect Options..." button and you'll be able to disable the "Automatic bulleted lists" by unchecking the check box on the AutoFormat tab.

Hope that helps!

Tip: All formatting information for a paragraph is stored with the paragraph mark at the END of the paragraph.

So try to avoid deleting the paragraph marks when making edit if you want to maintain the formatting of that paragraph. You can turn on Show Formatting - the ¶ button - to help you when doing edits.

This is also true of sections - the formatting information for the section is stored at the END of the section.

If you are going to spend any time at all using a program, you should put a little effort into learning how to make it work for you. If this statement is true enough, than this will be no problem--
Every time I buy a new computer, re-install MS Word, or even just sit down to a different computer at work, I actually go through and adjust my personal list of preferences. I do this for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and a few other programs too.
The point is, find out what happens that you don't like and make a list of it. Then, make a list of personal preference settings that you have step by step instructions on what to change and how to change it.
My buddy has referred to this as my "Geek continuity book." But the truth is, I actually don't know everything there is to know about it, which is why I write it down. This might not be the specific fix for bullet frustration, but it will decrease your overall frustration with word, windows, and anything else computer related.

The dilemma of software like MS Word is the tendency to be designed for power/features more than ease of use. How many times have you found yourself saying, "I'd pay more for/rather have an easier to use program?" Maybe never, but over decades of using computers, that's probably my biggest gripe with software. I almost always want easy over powerful, when I'm not going to use 95% of the "features".