Error message opening a document in Word 2010: "Microsoft Office Word has encountered a problem and needs to close" USP10.DLL

To resolve this problem, install the December 2010 Cumulative Update for Word 2010. For more information about the update, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
This problem is mentioned in KB 2459114 in the “Issues that this hotfix package fixes” section as follows:

• Word 2010 crashes when you use a Helvetica Type 1 font in a Word 2010 document. Also, Outlook 2010 crashes when you use a Helvetica Type 1 font in an Outlook 2010 email message.

Or, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Substitute an OpenType font

Determine which offending Type 1 font is being applied to your document, and then remove the offending Type 1 Font Substitutions entry from the registry. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
   
   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
2. In Registry Editor, locate the following subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes
3. Under the FontSubstitutes entry, select the offending Type 1 font.
4. Right-click the font, and then click Delete.
5. Exit Registry Editor.
6. Restart the computer.
7. Uninstall the offending Type 1 fonts. For more information about how to uninstall fonts, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
   
   
   314960 How to install or remove a font in Windows
8. Install the OpenType versions of the offending Type 1 fonts.

Method 2: Set a different printer as default

Select a different printer as the default printer. To do this, follow these steps for the appropriate version of Windows.

Windows Vista

1. Click Start , type printers in the Start Search box, and then click printers in the Programs list.
2. Click Add a Printer.
3. In the Add Printer dialog box, click Add a local printer.
4. Click Use an existing port, and then click Next.
5. In the Manufacturer list, click Microsoft.
6. Click Microsoft XPS Document Writer, and then click Next.
7. Click Use the driver that is currently installed (recommended), and then click Next.
8. Click to select the Set as the default printer check box, and then click Next.
9. Click Finish.

Windows 7

1. Click Start, and then click Devices and Printers.
2. Click Add a Printer.
3. In the Add Printer dialog box, click Add a local printer.
4. Click Use an existing port, and then click Next.
5. In the Manufacturer list, click Microsoft.
6. Click Microsoft XPS Document Writer, and then click Next.
7. Click Use the driver that is currently installed (recommended), and then click Next.
8. Click to select the Set as the default printer check box, and then click Next.
9. Click Finish.

Method 3: Remove the font from the document

Remove all references to the offending fonts in the document. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the document on a different computer that is not experiencing this problem.
2. For each offending font, change all the font references in the document to a different font. For example, change the font from Helvetica to Calibri.

To search for and replace fonts in Word 2010, follow these steps:

1. On the Home tab, click the down arrow next to Find.
2. Click Advanced Find.
3. Click More.
4. Click Format, and then click Font.
5. Select the font that you want to replace.
6. Click the Replace tab.
7. Click Format, and then click Font.
8. Select the font that you want to substitute for the font that you selected in step 5.
9. Click Replace All.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.