Method 'range' of object _global failed when doing nothing

Question

I have a big macro which basically processes some columns and spits out results based on some cross-checking with an access 2003 database. It works absolutely fine - no hitches at all.

However, I recently had to make a modification to it. It was literally changing an '8' to a '9' in one line of the code. But next time I ran it, it threw the 1004: Method 'Range' of object '_Global' failed error. Excel 2003 is a funny thing - I once scratched my head for hours over this, trying to find offending lines of code that could be causing the error, but alas to no avail. I did something that I didn't expect to trigger anything:

Starting with the original macro (100% confirmed working), if I just open the code up, and then save it so the 'last updated' metadata will update to reflect the save, though absolutely nothing has changed, it will throw that error again on opening.

It's as if it's so fragile that saving the macro as is will break it. Any ideas?

Update: here's what I changed that initially brought about the issue

iOutputCols = 9 'this was changed to 9 from 8
ReDim Preserve sOutputCols(iOutputCols)
sOutputCols(0) = "Policy No"
sOutputCols(1) = "Client"
sOutputCols(2) = "Trans"
sOutputCols(3) = "Effective Date"
sOutputCols(4) = "ClosingRef"
sOutputCols(5) = "Gross"
sOutputCols(6) = "Comm"
sOutputCols(7) = "Net Due"
sOutputCols(8) = "Risk"   'this line was added

Making the change here, while originally causing the error, doesn't seem special - I did small changes like the above elsewhere in the code and in other modules, one time I even did something as testval = "test" and even that redundant line will produce the error. The most minimalistic way to cause it? Simply open it up, save it without changing anything, and on next use the error occurs.

The error occurs at this line, in a completely different code section which is part of a form:

    If strErr <> "" Then MsgBox strErr, vbInformation + vbOKOnly, "Action Error"

Application.ScreenUpdating = True 'error occurs here, message box which shows me the error right above

End Sub

Update 2

Removing the error handling throws the error on this line

    Case "> Send Next Period Reminder" 'error on line below
        Call ReplaceText(wordApp, "[office_address]", Range("Address_" & Worksheets("UserParms").Range("F6").Value).Value) 'error this line
        Call ReplaceText(wordApp, "[office_address2]", Range("Address2_" & Worksheets("UserParms").Range("F6").Value).Value)
'more of the same replacetexts below

For context, this is when an option is selected for "Send Next Period Reminder", which pulls a word .dot template from a static folder and populates it based on the data selected within the sheet (Hence the replace texts). This is in a different module and has never been touched before.

Answer 1

Try properly qualifying your Range method calls. You have lines like this:

    Call ReplaceText(wordApp, "[office_address]", Range("Address_" & Worksheets("UserParms").Range("F6").Value).Value) 'error this line
    Call ReplaceText(wordApp, "[office_address2]", Range("Address2_" & Worksheets("UserParms").Range("F6").Value).Value)

While it may not be obvious, there are cases, both environmental and code-based, where these unqualified uses of Range could fail. Change the references like Range("Address... to something like yourTargetWS.Range("Address...