What's the best default file save location for MS Office: Word & Outlook?

[mojowork_n]

I haven't been able to reliably save a MS work file -- at work -- for the last two days.

My Adobe programs are all working fine. Open, edit and save files like a champ.

But the Microsoft app's -- Word and Outlook, too -- fuh' GED a'bout it.

Our I.T. guy is out until Monday.

It's a small company.

I usually just have to re-boot to fix stuck or frozen software, but not this time.

....Word (and often, Outlook, too) have been crashing on me for months and
months. I've gotten used to saving just before I insert a graphic, which is when most
crashes have occurred.

The last couple of days, when I open up a new file -- with a blank page -- I can't save it.

It looks like files are getting marked "read only." When I go to File > Options > Save and
look at the default file save location, I see:

C:\Users\mylastnameandfirstinitial.COMPANYNAME(the network?)\Documents\

Better off with a location on the network? One of the other letters, like the one that has
all of my actual work folders in it?

Pertinent details:

I work with WORD files that are 100+ pages long.

I've been seeing files automatically showing up as "read-only" -- with the blue square in Win 7, not an actual check mark.

I de-select the blue square to try to get "read and write" capability, hit APPLY and OK, but it never works.

Suggestions?

P.S.

I don't have graphics linked to a file location. (Not in WORD, anyway. Adobe, yes.) I paste them in and
forget about them. Or blow them away and re-insert. The last few days though, I did use the "Select
Graphic" > Right Click > Change Picture sequence a couple of times. That's when trouble really started.

[ManiacJoe]

1. Create a new directory on the hard drive and

save the docs to there until the tech guy gets back.

[RC]

2. Do you have enough space on your hard drive?

[mojowork_n]

3. Yes. Everything I do is saved to network. But that's not default save location...? eom.