Travel Technology - a Microsoft Word question: using "tab" to indent

On some machines I work with, the tab button serves to indent an outline. So if I have say:

1)
2)

and my cursor is right before the "2" and I hit tab, I get something like:

1)
tabbingi)

On other machines, the tab works as it does in other places, i.e., it just moves the cursor over to the right a bunch.

I'd like the tab function to perform the way it does in the first example. Is there a way to "fix" the machines where it does not behave this way? And this is travel related because when traveling I often find myself using a variety of different computers with different Word settings. Gracias!

Play with

Tools -> Auto Correct Options -> AutoFormat As You Type
Second and Third Sections.

PS - I like how you made this relevant to the forum :)

The MS Office family has a feature, auto correct, where it tried to anticipate how you want material to look, based on your actions (such as the tab you described). You are probably getting on systems that have this on or off, or modified in some way.

In Word 2003 go to the menu bar, "tools", "auto-correct options", and select the options to make it behave the way you want.

Bruce