Can't SORT Files + Folders

My files and folders are all out of order when I try to access them from MS Word 2007 (using File, Open), and there is no way to sort them! BUT, when I access the SAME tree of files and folders from Windows Explorer, everything is sorted A - Z perfectly. It's just that when I access these same files/folders from MS Word (using File, Open) the files/folders are all randomly listed, in a jumbled up order, and I have looked everywhere for a Sort button, but can't find one. (I can sort from Windows Explorer, but that doesn't change the order of the files and folders accessed through Word, with the File, Open commands.

This is a new problem, they used to be perfectly sorted --- and I haven't downloaded anything or done any Windows updates recently. I'm running Vista Home Premium (64 bit) and Office 2007.

Just for chuckles take a look in the Tutorials section and see if there's anything about the Standard File Open Dialog settings. If not there, try tweak sites like Major Geeks and Annoyances.

edit: btw I don't have or use MS Word so I don't know if it uses some other dialog. But one of those tweak sites should have a fix.

Solved the problem, by accident. . . when, in desperation, I was stumbling around in the column headings and clicked on the down-arrow just to the right of the word “Name” in the header, and Voila! The list reset alphabetically, and I'm back in business!

I've since found out that alternatively, I also could have double-clicked in the Name section of the column header to re-set the alphabetical order.