Word 2010 crashes when loading a document from SharePoint

Using Word 2010 32 bit, IE 9 32 bit, SharePoint 2010.  When clicking a Word document in SharePoint, Word tries to load, says it is downloading the document and then crashes:

Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:APPCRASH
  Application Name:WINWORD.EXE
  Application Version:14.0.4734.1000
  Application Timestamp:4b58fb0e
  Fault Module Name:wwlib.dll
  Fault Module Version:14.0.4734.1000
  Fault Module Timestamp:4b58fba1
  Exception Code:c0000005
  Exception Offset:00612404
  OS Version:6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.48
  Locale ID:2057

Additional information about the problem:
  LCID:1033
  skulcid:1033

I tried all the fixes I could find - disabling Bluetooth drivers, checking compatibility setting, checking default doc type for saving... but no help.  I tried (don't know why) setting Properties for WINWORD.EXE to 'Run this program as an administrator'. This puts two additional prompt in the way but now Word successfully loads the document.  This is quite replicable - crashes when normal, ok when privileged.

Any ideas why this is, and is there a better fix?  It's time MS sorted this as the history of crashes on load goes back years. It really shouldn't be possible to make the app crash like this.  

Peter