Javascript: 'window' is not defined

It is from an external js file and it is the only file linked to the page.

OK.

When I double click this file I get the following error

Sounds like you're double-clicking/running a .js file, which will attempt to run the script outside the browser, like a command line script. And that would explain this error:

Windows Script Host Error: 'window' is not defined Code: 800A1391

... not an error you'll see in a browser. And of course, the browser is what supplies the window object.

ADDENDUM: As a course of action, I'd suggest opening the relevant HTML file and taking a peek at the console. If you don't see anything there, it's likely your window.onload definition is simply being hit after the browser fires the window.onload event.

Trying to access an undefined variable will throw you a ReferenceError.

A solution to this is to use typeof:

if (typeof window === "undefined") {
  console.log("Oops, `window` is not defined")
}

or a try catch:

try { window } catch (err) {
  console.log("Oops, `window` is not defined")
}

While typeof window is probably the cleanest of the two, the try catch can still be useful in some cases.

The window object represents an open window in a browser. Since you are not running your code within a browser, but via Windows Script Host, the interpreter won't be able to find the window object, since it does not exist, since you're not within a web browser.