File browse dialog only works partway

[Sallie Satt]

Example:
In Word 2003, I open a file in folder My Documents\w\x\y\z and invoke File
Save As, wanting to save the file in folder My Documents\w\x\m. In the Save
As browse dialog, when I get to folder My Documents\w\x, the display does not
list all of the existing subfolders of x, and among the missing is folder m.
But if I try to create an x\m via the "new folder" button in the Save As
dialog box, it says that the folder already exists.
The first time this happened I had started by clicking on the My Documents
icon, so I tried clicking on the Desktop icon and successfully traversed the
tree from there. But recently it has become "non-negotiable" -- there doesn't
seem to be a workaround. The specific folders involved vary, and sometimes
none of the contained folders are listed while at other times the beginning
of the (alphabetical-sort) list appears.
It is not a performance issue, because the dialog box is not "busy" -- if I
click on the "up" button, for example, the display goes up a level.
The problem doesn't happen every time, but the frequency and severity seem
to be gradually increasing since I received this IBM laptop, newly
configured, 2 months ago.

 

[TF]

How long is the total path length? I ask because there's a 256 character
limit and you seem to be filing your documents in sub, sub, sub-folders. The
256 character limit includes characters that you cannot see as they are
stored as UNC paths, even if you use and are displaying drive letters. This
is a Windows limitation, not Word.



: Example:
: In Word 2003, I open a file in folder My Documents\w\x\y\z and invoke File
: Save As, wanting to save the file in folder My Documents\w\x\m. In the
Save
: As browse dialog, when I get to folder My Documents\w\x, the display does
not
: list all of the existing subfolders of x, and among the missing is folder
m.
: But if I try to create an x\m via the "new folder" button in the Save As
: dialog box, it says that the folder already exists.
: The first time this happened I had started by clicking on the My Documents
: icon, so I tried clicking on the Desktop icon and successfully traversed
the
: tree from there. But recently it has become "non-negotiable" -- there
doesn't
: seem to be a workaround. The specific folders involved vary, and sometimes
: none of the contained folders are listed while at other times the
beginning
: of the (alphabetical-sort) list appears.
: It is not a performance issue, because the dialog box is not "busy" -- if
I
: click on the "up" button, for example, the display goes up a level.
: The problem doesn't happen every time, but the frequency and severity seem
: to be gradually increasing since I received this IBM laptop, newly
: configured, 2 months ago.