"Open" and "Save As" boxes freeze (Office 2003) when changing fold

[Travis]

When I'm in Word or Excel (maybe other office products as well) and try to
open an existing file or save an open file in a directory other than the
default, the program freezes for 30+ seconds before allowing me to maneuver
through the directory structure to other folders. This seems to happen when I
have certain folders mapped on my VPN but don't have the VPN connection open.
Can I change a setting to get Office 2003 to (quickly) ignore these
disconnected folders and simply allow me to navigate the folders that are
active?

 

[Bob I]

Standard fix is to open My Computer and r-click on and Disconnect any
unreachable drives.