Project Compare maxing out CPU

[Tito]

I'm trying to use Project Compare with Project 2007 and the CPU keeps maxing
out. I haven't had this happen before and thought this might be the result
of file bloating (I tried some of the FAQ suggestions and reduced the file
size from 22MB to 6MB for a relatively small file containing 2600 tasks).
The utility starts without a problem and goes on for a few minutes without a
hitch until I forget to leave my computer completely alone and try doing some
other work...once I switch over to any other application the Project goes
into a Not Responding mode and my CPU usage varies from 50% to 95% making my
system useless until I terminate the application.

I've used Project Compare in the past and haven't experienced any problems.
Any solutions would be greatly appreciated. If there's an upper limit i.e.,
number of tasks, that hasn't been posted anywhere I'd appreciate knowing that
limit.

 

[John]

I'm trying to use Project Compare with Project 2007 and the CPU keeps maxing
out. I haven't had this happen before and thought this might be the result
of file bloating (I tried some of the FAQ suggestions and reduced the file
size from 22MB to 6MB for a relatively small file containing 2600 tasks).
The utility starts without a problem and goes on for a few minutes without a
hitch until I forget to leave my computer completely alone and try doing some
other work...once I switch over to any other application the Project goes
into a Not Responding mode and my CPU usage varies from 50% to 95% making my
system useless until I terminate the application.

I've used Project Compare in the past and haven't experienced any problems.
Any solutions would be greatly appreciated. If there's an upper limit i.e.,
number of tasks, that hasn't been posted anywhere I'd appreciate knowing that
limit.

Tito,
The Project Compare utility has some issues and it seems those problems
have increased with each new version of Project. My understanding is
that the utility will be upgraded in the next version of Project but
don't know when that will be.

Meanwhile you might try this end-around run. Try saving the files in a
legacy format (e.g. Project 2003) and then run the utility with that
version. It's certainly not the most desirable solution, but it just
might be enough to get you what you need.

John
Project MVP

 

[Tito]

Hi John,

Thanks for the suggestion, I tried it and that didn't work either. Turns
out the file was severely bloated and contained tons of legacy information
from years of re-use i.e., using save-as to create a new project from an
existing project.

The application works fine now but I'd still like to know if there are other
applications out there that perform a similar function.

Thank you,

Tito

 

[John]

Hi John,

Thanks for the suggestion, I tried it and that didn't work either. Turns
out the file was severely bloated and contained tons of legacy information
from years of re-use i.e., using save-as to create a new project from an
existing project.

The application works fine now but I'd still like to know if there are other
applications out there that perform a similar function.

Thank you,

Tito

Tito,
Actually, using Save As will prevent a file from bloating. Its using the
normal "save" option that tends to append more data and eventually cause
bloat.

I can't tell you if there are other commercially available project
compare utilities because I've never looked - didn't need to. A couple
of years before Microsoft included the Compare Project Versions utility
with Project, (way back in Project 98), I wrote my own project compare
utility. It isn't as generic as Microsoft's version, (it was written for
a more specific environment), but it always worked without a problem.

John
Project MVP