Save When Resolution=800x512->Freeze!

[osakans]

My wife suffers from macular degeneration (she is legally blind) and
uses our Apple Cinema Display in 800x512 resolution so that all the
text is enlarged. We previously used versions of Microsoft Office from
Word 6 through Word v.X and have now upgraded to Word 2004. In Word
2004, the save dialog box is so large that when she chooses to save a
file, the program freezes with a spinning beach-ball because the sheet
will not fit under the title bar of the window. The beach ball
continues to spin even if she changes the resolution back to 1600x1024.
The consequence is needing to Force Quit Word.

Word is the only program that exhibits this bizarre behavior. Is there
a reason that people working in 800x512 mode can't save documents in
Word? Shouldn't there be a way to get back a save dialog box that is
the same size as the one in previous versions of Word?

 

[Michel Bintener]

I've just had a look at Microsoft's website, and they state that one of the
minimum system requirements for Office 2004 is a screen resolution of at
least 1024 x 768, whereas v.X only needs 800 x 600. I guess that's the
answer to your question. Since your wife needs the small resolution, I'd
suggest going back to Office X, that is unless someone else on this
newsgroup has another solution?
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/howtobuy.aspx?pid=sysreq
Kind regards
Michel

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Word is the only program that exhibits this bizarre behavior. Is there
a reason that people working in 800x512 mode can't save documents in
Word? Shouldn't there be a way to get back a save dialog box that is
the same size as the one in previous versions of Word?

As pointed out by Michel Bintener, Office 2004's minimum specified
resolution is 1024 x 768. I could reproduce the hang when I tried 800 x
500 on my PB, but I could get the dialog to show up at 800 x 600. I
don't know what, if any, problems might occur at that resolution.

 

[osakans]

As pointed out by Michel Bintener, Office 2004's minimum specified
resolution is 1024 x 768. I could reproduce the hang when I tried 800 x
500 on my PB, but I could get the dialog to show up at 800 x 600. I
don't know what, if any, problems might occur at that resolution.

Oh, I don't think it's a problem of Microsoft failing to disclose the
requirement. What I don't understand is why a word processing program
can't save a file without the screen being in 800x600 mode or higher.
It's a word processor, not a specialized 3D animation program, not a
financial analysis toolkit, not a program for running a nuclear
reactor. The program works fine in all other respects in 800x512 mode
and it would even be OK if it cut off the bottom of the sheet so long
as you could type the name blind (no pun intended) and click enter.
Why wouldn't Microsoft even offer a fallback to the old method?

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

One stab in the dark to try--the triangle next to the filename box in the
Save dialog switches between a small dialog and an expanded dialog that lets
you navigate somewhere to save the file. Since you think the problem is
caused by the size of the dialog, it may be worth checking whether the
smaller dialog prevents it. The setting is sticky--once it's set, it will
stay that way.

Alternatively, since you think the width of the Save dialog is the problem,
can you make the document window any wider?

DM

 

[osakans]

Nope. Good idea, though. I think it's a height rather than width issue
since people report it working in 800x600 (rather than 800x512) mode.