Text Display Problem Immediately After Installing SP3

[JD]

Windows XP and Word 2003 SP3.
When I scroll down a page (using the mouse wheel), text becomes jumbled.
Four or five lines on top of each other. And the scroll wheel no longer
works.
This happens only in Normal view. I can switch to Print Layout view and the
text is cleared up.
Since this problem began "suddenly" after SP3 was successfully installed, I
naturally suspect some connection.
Has anyone else had the same experience?
Is it possible (or advisable) to uninstall SP3?
Thanks for your advice and/or recommendations.

 

[JD]

I have learned that SP3 cannot be uninstalled. I am inclined to uninstall
and reinstall Word.
Intuitively, I would suspect the video display card or drivers, but it seems
to strain coincidence that this problem should arise right after installing
the SP3 patch.
Does it sound as if the fault lies with Word?

 

[Terry Farrell]

It could be either the graphics or printer drivers. I suggest checking that
you have the latest versions of both - downloading if necessary from the
manufacturers' support sites. Then delete and reinstall the printer. If that
doesn't resolve the issue, reinstall the graphics driver.

Strangely, Print Layout View is far more demanding on graphics than Normal
View: it is a really weird problem!

 

[JD]

Thanks Terry,
Since print layout view is more demanding on graphics than normal view,
doesn't this suggest that the problem is with Word?
Again I note that the behavior began immediately after I installed the SP3
patch.
I wonder how the printer driver could be at fault, since Word should display
text on screen even if no printer is installed on the computer.

 

[Terry Farrell]

I agree that it is a really weird problem. I am not 100% sure how Word uses
the printer driver in Normal View, but without a printer driver, Word
invariably won't work at all as it needs printer metrics to calculate layout
and it gets its parameters from the printer driver. So I'd still suggest
checking the printer driver first - maybe trying a different printer driver
to test it as the description of the fault is a typical printer driver
corruption symptom..

Terry

 

[JD]

Thank you for that most interesting info. I never would have thought that
Word would not be functional on a computer with no printer installed.
However, I did uninstall and reinstall Word 2003 (without SP3) and the
problem no longer occurs. Maybe the install of SP3 was "horked," but for the
present I am content to leave well enough alone.
Thanka again.

 

[spyd3r0x]

We are having this exact same problem after the installation of SP3. The
problem is appearing on multiple user's computers, with different display
adapters, different drivers, and different printers. It definitely appears
to be an SP3-related issue.

Like JD said, it appears to happen only in Normal layout. It seems like the
screen isn't refreshing. Once the text gets garbled, if you switch to
another program and then switch back to Word, the screen is then forced to
refresh. Of course, there are many other things you can do to get it to
refresh, that's just an example.

I find that the corruption can occur when you're using a scroll wheel, using
the page down keys, or using the arrow keys, and that it usually happens in a
..txt file (opened in Word), though those are usually the larger files I work
with, so I might have just not seen it in .doc files yet.

Has anyone found a solution to this problem, yet? It is extremely annoying,
as often times I don't even know that the screen has corrupted, until some
bit of text starts to make no sense.

 

[spyd3r0x]

Oh, and my first instinct was to turn down hardware acceleration on the
display adapter. That had no effect.

 

[Terry Farrell]

I recommend that you call Microsoft and report this as a servicepack bug.
Note that all servicepack calls are free of charge.

If you get to the bottom of the problem, please let us know the outcome.

Terry Farrell

 

[spyd3r0x]

What a nightmare that was, I hope I just called the wrong number or
something. After a half hour of having them walk me through generic
troubleshooting methods, I finally got fed up, and asked to talk to someone
who could do more than just read a list off the screen. I am now supposed to
expect a call from a Level 2 tech within the next 24 hours.

I mean, do they really have to tell me to click the "+" sign next to every
registry folder. Just tell me where to go, and I'll go there. Bah! LOL
Oh, and I do know what an Application Data folder is. And no, I have never
had McAfee anti-virus on my computer, so we can stop searching for McAfee
dlls. Yes, I am sure.

Sigh

 

[Terry Farrell]

I know the feeling. I'm surprised they don't have robo-speech reading from
the screen! Just luv help centres...

Terry

 

[spyd3r0x]

Well, after much back and forth with Level 2 support, MS has confirmed this
to be an issue with SP3. And that's all. No promise of a fix, or a
solution, or anything. But at least they admit it's an issue.