Word 2007 Is Eating My RAM

[RichD]

Hardware: New mid-level Vector GX computer with two GB RAM and newly released
high-end video card (nVidia 8600 GT). 2.13 Core 2 Due processor.

OS: Vista

MS Office software: Office 2007 (an upgrade from Office XP)

Problem 1

Assume I have a couple of open programs (say Firefox and Thunderbird. When I
switch among them there is no delay. The 2 GB of RAM takes care of
everything. Exception: When Word is included among the open programs, when I
switch from any of them to Word (whether Word XP before I installed Word
2007, or Word 2007) there is a four-second delay during which time I cannot
use Word in any way or fashion. From past experience with an old computer
that lacked sufficient RAM, I can tell the switch to Word is utilizing the
hard drive and not RAM.

Problem 2

I have an external USB hard drive. I also have 662 MB (size on disk) of Word
files in 97-2003 file format (.doc). For reasons I will explain in problem 3,
I have divided that 662 MB into two roughly equal main folders.

Using Windows Explorer and the Windows Copy/Paste commands, when I try to
copy one of those Word folders to the external USB hard drive, I usually get
a transfer rate of about 40 KB (not MB) per second. At that rate it can take
ten to 20 hours for the backup.

Contrast that (and this is important) with my ability to transfer my
Pictures folder (3.2 GB) at about 19 MB (not KB) per second, and my Music
folder (909 MB) at about the same 19 MB per second.

Due to the slowness of the Word transfer I must reboot and then try the
transfer again. At that time, and due to the clearing of the RAM, I usually
get about 1/4th of one MB per second (about 225 KB per second) if I am lucky;
most often it drops down to about 165 KB per second. It’s still a very slow
backup, but at least I can do it.

Problem 3

I can transfer one of those Word folders (about ½ of 662 MB) to the external
HD, but in order to transfer the other one (about ½ of 662 MB) I must again
reboot. If I try to do that second transfer without rebooting, the copying
process starts and then stops part way through and I get an “insufficient
memory†notice.

All in all, it takes two reboots to transfer 662 MB to the external hard
drive, and the copy process is slow, slow, slow.

I purchased Office 2007 in the belief Vista had somehow crippled Word XP (I
had no problem whatsoever with my Word XP backups when I used the XP OS in my
prior computer with just one MB). But nothing changed when I installed Office
2007. I don’t feel too good about that.

My questions are:
1. Why is Word eating up my RAM?
2. How can that be remedied?
3. Will SP-1 fix it if there is no current fix?

 

[Graham Mayor]

There are two issues here:

1. Slow starting of Word. Does Word start slowly if you start it in its safe
mode (hold the CTRL key whilst starting and acknowledge the prompt). If not
then you probably have a problem with an incompatible of corrupt add-in or
the normal.dotm template. See
http://www.gmayor.com/what_to_do_when_word_crashes.htm then
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/ProbsOpeningWord.htm . Whether or not
this effects an improvement, it is probable that your antt-virus software
has a plug-in or dll that is slowing the start. This is a particular issue
with Norton AV. If you are using that, turn off the Office plug-in.

2. USB transfer speeds have nothing whatsoever to do with Word and should be
addressed in an appropriate Windows forum.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP


<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[RichD]

1. Word opens quickly in both normal startup and Safe Mode. That has never
been a problem.

2. I don’t use NAV but rather Kaspersky.

3. When Word (both XP and 2007) transfers at only about 200 kbps, and other
data files like Pictures and Music transfer at about 19 mbps, I’d say that is
not a USB problem but rather a Word or Vista problem.

4. When the system runs out of memory transferring a mere 662 MB of Word
files (XP and 2007) but does not do so when transferring 3.2 GB of Picture
files, I’d say that is not a USB problem but rather a Word or Vista problem.

5. When there is a four second lockup switching from any program to Word (XP
and 2007) but not among other programs, I’d say that is a Word or Vista
problem.

If anyone else has any comments, or has experience with similar issues, I
would appreciate your assistance.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Files are files when it comes to copying them. The content is irrelevant and
Word has nothing to do with it.
Vista may be at issue, but from your description it sounds like a hardware
problem related to your disc filing system.
Corrupt and cross linked files would certainly cause lock-ups. This can (for
example) be as a result of disconnection of a USB drive during a file
transfer operation especially if the USB drive is of a type that draws its
power from the USB port.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP


<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[RichD]

This is very important: I can take those same Word files, put them on the XP
OS from whence they originated, use the same external USB hard drive, and (a)
there is no switching hesitation problem; (b) There is no RAM problem
(inability to transfer 662 MB without running out of memory); (c) There is no
slow transfer rate problem.

My USB drive is sometimes connected directly to the computer and sometimes
plugged into a four-port USB device that has an independent power supply
source (is plugged into a 120v wall fixture). The problem persists in either
case.

The reason I have not posted to Vista or hardware forums is that the three
Word problems - though confined to a machine running Vista - only relate to
Word (both in its XP and 2007 models).