Word Hanging on Network Documents

[Jeff]

Windows xp sp2, Word 2000, Windows Server 2003.

One of our users is having a problem (about half of the time) when opening
word documents from the server. After opening the document, word will hang
anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds (sometimes longer) and then continues on
normally. It happens with all documents and it doesn't matter how small or
big the document is. All other applications/file types open fine from the
network so I don't believe there is an issue related to the network.

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

I suspect that the problem is with documents created on an older server
configuration. Word is trying to find the template. On a tangent, it is not
a good idea to be opening existing documents and using them as the basis for
new work. That is the purpose of templates.
http://addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm

Graham Mayor posted the following solution in November 2004. I expect that
it works but haven't tried it.

You could run the following macro on a folder and it will apply the normal
template to all the documents in that folder. Enter the path to normal.dot
in the relevant place near the end of the macro to reflect your own
installation:

Sub ApplyNormalTemplate()
Dim myFile As String
Dim PathToUse As String
Dim myDoc As Document

With Dialogs(wdDialogCopyFile)
If .Display <> 0 Then
PathToUse = .Directory
Else
MsgBox "Cancelled by User"
Exit Sub
End If
End With

If Documents.Count > 0 Then
Documents.Close Savechanges:=wdPromptToSaveChanges
End If

If Left(PathToUse, 1) = Chr(34) Then
PathToUse = Mid(PathToUse, 2, Len(PathToUse) - 2)
End If

myFile = Dir$(PathToUse & "*.doc")

While myFile <> ""
Set myDoc = Documents.Open(PathToUse & myFile)
ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate = "D:\Word Templates\normal.dot"

myDoc.Close Savechanges:=wdSaveChanges
myFile = Dir$()
Wend
End Sub

See http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm

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


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

Hope this helps,

--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide




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from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[TF]

If the documents are looking for a template that has been moved (because of
a server upgrade?), get the Network Admin to add a redirect to the new path.



: Windows xp sp2, Word 2000, Windows Server 2003.
:
: One of our users is having a problem (about half of the time) when opening
: word documents from the server. After opening the document, word will
hang
: anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds (sometimes longer) and then continues on
: normally. It happens with all documents and it doesn't matter how small
or
: big the document is. All other applications/file types open fine from the
: network so I don't believe there is an issue related to the network.
:
: Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
:
:

 

[Guest]

...On a tangent, it is not a good idea to be opening existing documents and
using them as the basis for new work. That is the purpose of templates.

Why is it not a good idea Charles?

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Look in this newsgroup for the thread on the subject:
What are the features and benefits of using a Word Template?


--
For more on the different kinds of templates, tabs on the file new dialog,
and locations of templates folders see
http://addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply. But does it actually do any harm to load, say, a
previous fax message, and then overwrite parts of it (such as the main
text!) and then save as the new document?

 

[Jay Freedman]

It doesn't usually do tangible *harm*, but it has several risks:

- If you forget to Save As to a new document name and instead just
Save, you will permanently overwrite the original document. If you
don't have a backup copy and you really need the original document for
reference, you've just shot yourself in the foot. This is harder to do
when you use a template and make a new document each time.

- The old document could have "personally identifiable information"
(in the clumsy MS-speak terminology) that you might not want the new
recipient to have. A lot of this stuff is in places you might not
think to look before you hit Send. Read
http://www.msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/odc_wd2003_ta/html/odc_WDProtectWord2003.asp.

- The more often you edit a single document, the greater the risk of
permanent document corruption. I can't speak to this personally, as in
more than 10 years I've only encountered one Word document that became
corrupted while I was using it. But all you have to do is to read this
newsgroup for a while to find out how often documents do get corrupted
in the world at large. Practicing safe computing is like any other
safety issue -- you'll never be sorry you did, but you might be sorry
if you don't.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Try using a photocopy machine.
Make a copy of a document that contains fine print.
Copy the copy.
Copy the copy of the copy.
Copy the copy of the copy of the copy.
Copy the copy of the copy of the copy of the copy.
Read the fine print. Chances are that you can read the fine print in the
copy and in the copy of the copy.

Word documents are very complex structures. Each time you press the return
key you save multiple formatting commands. (I think around 50 but could be
off.) Stray mouse movements and keystrokes get saved and their impact
compounds. You can trust me and other experienced users that you will be
happier working from documents created from templates, or you can do what
you want.

Did you read the thread I gave you a reference to? These people know much
more than I do. You'll note that Suzanne does work from copies of documents
in some situations. So do I, so does everyone. We just don't make a practice
of it for most of our work and we realize that each generation of copying
increases the chance of problems.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide




--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

One of the odd results of copying documents over time is that occasionally
when I am working on a document that is "behaving badly," I'll check the
Compatibility Options for any peculiar settings and realize that the options
are set to Word 2.0! But I'm just now in the process of gradually updating
letter templates that, over the years, I've based on templates that shipped
with Word 2.0, so a lot of this oddity actually comes from the templates as
well as from copying documents.

Like Jay, I haven't had a corrupt document in years, at least not one that
originated on my machine. I've seen some strange things in documents
converted from WordPerfect and not sufficiently sanitized, but the worst
corruption problems I ever had were in Word 97 before any of the patches
(IIRC). There were a number of bugs that tended to cause corruption in
headers and footers, and I was dogged by them in documents I was creating as
chapters of a book manuscript.

 

[TF]

My two-cents-worth!

My experience in supporting a small workgroup is that whenever an error or
corruption does occur, you can absolutely guarantee that the user has been
editing an old document to send out to a different customer. Apart from the
dangers of leaving traces of a previous customers name somewhere in the
document, it seems to risk the chances of corruptions many fold.

I don't know why this should be the case though. Like the others, in all my
years using Word, I have rarely corrupted a document myself - but normal
users seem expert at it! I can't give you a perfect explanation why this is
true, but experience shows that starting with a new document from a template
is the safest procedure.

Terry Farrell


: Thanks for the reply. But does it actually do any harm to load, say, a
: previous fax message, and then overwrite parts of it (such as the main
: text!) and then save as the new document?
:
:
: : > Look in this newsgroup for the thread on the subject:
: > What are the features and benefits of using a Word Template?
: >
: >
: > --
: > For more on the different kinds of templates, tabs on the file new
dialog,
: > and locations of templates folders see
: > http://addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm.
: > --
: >
: > Charles Kenyon
: >
: > Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word
: >
: > Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
: > Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide
: >
: >
: > --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
: > This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
: > and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
: > from my ignorance and your wisdom.
: >
: >
: >>
: >> : >>>...On a tangent, it is not a good idea to be opening existing documents
: >>>and using them as the basis for new work. That is the purpose of
: >>>templates.
: >> Why is it not a good idea Charles?
: >>
: >
: >
:
:

 

[Guest]

Yes, understood. But in my case, I often re-use invoices, just changing the
date and amount (they are to the same company). Also, I re-use faxes, but of
course make darned sure they are addressed properly! Nothing seems to go
wrong (so far). But I just wanted to make sure I wasn't storing up trouble
for the future.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

You are storing up trouble, but nothing major so long as you have the
original template around when you do get into a jam.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide




--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Guest]

Sorry Charles, but exactly what trouble am I storing up!?

 

[Charles Kenyon]

There are only so many times I can repeat myself, and I've run out of my
annual allowance in this thread.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide




--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Guest]

Sorry Charles

All I can find in that lot is a clear indication of who you are and how you
tick! (Very enthusiastically). If you won't tell me here please give me one
URL where I'll find out exactly why I should not re-use documents, changing
their content (and sometimes names) as required.

Thanks for your efforts, Charles.