Hi Steve,
The /a switch is used as a troubleshooting tool to determine if the
problem lies in the Word installation and is typically used to
troubleshoot problems starting Word.
Since you are able to start Word in the first place I would expect
that you would encounter the same problem when starting Word with the
/a switch.
The problem could lie in your graphics driver if the document contains
a lot of images or embedded documents. Try starting Windows in Safe
Mode and see if the problem still occurs. If not then obtain an
updated driver from the manufacturer's web site and see if that
resolves the problem.
btw, idle threats of switching to another application are worthless in
the newsgroups. The majority of us are volunteers and like you, Word
users. We're here to help - not try to sell you on a specific
application.
Additionally since you have been experiencing multiple hangs it is a
good idea to clean your temp files if you haven't done so already:
- Exit Word and Outlook if you are using it as your email editor and
reboot your computer if you recently experienced a crash
- Go to Start/Find/Files or Folders (or Start/Search then select Files
or Folders)
- Change "Look in" to reflect the drive/folder to the root of your
Local drive.
- In the Named text box, type *.tmp
- Click the "Find Now" command
- Delete the temp files you find.
*Note that these can be deleted directly from the Find Results.
To group the files for a single deletion:
- Click any file in the list
- Press <Ctrl A> to select all
Should you encounter a "File in use" error, press <Ctrl> and click the
file to deselect it.
As an additional note, the Owner file is another temporary files Word
creates. If you have been experiencing multiple crashes or if Word has
been hanging on you then it is best to search for Owner files
(~$*.do?) and delete those as well. These can cause "file in use" and
"read only" errors.
Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Word FAQ:
http://mvps.org/word
TechTrax eZine:
http://mousetrax.com/techtrax/
MVP FAQ site:
http://mvps.org/
Steve Brantley said:
I tried this and it still hung up. It hangs on any file over 1000 kb. Thanks
anyway, I've gotten a copy of Acrobat and have converted all my .doc files
to .pdf .
I'm giving up on Microsoft and going to Linux later this year. It's easier
to use and doesn't have as many problems.
Steve