Word 2007 files take forever to open in Vista (was: Will an SSD help?)

[BlouBul]

I performed the tests you had outlined as above. Here are the results of the first series (open the C# file from outside Word, then open my big file from outside Word, and then open the C# file from outside Word again): 0:25, 3:28, 0:27.

Next I created the test file as you requested, and then opened it from outside Word. The loading time was 3:34.

All of these tests were performed with the grammar and spell checks ON.

So nothing seems to have changed, except that I'm no longer getting the little animation at the bottom as the document is loading, even though I turned the two checks back on.

Hi JorgeA,

Welcome back.

Hope your project went smoothly.

Those results show me something is different between the C# file and your file (maybe graphics). Try highlighting everything and set language to english as PuntoMX suggested.

Did you check "mark grammar errors as you type". That turned my animation back on.

Failing that, I will let you in dencorso's capable hands to help you to make the image and start the optimising process. I still suspect it will be fixed if you uninstall Norton (although I know you do not want to hear that!).

Can you also please check which firmware your hdd has. (nothing to do with this problem, but I noticed you got the dreaded 7200.11 series that can suddenly turn into a brick if you do not update the firmware). Only do that after you have imaged your drive.

Edited October 19, 2010 by BlouBul

[JorgeA]

Hi BlouBul,

Thanks, it's good to be back!

It was an intense project, but fully worth it when payment arrives.

I highlighted the C# file that you had me prepare, and made sure that everything in it was set as English. The "mark grammar erros as you type" is checked (turned ON). But the animation hasn't come back!

As for checking the firmware on my HDD, I'm not sure how to do that. I opened Device Manager, right-clicked on the listing for the drive, and looked around the Properties, but nothing there jumps out at me as referring to "firmware."

BlouBul, thank you VERY much for all the insight and investigation that you have contributed to this long discussion. I do hope that you won't step completely off the stage!

--JorgeA

[BlouBul]

I highlighted the C# file that you had me prepare, and made sure that everything in it was set as English. The "mark grammar erros as you type" is checked (turned ON). But the animation hasn't come back!

Does it open faster now from inside Word? Does it make a difference if you do the same with your big file?

As for checking the firmware on my HDD, I'm not sure how to do that. I opened Device Manager, right-clicked on the listing for the drive, and looked around the Properties, but nothing there jumps out at me as referring to "firmware."

Try downloading Seatools - that will tell you the firmware.

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools

The other option is to physically take your drive out and see what is written on the label.

Some info on 7200.11 series (you do not have to read all the posts!)

and the shortened version http://www.mapleleafmountain.com/seagatebrick.html

As I suspect you do not really want to go through that , I recommend you update your firmware, before your drive "bricks", but after the image.

BlouBul, thank you VERY much for all the insight and investigation that you have contributed to this long discussion. I do hope that you won't step completely off the stage!

You're welcome. I won't totally disappear, I will just leave it in the hands of the experts (I will definitely chip in if I feel I can give some useful input). I also got some things that will take some of my time up this week, but I'll try to pop in from time to time. I am also curious how to go about this optimizing, so I will be around.

[JorgeA]

Try downloading Seatools - that will tell you the firmware.

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools

The other option is to physically take your drive out and see what is written on the label.

Some info on 7200.11 series (you do not have to read all the posts!)

and the shortened version http://www.mapleleafmountain.com/seagatebrick.html

As I suspect you do not really want to go through that , I recommend you update your firmware, before your drive "bricks", but after the image.

BlouBul,

Thanks for alerting me to this potential problem with the HDD. Using the information you provided, I looked it up and, fortunately, the Seagate utility tells me that there is no upgrade available and no action is required. The page says that my drive would have an issue to be addressed if the listing showed up in red, but mine appears in green. So it looks like I should be OK on that score.

Does it open faster now from inside Word? Does it make a difference if you do the same with your big file?

Nope, no difference. The readings all seem to be about the same as before.

--JorgeA

[BlouBul]

Thanks for alerting me to this potential problem with the HDD. Using the information you provided, I looked it up and, fortunately, the Seagate utility tells me that there is no upgrade available and no action is required. The page says that my drive would have an issue to be addressed if the listing showed up in red, but mine appears in green. So it looks like I should be OK on that score.

What firmware version do you have?

I can give you A LOT of other links to show that Seagate has been a little less than honest with the drives they admit to be affected by this bug.

[JorgeA]

What firmware version do you have?

I can give you A LOT of other links to show that Seagate has been a little less than honest with the drives they admit to be affected by this bug.

BlouBul,

The firmware version is HP26. What do you think?

--JorgeA

[BlouBul]

The firmware version is HP26. What do you think?

I think that is the latest , so you should be OK.

[JorgeA]

The firmware version is HP26. What do you think?

I think that is the latest , so you should be OK.

BlouBul,

Whew, that's a relief -- thanks! Pretty scary, that firmware bug.

--JorgeA

[BlouBul]

[Whew, that's a relief -- thanks! Pretty scary, that firmware bug.

Yeah, especially if you never opened a hdd before (99% of the victims) and your data is not backed up (98% of the victims).

BTW. I got a 2 TB external hdd today (opening special in new store - queued for 2 hrs in and 2 hrs out, but got a couple of good deals). I'll try the image thing with you now that I got more space.

[JorgeA]

BTW. I got a 2 TB external hdd today (opening special in new store - queued for 2 hrs in and 2 hrs out, but got a couple of good deals). I'll try the image thing with you now that I got more space.

BlouBul,

Congratulations, excellent! It's just amazing what kinds of deals you can find out there for technology nowadays.

We'll now await dencorso's instructions.

--JorgeA

[dencorso]

I'm around, JorgeA and BlouBul... but this week I've got my hands full.

Maybe on Friday I'll be able to give you both the attention you deserve.

Meanwhile, connect your new drives and find out how they came formatted and partitioned: I'm betting they came as NTFS and with a single full size partition. Is that so?

[JorgeA]

Hey dencorso,

Glad to learn you're OK!

I guess that now it's your turn to be busy.

I'll check the info you requested and get back to you.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Meanwhile, connect your new drives and find out how they came formatted and partitioned: I'm betting they came as NTFS and with a single full size partition. Is that so?

dencorso,

Yes, you're right on both counts. Of course, that size billed as "1TB" is actually 931GB, but's who's counting?

--JorgeA

[dencorso]

Yeah, I thought so...

Well, 1 TB is 1 x 1000^4 (and all disk manufacturers do count in using decimal prefixes, there was a class suit against that in the far past, but since that's been settled, nobody can pretend to be deceived by it anymore), so: 1 TB = 1 x 1000^4 = 931.33 x 1024^3 = 931.33 GiB (as advertised).

No, seriously, a 931 GiB NTFS partition can be OK iff ("iff" meaning "if, and only if") you won't later want it to be compatible with Win 9x/ME. So consider it carefully, and decide. For compatibility with 9x/ME it would necessary to repartition it (two 466 GiB partitions would suffice, but three 310 GiB could be even better) and format the new partitions as FAT-32. However FAT-32 has the 4 GiB -1 byte file size limit, which NTFS has not. This is a decision you'd better take now, while it is painless, because, after you start filling the disk, any such changes become a big PITA.

[JorgeA]

Hi dencorso,

Thanks for the explanation. I knew about the math part (it's still annoying!), but not the legal angle.

As for how to format this external HDD (NTFS vs. FAT32), I think we'll leave it as NTFS because it's going to serve as a repository for images of my Vista HDD. If the time ever comes to install a really big external HDD on the Win98, I can get a whole new one for it.

I'm thinking that maybe I can fit more than one HDD image on that 1TB drive, so that in theory I could have multiple places to jump back to if there should ever be a catastrophic problem with the Vista's HDD. I could do a monthly image, for example, and rotate (delete) the older ones out as new ones are created.

--JorgeA