My Word 97 files become HUGE immediately 3

[kageglantz]

Have a problem, would love some help. Every time I save a WORD 97 file, it immediately becomes huge. Example: I save a file with four words in it, it's 19,000 bytes; but if I hit Enter and add another six words, it is suddenly 425,000 bytes! A couple of pages takes about 15 seconds to save and is over a million bytes. What could be happening? I don't see any Macros saved in the Macros, nor anything abnormal in the Templates. Where could the extra size be coming from?

MANY THANKS for any guidance -- Kage Glatnz

 

[byundt]

I'm betting your normal.dot file is equally large. Please try renaming it to normal.old and repeat your experiment.

Do this while Word is not running. Renaming it causes Word to create a new one to factory specifications the next time it launches. Location varies, but on my computer it is in C:\Documents and Settings\my Windows log-in name\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates Please use the Search tool in Windows Explorer to find your file(s)--and note that you may have more than one. You may need to turn on viewing of system files in order to find your normal.dot. To do so, open Windows Explorer, and go to Tools-Folder Options. Choose the View tab, and choose to Show Hidden Files and Folders. I suggested renaming the file rather than deleting it outright just in case you have some macros (or other useful customizations) stored there and renaming the file didn't fix your original problem.

Brad

 

[kageglantz]

Dear Byundt -- thanks so much for replying to my email. However, when I renamed my old normal.dot file(s) as normal.old, the same thing happened again: the normal.dot file is only 19,000 bytes, but as soon as I save anything longer than a line, the file size zooms up to a half million, and after a page it is well over a million bytes. What else could be the problem? Could hitting ENTER possible trigger something else?

 

[xlhelp]

Tools, Options, Save tab- turn off Allow Fast Saves

http://www.geniusmedia.ca

 

[kageglantz]

XLHelp -- just want to say that I BELIEVE your fix has solved the problem. Not sure how ALLOW FAST SAVES had gotten checked, but it was almost crippling... Again, many thanks!

 

[fumei]

Fast Saves was an old DOS idea, and should not really be used any more. It makes a hidden "image" of the file that is retained. Back in Word 6.0 it would make multiple copies of the file and hide them. It eventually would suck up all memory (RAM!) doing this.

It is much better to make explicit saves of your files. having the system do it is, now, simply a poor idea.

Gerry
See my Paintings and Sculpture

 

[kageglantz]

Dear XLHelp and Fumei -- thanks very much for your help. The problem has ALMOST been solved by not allowing Fast Saves: my files are much much smaller, which is great. However, a new problem has now appeared. EACH time I save a WORD 97 file I'm working on, a new file begins running, each one named WRL{4 digits}.tmp This is annoying because a new one appears EVERY time I save a file; i.e., if I save a file 10 times, TEN WRL1234.tmp files are then running. This means that eventually I have to exit Word and start again, so my RAM doesn't get squeezed. Any way I can not allow Fast Saves but ALSO not get WRL.tmp files ?

Many thanks!!! Ken Chowder

 

[xlhelp]

Hi, Ken. Word temp files are good. They help you recover your data if something goes wrong.

They should also delete themselves once you are done with the document. If that's not happening, then you need to look at why not.

Here is a little more info on Temp files.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;211632

http://www.geniusmedia.ca

 

[kageglantz]

Thanks again for the help, xl. But I'm not sure you entirely understood: every time I save a file, a new Temp file is created. I.e., if I work on a document all day and save it forty times, I have forty versions of it running AT ONCE. I believe there should only be ONE version (the latest) of any given document running as a temp file. That's how I'd like to configure it, if possible. Any ideas?? Many thanks, again!

 

[xlhelp]

Hi, Ken.

These may not abate your agony but, here is more info:

http://wordtips.vitalnews.com/Pages/T1016_Too_Many_Temporary_Files.html

http://word.mvps.org/faqs/general/AutomaticSave.htm

http://www.geniusmedia.ca

 

[kageglantz]

Dear XlHelp -- thanks again for your time. Not that it helped; I read the three articles and one seemed on the mark, but the advice it gave was baffling (or not meant for Word 97). It contained this: "It should be noted that you will only see the TMP temporary files if you have the Files of Type setting in the Open dialog box set to All Files." Well, I don't THINK I HAVE a dialog box called "Open." So I couldn't change it, much as I would like to. I don't guess you have any suggestions?

In any case, many thanks, again. And best -- Kage

 

[byundt]

Kage,
The link was talking about the File...Open menu item. So you most definitely do have a dialog box called "Open".
Brad

 

[kageglantz]

Thanks, byundt, for your post.