Fixed Bug 3.0 Beta 8 Excel/Word Documents Won't Load

Jav400 · 01-06-2009, 03:50 PM

Jim,

I'm not sure just how you would track this one down. But if I have MA3 running in a window and try to start Excel, it won't load. I get the sort of "hung/frozen" thing going and it stays that way.

If I close the aquarium while this is going on, then Excel loads immediately without needing to restart Excel.

Can anyone else try this and see?

EDIT: I have found that if I try to start Excel without any documents loading it will start. But, if I choose something pre-existing from Start/documents, thats when it won't load. The same holds true for MS Word.

Overlord · 01-06-2009, 04:02 PM

I have not had this problem with excel. I am running xp sp3. I personally do not like running other programs while a screen saver is running in the background. It is easier to turn the saver off and when I finish work or games or whatever, I can turn it back on. Besides, I find graphic intense programs slow down other programs and I don't need that going on. But if you need to run the screen saver while running excel I hope you can find a solution.

roseangel · 01-06-2009, 07:44 PM

Although I would not normally run the screensaver in window mode, I tested this and had the same bug. I am running xp sp3 with office 2000.

Dale · 01-06-2009, 08:28 PM

Same behavior - Excel prevented from starting. XP-SP3, Office 2007.

Ralph · 01-06-2009, 08:42 PM

Yes.. I can also duplicate this bug with WindowsXP-sp3. One twist (?) is that if I have the settings dialog box open.. Excel or MSWord has opened but without the initiating file.. takes a long time...Then.. when I close the SS I get multiple copies of the file.. (because I clicked on the file in Explorer multiple times).

Socrates · 01-06-2009, 09:53 PM

No bug with Vista SP1 and Excel 2007.

dom5885 · 01-06-2009, 10:20 PM

No problem with Vista SP1 and Excel 2007, though 'pre-existing' documents are noticeably slower to load than Excel itself.

Bob · 01-07-2009, 12:13 AM

Vista Ultimate running on Intel quad core processor.

Word 97 and Excel 97.

MA3 beta 8 running in window mode.

Opening either program from a shortcut, no problem.
Opening a document in either open program, no problem.

Opening either program by clicking on a document in My Computer or other file manager, very slow to open program with file. Slow enough that you start to think the program is not going to open at all.

No problems opening pdf, wav, avi files by clicking on the file while MA3 is running in a window.

Not a show stopper but would worry new users in particular.

Edgar · 01-07-2009, 01:00 AM

Try to set the sleep settings of the screensaver to 30. While the screensaver is running and in focus, press the cursor up until the sleep value says 30.

cjmaddy · 01-07-2009, 06:34 AM

Same here with Win2000Pro SP4. - I can open Word 2000, but if I click on an existing Word document, it refuses to open. - As soon as the MA3 window is closed, the *.doc opens immediately. - I normally have sleep setting at 17, changing it to 30 makes no difference.

Bob · 01-07-2009, 09:41 AM

Setting sleep to 30 makes no change for me.

Edgar · 01-07-2009, 11:44 AM

That is interesting. I just tried it too and MA3 is slowing down the opening of files.

Jav400 · 01-07-2009, 12:06 PM

My sleep settings are always on 20, and it makes no difference if I change them.

Edgar, it kind of threw me as well when I figured out what MA3 was causing to happen, or not happen as the case may be.

I have no idea on this one. But my office setup is XP SP3 and its office 2k that I use here.

De Bobo Mon · 01-07-2009, 12:57 PM

Originally posted by Edgar:

That is interesting. I just tried it too and MA3 is slowing down the opening of files.

I have seen this happen in office 2000 not related to MA of any flavor running. I have never tried to diagnose it but there have been occasions when the same symptoms occured. I wonder if this is really a windows or office issue that just happens to occur with MA in a window... could it be that other apps have a similar effect?

skypx · 01-07-2009, 11:21 PM

Wow, I really thought this would not affect my system but it does. If the SS is running and I open an excel document it takes about 6 seconds to load, when the SS is off it loads in less than a second. If it helps system specs are below.

Vista 64 w/SP1
Office 2007

Socrates · 01-08-2009, 01:45 AM

Now that everyone mentioned slow file opening,yeah, I see a very slight slow down with MA3 open using Excel 2007 and Vista SP1 when opening a file or double clicking to open a file. But this does not seem like it's enough of a slow down where I would have noticed it if it had not been pointed out. I mean maybe an extra second.

cjmaddy · 01-08-2009, 05:08 AM

Originally posted by cjmaddy:

.... if I click on an existing Word document, it refuses to open. - As soon as the MA3 window is closed, the *.doc opens immediately.....

I decided to do some more testing. A Word document will eventually open, - after about two minutes 10 seconds.

With a MA2.6 window open on the screen, the document file opens immediately.

Dale · 01-08-2009, 10:03 AM

Originally posted by cjmaddy:

I decided to do some more testing. A Word document will eventually open, - after about two minutes 10 seconds.

With a MA2.6 window open on the screen, the document file opens immediately.

Yeah, that's the way it works on my system, too. Thanks for the observation.

WXP Pro SP3 on a fairly healthy system, Office 2007.

It takes 50 seconds for the empty Excel screen to appear, and another full minute for a very small document to appear. Total 1 minute 50 seconds.

sunny · 01-08-2009, 07:53 PM

Originally posted by Jav400:

My sleep settings are always on 20, and it makes no difference if I change them.

Edgar, it kind of threw me as well when I figured out what MA3 was causing to happen, or not happen as the case may be.

I have no idea on this one. But my office setup is XP SP3 and its office 2k that I use here.

I've tested out the MA3 in windowed mode. Launch Excel & Word with no problem at all (with sleep setting range from -1 to 30).

My setup is a Acer laptop running Celeron 1.5GHz with 2Gig of ram. WinXP Pro SP3 and Office 2K3.

Dale · 01-08-2009, 08:33 PM

Originally posted by sunny:

I've tested out the MA3 in windowed mode. Launch Excel & Word with no problem at all (with sleep setting range from -1 to 30).

My setup is a Acer laptop running Celeron 1.5GHz with 2Gig of ram. WinXP Pro SP3 and Office 2K3.

Is that launching Excel or Word by clicking on a *.xls or *.doc file (or a shortcut to a file)? That's where I see the problem.

If MA3 is running, and I just launch Excel or Word (blank - no document associated), then they open quickly. But that's not the problem.

01-06-2009, 03:50 PM	#1
Jav400 Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Tennessee Posts: 9,725	Excel/Word Documents Won't Load Jim, I'm not sure just how you would track this one down. But if I have MA3 running in a window and try to start Excel, it won't load. I get the sort of "hung/frozen" thing going and it stays that way. If I close the aquarium while this is going on, then Excel loads immediately without needing to restart Excel. Can anyone else try this and see? EDIT: I have found that if I try to start Excel without any documents loading it will start. But, if I choose something pre-existing from Start/documents, thats when it won't load. The same holds true for MS Word. Michael Administrator of Inside:SereneScreen Aquarium Forum, Chatroom, Fan Site & *Gallery* DVD Collection

01-06-2009, 09:53 PM	#6
Socrates Sage Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: West Hills, CA Posts: 1,529	No bug with Vista SP1 and Excel 2007. Bat rays? We don't need no stinking bat rays!

01-07-2009, 01:00 AM	#9
Edgar Prolific/SereneScreen Developer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Norwalk, CA Posts: 513	Try to set the sleep settings of the screensaver to 30. While the screensaver is running and in focus, press the cursor up until the sleep value says 30. *Edgar Tolentino* Prolific Developer www.prolific.com www.LifeGlobe.com

01-07-2009, 11:44 AM	#12
Edgar Prolific/SereneScreen Developer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Norwalk, CA Posts: 513	That is interesting. I just tried it too and MA3 is slowing down the opening of files. *Edgar Tolentino* Prolific Developer www.prolific.com www.LifeGlobe.com

01-07-2009, 12:06 PM	#13
Jav400 Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Tennessee Posts: 9,725	My sleep settings are always on 20, and it makes no difference if I change them. Edgar, it kind of threw me as well when I figured out what MA3 was causing to happen, or not happen as the case may be. I have no idea on this one. But my office setup is XP SP3 and its office 2k that I use here. Michael Administrator of Inside:SereneScreen Aquarium Forum, Chatroom, Fan Site & *Gallery* DVD Collection

01-06-2009, 04:02 PM	#2
Overlord Registered Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 72	I have not had this problem with excel. I am running xp sp3. I personally do not like running other programs while a screen saver is running in the background. It is easier to turn the saver off and when I finish work or games or whatever, I can turn it back on. Besides, I find graphic intense programs slow down other programs and I don't need that going on. But if you need to run the screen saver while running excel I hope you can find a solution.

01-06-2009, 07:44 PM	#3
roseangel Registered Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 46	Although I would not normally run the screensaver in window mode, I tested this and had the same bug. I am running xp sp3 with office 2000.

01-06-2009, 08:28 PM	#4
Dale Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Missouri Posts: 960	Same behavior - Excel prevented from starting. XP-SP3, Office 2007.

01-06-2009, 08:42 PM	#5
Ralph Retired Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Edmonton Alberta Ca Posts: 2,454	Yes.. I can also duplicate this bug with WindowsXP-sp3. One twist (?) is that if I have the settings dialog box open.. Excel or MSWord has opened but without the initiating file.. takes a long time...Then.. when I close the SS I get multiple copies of the file.. (because I clicked on the file in Explorer multiple times).

01-06-2009, 10:20 PM	#7
dom5885 Registered Join Date: May 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17	No problem with Vista SP1 and Excel 2007, though 'pre-existing' documents are noticeably slower to load than Excel itself.

01-07-2009, 12:13 AM	#8
Bob Registered Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 103	Vista Ultimate running on Intel quad core processor. Word 97 and Excel 97. MA3 beta 8 running in window mode. Opening either program from a shortcut, no problem. Opening a document in either open program, no problem. Opening either program by clicking on a document in My Computer or other file manager, very slow to open program with file. Slow enough that you start to think the program is not going to open at all. No problems opening pdf, wav, avi files by clicking on the file while MA3 is running in a window. Not a show stopper but would worry new users in particular.

01-07-2009, 06:34 AM	#10
cjmaddy Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 7,854	Same here with Win2000Pro SP4. - I can open Word 2000, but if I click on an existing Word document, it refuses to open. - As soon as the MA3 window is closed, the *.doc opens immediately. - I normally have sleep setting at 17, changing it to 30 makes no difference.

01-07-2009, 09:41 AM	#11
Bob Registered Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 103	Setting sleep to 30 makes no change for me.

01-07-2009, 12:57 PM	#14
De Bobo Mon Registered Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Tennessee Posts: 30	Originally posted by Edgar: That is interesting. I just tried it too and MA3 is slowing down the opening of files. I have seen this happen in office 2000 not related to MA of any flavor running. I have never tried to diagnose it but there have been occasions when the same symptoms occured. I wonder if this is really a windows or office issue that just happens to occur with MA in a window... could it be that other apps have a similar effect?

01-07-2009, 11:21 PM	#15
skypx Dual Xeon Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Grovetown, GA Posts: 93	Wow, I really thought this would not affect my system but it does. If the SS is running and I open an excel document it takes about 6 seconds to load, when the SS is off it loads in less than a second. If it helps system specs are below. Vista 64 w/SP1 Office 2007 Asus Rampage II Extreme\|Intel Core i7 965\|Corsair Dominator 6G\|Western Digital VelociRaptor\|Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB\|Seagate Barracuda ES.2\|EVGA 9800 GX2\|LG GGW H20N\|Sony BWU 300S\|Pioneer DVR-215L\|Logitech G9\|Dell 3008WFP\|Cooler Master Stacker 832\|Thermaltake W0133RU

01-08-2009, 01:45 AM	#16
Socrates Sage Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: West Hills, CA Posts: 1,529	Now that everyone mentioned slow file opening,yeah, I see a very slight slow down with MA3 open using Excel 2007 and Vista SP1 when opening a file or double clicking to open a file. But this does not seem like it's enough of a slow down where I would have noticed it if it had not been pointed out. I mean maybe an extra second. Bat rays? We don't need no stinking bat rays!

01-08-2009, 05:08 AM	#17
cjmaddy Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 7,854	Originally posted by cjmaddy: .... if I click on an existing Word document, it refuses to open. - As soon as the MA3 window is closed, the *.doc opens immediately..... I decided to do some more testing. A Word document will eventually open, - after about two minutes 10 seconds. With a MA2.6 window open on the screen, the document file opens immediately.

01-08-2009, 10:03 AM	#18
Dale Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Missouri Posts: 960	Originally posted by cjmaddy: I decided to do some more testing. A Word document will eventually open, - after about two minutes 10 seconds. With a MA2.6 window open on the screen, the document file opens immediately. Yeah, that's the way it works on my system, too. Thanks for the observation. WXP Pro SP3 on a fairly healthy system, Office 2007. It takes 50 seconds for the empty Excel screen to appear, and another full minute for a very small document to appear. Total 1 minute 50 seconds.

01-08-2009, 07:53 PM	#19
sunny Registered Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Penang,Malaysia Posts: 277	Originally posted by Jav400: My sleep settings are always on 20, and it makes no difference if I change them. Edgar, it kind of threw me as well when I figured out what MA3 was causing to happen, or not happen as the case may be. I have no idea on this one. But my office setup is XP SP3 and its office 2k that I use here. I've tested out the MA3 in windowed mode. Launch Excel & Word with no problem at all (with sleep setting range from -1 to 30). My setup is a Acer laptop running Celeron 1.5GHz with 2Gig of ram. WinXP Pro SP3 and Office 2K3. .¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º>° °o°°Oo°oO° ><(((°>° °<°)))><

01-08-2009, 08:33 PM	#20
Dale Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Missouri Posts: 960	Originally posted by sunny: I've tested out the MA3 in windowed mode. Launch Excel & Word with no problem at all (with sleep setting range from -1 to 30). My setup is a Acer laptop running Celeron 1.5GHz with 2Gig of ram. WinXP Pro SP3 and Office 2K3. Is that launching Excel or Word by clicking on a .xls or .doc file (or a shortcut to a file)? That's where I see the problem. If MA3 is running, and I just launch Excel or Word (blank - no document associated), then they open quickly. But that's not the problem.