Odd Problem With Windows and Word 2000

[drdan]

I have Word 2000 on two different computers one with w2k and the other with XP Pro. The Word 2000 was installed as part of Office 2000. Just in the last few days both systems started having problems with Word. It hangs when trying to open it and instead of the usual 5-10 seconds it takes 30 seconds to a minute. When I try to use spell check I get this error (see below) on both systems. I have not had any problems with either before. When the first one occurred I figured something had been corrupted but to get the exact same problem on two systems at the same time makes it seem like it is not really just a Word problem. These are in different locations as well. The only common thread I can see is both have been kept up to date with both Windows and Norton updates.

Anybody have any ideas? I can reinstall and I'm sure I'll try that but this seems pretty weird. I can find these files on the installation CD but nowhere else on my computer.

http://www.drdansinfo.com/error.JPG

[Paul Komski]

Don't know if this (http://www.wordforums.com/t22122-s) will help at all if the settings have somehow got changed.

Only other thing might be to repair or reinstall from the install CD.

[shanmuga]

If you have enabled norton autoprotect to scan all files, It will delay opening of word files substantially. You can see 'requesting virus scan' in the status bar, If that is the case. For the MS word problem check out the links

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;240408

http://www.thenakedpc.com/articles/v05/05/0505-04.html

[drdan]

Thanks for the links. I suppose I'll get it fixed although it looks like it's harder than I imagined.

My point is not so much fixing word but what happened to cause this? Both suddenly started opening slow (NAV had been enabled for years and it never was one tenth that slow). Both were suddenly be missing the exact same files (according a search they are not on the computer anymore at all). This is on a home computer with w2k and my office computer with XP. That can't be coincidence, somethings up.

NAV shows both computers to be virus free.

[Budfred]

Have you run other security scans, spyware and online virus scan?? If so, you could run HijackThis and post the log for review...

[shanmuga]

Originally posted by drdan
The only common thread I can see is both have been kept up to date with both Windows and Norton updates.. May be because of this,
Users of the Norton products reported that their PCs locked up or slowed down after downloading the latest virus definitions on Wednesday and Thursday. Symantec itself reported that "after January 7th your computer slows down and Microsoft Word and Excel will not start."
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39118996,00.htm

[Whyzman]

From the research I did on this, it appears that MS doesn't even know what triggers the problem. It seems as though it continues to show up through Word 2002 and Word XP...

Here's one solution that apparently works:

http://www.thenakedpc.com/articles/v05/05/0505-04.html

It would be interesting to sleuth the common thread and find the perp, but it doesn't appear that enough information is available from those experiencing the problem...

[Whyzman]

Thinking aloud here...

It appears that programs such as Internet Explorer can access the Word Spell Check for their own use...

Have you added anything to these computers that might fall into that category...

Could it be that an added program sporting Spell Check capabilities(although in reality accessing Word's Spell Check) might have supplanted the aggrieved files with a version of their own??

Obviously, the "coincidental" nature of this happening on two computers in your possession might assist in sleuthing the cause...

[mjc]

Go to Internet Options => Advanced => scroll down to the Security section, uncheck "Check for publisher's certificate revocation"...close down IE & Word/Office (maybe a reboot will be needed, but not usually) and restart Word...

[jabarnutcase]

Originally posted by drdan
....was installed as part of Office 2000. Just in the last few days both systems started having problems with Word. It hangs when trying to open it and instead of the usual 5-10 seconds it takes 30 seconds to a minute.

Funny- I just went crazy with this very problem.
shanmuga, I believe, hit it right on the head. After much experimenting and searching, I found that it was definitely the recent NAV updates that caused the problem.
I never got as far as spell checking anything because I was so irritated that Word was taking a half a minute to load. (I also have Office 2000 on this particular computer)
Strange thing-It only affected Word...Excel, Publisher etc. all loaded normally.

Anyway, not sure which version of NAV you have, but in the options section of the program, find the box to "Enable Office Plug-in" and uncheck it.
I did a repair of Office to no avail, but an unrelated problem on the Symantec Web site made me think of the two being related.
Sure enough, after unchecking that box, Word opened normally.

HOWEVER...The updates also caused my NAV to take forever to load too....I finally got so fed up with Norton, I un-installed it (Which BTW is no simple task to get rid of completely), and installed AVG again.
Now, both Word and my Computer are a lot happier.

[shanmuga]

originally posted by jabarnutcaseI finally got so fed up with Norton, I un-installed it (Which BTW is no simple task to get rid of completely), and installed AVG again.Welcome to the club, I switched over to AVG and ZA after using NAV and NIS for morethan 4 years, the improvement in booting time itself is worth the trouble!
BTW there is a tool and also manual removal instructions available at the symantec site to completely remove the NAV from your system, If you are having trouble removing it through add/remove program.

[jabarnutcase]

the improvement in booting time itself is worth the trouble!

Quite true shanmuga!
I actually have THREE less "running processes" after getting rid of Norton, and boot time has improved considerably.

Back in the days when I used the entire suite (NSW), the performance of the Computer in general was NOTICEABLY a lot slower....An amazing resource hog.
I still think NAV is a good anti-virus program, but I'm tired of it tweaking my Computer and messing it up......(I would rather mess it up myself....And I've become somewhat of an expert in that field). :D

[drdan]

MJC's suggestion about internet options didn't change anything. I just tried uninstalling Office 2000 and reinstalling from the CD. This seems to have worked and spell check is now working normally. We'll see if it stays that way. As far as investigating why, I did not install anything during the period this happened that I know of, other than Win updates and Norton updates. I'm going to try this on my home computer as well. Reinstalling is the easiest anyway as I really don't use office, just Word, Front Page and occasionally Excel. So there were no settings or anything to reestablish.

[Budfred]

If the problem returns, it would be a good idea to run HijackThis and post the log...

Also, are you instally Office with a Custom install. You can leave out all sorts of components that you don't use and that just take up resources....

[jabarnutcase]

Hi drdan
Just curious...Did you ever try to disable the Office plug-in in Norton as I did? That did the trick for me. (Maybe your version of NAV doesn't have that option?)
At any rate, there is no question whatsoever that my problems started after the last Norton updates.

Re-Installing or repairing Office/Word didn't do a thing for me. Like I said, I never got as far as trying the Spellchecker, but the problem you described as far as Word taking so long to load was exactly the problem I had.

MJC was on the right track too....The day after my first post, I found the following on the main page of Symantec support:
Support Advisory! If after January 7, 2004, your computer slows down and Microsoft Word and Excel will not start, read this document for more information.

Leading to this: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/sharedtech.nsf/docid/2004010810205113?Open&src=con_web_nam

Personally, I'm all done with Norton, and my Computer is faster too! ;)

(Edit) Whoops! I see the link shanmuga provided above, led to the same page I provided. Bottom line...I really believe Norton is at the root of your problem. (In your case though, you may have needed the Office repair too...Not sure).
Good luck!