contacting the server for information

[Kristy Walker]

I have copied text from a website and pasted it into Word. I keep getting the
message "contacting the server for information" while the document freezes
for 10-15 seconds. This happens repeatedly. How can I stop this? I do not
need the document tied in any way to the original website, nor do I need any
tie to HTML. (The file is saved as a DOC.)

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The pasted text probably includes links that need to be broken. Select the
entire pasted portion and press Ctrl+Shift+F9.

 

[Tom P.]

I'm having the same problem, and you didn't answer the question. We don't
want to have to wait for 20 seconds while Word stupidly "contacts the
server," we just want to paste plain text without having to wait. In order
for him to select the "entire the entire pasted portion and press
Ctrl+Shift+F9" we have to wait 20 seconds for Word to paste it. This is
unacceptable.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Suzanne answered the question asked. Yours is a different but related issue.
Use edit > paste special > unformatted text.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[Saleem]

Hi Guys,

I have got quiet a few documents that when I open say "Contacting \\192....
for Information". I have tried installing a local printer as well as
CTRL+SHIFT+F9 but nothing happens. What's the probable cause and solution.

Regards

Saleem

 

[Robert Strong]

Is there a value somewhere located in the registry that stores a "timeout"
value for this error?

I have been able to generate some VB code to go through thousands of
documents and switch the template back to Normal.dot instead of a sever-side
template. The only problem is, Word's timeout value takes to long to timeout
once a document is opened. If it was set to 1 sec, then that would be
reasonable to deal with, but 60 secs+, 120 secs+ tests my patience.

I was referred to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823372/ but 1) I have XP
SP2 installed, and the registry modification failed to do anything, even with
complete reboot.

So, does anyone have a suggestion? I'm using Word 2003, XP SP2. I would
rather have this fixed, so I don't have to face-pace my Word 2007 migration.

 

[tonyk]

Are you serious that Microsoft hasn't found an issue for this yet? SO MANY
PEOPLE HAVE THIS ISSUE!!!. Search some threads on the internet, and NO it
is NOT an acceptable solution to paste just text, when sometimes we need the
formatting from the websites. PLEASE help fix this problem!.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Have you tried pasting as unformatted text?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Julian Maples]

That is not a solution when one is trying copy graphics into Word. Frankly
that is (was) my only reason for paying for Word 2007.

Julian Maples

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

For graphics, instead of Copy/Paste, right-click the graphic and choose Save
Picture As. Then insert the saved picture from your HD using Insert |
Picture. This has the advantage that if anything goes wrong with the
document, you still have the picture saved externally in a proper graphic
format.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[beth2000]

Have you tried pasting as unformatted text?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[beth2000]

Suzanne, I know you're trying to help, but this problem with the pasting in
Word for me just started in the last week or so. I've had this version of
Word for the better part of two years and I've never had issues with this
thing of having to "Paste Special" instead of just pasting with no stalling
of the program to do this "contacting the server" thing. So this is not just
some aspect of the program and it has been there all along.

In thinking about it, I suspect that MS has changed something in its
updates, probably for security or anti-piracy sake, but whatever it is now
had the unintended consequence (or intended) of interrupting every one of
these actions that involves cutting and pasting.

That is why I kind of don't buy into this idea that you are promoting that
this is just a normal thing that was always in Word 2007 and it is operating
just the way MS intended it to. It is not operating the way it was
originally intended, and I really resent having to deal with this extra step
to paste something. This is an issue I also have with MS, that it pulls
these kind of things and then doesn't own up to their part in the matter and
tries to act like it is helping and it is users that just don't understand
the product of don't know how to use it.

It is unacceptable that a user has to go through a big production like this
in order to do a simple operation.

 

[beth2000]

I want to add this, it is not about pasting hyperlinks, I just was working on
my paper, and the paste problem is regardless of what is being pasted. The
more I think about it, I'll bet this is about anti-piracy; I would suggest
that MS is working on ways to make copy and paste harder willing to go
through a long period of transition in order to make it eventually so that no
content can be used without having to pay for it.

 

[Julian Maples]

Well said, Beth.

Suzanne, if you don't know the answer, please find the guy who does. There
will be someone in Msft who knows and these are your customers. Marketing
will tell you that it is even better to spend effort to keep existing
customers than try to get new ones. Compare the efforts you are making with
the amount spent on advertising.

I agree with Beth that this is a very recent problem. I too have been
enjoying Word 2007's superior (to Word 2003) pasting abilities enabling me to
create proper and complete files on subjects for some time now.

Some commentators on other sites say that this problem can be solved by
deleting and causing Word to re-create normal.dot files. i.e. that this
problem is caused by corrupted normal.dot files. This used to be an issue in
earlier versions of Word.

I have searched for normal.dot files but can only find a normal.dotm file.
Perhaps that is because I am runnning Vista?

 

[Jay Freedman]

Julian, two points:

- Neither Suzanne nor anyone else here is a Microsoft employee. We're all
users helping users, not product support or marketing. The MVP tag is an
award, not a job title (http://mvp.support.microsoft.com).

- The file normal.dotm is to Word 2007 what normal.dot was to earlier
versions. It has nothing to do with being on Vista or any other operating
system. And yes, it still may get corrupted, and renaming or moving it
(preferable to deleting it, if you want to copy customizations from it) and
restarting Word is still the way to get a clean template.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Julian Maples]

Thank you Jay and apologies to Suzanne. I am afraid I assumed that you were
Msft employees as this is a Mft site.

How does one ask a question of a Msft employee who knows?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You can contact Tech Support (for a fee), but there is no way for ordinary
mortals to interact directly with the Product Group.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Julian Maples]

Thanks, Suzanne. In what other area do you buy something and then pay to have
the seller put it right?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I have recently purchased two different irons, both of which have an
automatic shutoff feature. I actually lost considerable money on the first
iron by purchasing it on sale and returning it when it wasn't on sale and
then ending up buying the same model at a higher price. The reason I
returned it was that it didn't come on when I turned it on, unless I
unplugged it and replugged it. I later discovered that in order to get it to
come on, I had to waggle it up and down (the motion required to reactivate
it when it had automatically shut off).

The second iron has a reset button that "wakes it up" when it has shut off
automatically. Unfortunately, I have to use this button every time I turn
the iron on, even though I manually turned it off (it didn't shut off
automatically).

I think this design is insane, but it is evidently the way all these irons
work. They all seem to be made in the same factory in China with
different-colored plastic and different labels slapped on.

I'm not happy about this design, but I have learned to live with it. My
expectation of "tech support" is nil, and my expectation that my complaints
would result in a redesign of the irons is even lower.

You may think this is irrelevant, but it *is* a real-world example of a
product that doesn't meet expectations and users have no recourse but to
accept its limitations. There aren't (apparently) even any competitors whose
products work differently.

The first iron was replaced because it overheated and "melted" synthetics
onto its supposedly nonstick surface. If I had done minimal online research
before purchasing it, I would have discovered this flaw (and in fact I did
read numerous unfavorable reviews and still ended up buying the same model a
second time because its features still seemed to me superior to those of the
other models on offer). The second iron is not as "deluxe," but at least it
doesn't destroy my garments or itself. <g>

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Julian Maples]

Suzanne, I am sorry to hear about your irons but you seem to have done the
right thing and things have panned out as one would expect. When the first
iron didn't work properly and damaged your washing, you returned it. In the
course of that you must have a conversation with the retailer (I guess) free
of charge when you explained the fault and he accepted the return.

I purchased the Word 2007 software from Msft and it is not working anymore
as it should. And I ma now trying to have the same converation which you had
over your iron. I have visited a Msft site and firstly wrongly assumed I was
talking to Msft. You have said that in order to do that I must pay. You
didn't have to pay to have that conversation over your iron. Why should I pay
to have it with Msft?

(The position with your second iron is different. It is working as designed.
My Word 2007 is not working as designed.)

Julian