PPT2007 slow response changing to/from Show mode

[Patrick]

I'm finding 10-20 seconds of response time when changing display mode
from Slide Sorter to Slide Show and back to Slide Sorter mode. Also
find similar poor response from Normal mode to Slide Show and back.
Switching mode Slide Sorter to Normal and back is fine.

This happens with the Introducing Powerpoint 2007 slide deck
downloaded from Microsoft (File New -search for title),,,or my own
pptx files.

I'm running Windows XP Pro SP2, Office 2007 on a Lenovo T60 laptop,
2GB memory, dual-core 2.0GHz Intel CPU. ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
graphics, either clone display mode while using an external projector
or in Extended Desktop mode with dual LCD panels.

I have default certified print driver (Send to OneNote), tried
reducing Graphic Acceleration on Display control planel, tried using
the Current Resolution on Slide Show settings.

Sometimes my system works okay, most of the time it acts like a snail-
mode.

Anyone know why PPT 2007 behavior can be so slow and erratic?

Thanks,
Patrick

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Pardon the tech speak but ... OUCH. That must be painful.

FWIW, I'm running 2007 inside a vmware virtual machine running on a vaguely
similar spec PC to yours (R60 instead of a T, so yours should really be a bit
more on the oomphy side).

But I do have the default printer set to a real one, not a sortaprinterdriver
like SendToOneNote. I'd try switching that first off. If you don't have a
real printer handy, install something innocuous like an HP3 or HP4 PCL driver
and make that your default temporarily.

If that doesn't sort it, remove the extended desktop temporarily. See what
happens when you work with just the one internal monitor.

Finally, you mention that sometimes it works ok. See if you can nail down the
circumstances that make it slow down. Power the PC down, let it sit a bit,
fire it up and note what you've got running/what you're doing prior to PPT
turning turtle.

 

[Patrick]

Pardon the tech speak but ... OUCH. That must be painful.

FWIW, I'm running 2007 inside a vmware virtual machine running on a vaguely
similar spec PC to yours (R60 instead of a T, so yours should really be a bit
more on the oomphy side).

But I do have the default printer set to a real one, not a sortaprinterdriver
like SendToOneNote. I'd try switching that first off. If you don't have a
real printer handy, install something innocuous like an HP3 or HP4 PCL driver
and make that your default temporarily.

If that doesn't sort it, remove the extended desktop temporarily. See what
happens when you work with just the one internal monitor.

Finally, you mention that sometimes it works ok. See if you can nail down the
circumstances that make it slow down. Power the PC down, let it sit a bit,
fire it up and note what you've got running/what you're doing prior to PPT
turning turtle.









-----------------------------------------
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

Steve,
Thanks for the ideas....FWIW this problem happens with a real printer
too, a HP C7100 printer. It also happens without Extended Desktop, it
was a real pain yesterday while editing slides with my boss in a room
with a projector for 6 hours...a marathon session made longer by the
turtle behavior.

I am suspicious about the graphics card interaction. Under Slide
Show on the ribbon, I can specify Resolution:=USe Current Resolution,
and then setting the Show Presentation on: {Primary or Secondary}
seems to get worse when the Normal ppt window is on the opposite
display {Secondary or Primary}...if I use the same display things
seemto operate better. However, even using the opposite display only
stretches it out from 2-3 seconds to 5-6 seconds right now.

2nd experiment. I set Resolution: to 1024x768 (Current resolution is
1280x1024). When Show Presentation on: is set to the other display or
same display (in Extended Desktop mode), I get really slow behavior
while switching to/from Slide Show.

3rd experiment: I set the 2nd display to clone the 1st display (same
mode as using an external projector). In ppt07, the Show Presentation
on: option is disabled (even without closing-opening PPT07. I find
worse performance when trying to change the resolution to 1024x768,
and more reasonable (but not repeatable) performance when keeping the
Current Resolution (1280x1024).

BTW, I am running Outlook 2007 and Firefox 2.0 in the background
during these tests. In the tests above I only change the PPT display
mode, without closing any files or exiting applications. I use Shift-
F5 to switch to Slide Show and Esc to return to Normal mode. Thus the
test conditions seem to be pretty consistent between my experiments.



So, I'll keep poking into it, looking for some system conditions that
correlate to poor performance. I am very suspicious the graphics
driver is getting in the way, but am not clear if it is code in PPT07
or the driver.
-Patrick

 

[Echo S]

So, I'll keep poking into it, looking for some system conditions that
correlate to poor performance. I am very suspicious the graphics
driver is getting in the way, but am not clear if it is code in PPT07
or the driver.

Good detective work, Patrick.

You might try booting into Safe Mode. If it seems to work faster there (as
far as you'll be able to tell), you might try updating the video drivers,
then.

How about Direct X? Is that up to date? You might also go to Start | Run,
type dxdiag and poke around in there. ISTR having to disable Direct 3D in
there once....

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

As Echo says, nice detective work, Patrick.

I'd want to run a few tests with Outlook and FireFox shut down, just to be certain
there's no interaction there.

Keep us posted ...