Word files slow to open

[Cameron Dorrough]

I've just installed a new HP Proliant file server (W2k SP4 fresh install) on
our W2k domain.

Having just transferred all the FSMO roles to it, now some of our users
running XP SP1 clients are having trouble opening Word 2000 documents from a
network file share on the new DC - some documents open straight away, some
take minutes!!.

All other "Office" apps are fine (Excel, Access, Powerpoint) and no errors
are reported on either server or client logs (apart from "Application Hang"
client side) - so it's got me beat. I've even reset the permissions to give
Everyone full control - but no joy.

Has anyone seen this before and know of a fix??

TIA,
Cameron

 

[Lee]

Is this a tried and true configuration - a DC serving the files? Maybe some
temp files on the old server? Lots of questions so take a look at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/814112 and post again because this is an
interesting issue.
Lee

 

[Cameron Dorrough]

Thanks, Lee - due to the complete lack or error messages I've tracked it
down to
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/830561

It seems that all of our thousands of Word files are using a common Template
system (unknown to the user or to me) and that each of these files has the
*full %$#@ UNC* location of the template stored in it's internals (even
though people use a mapped network drive - it still stores it this way)!!

So, whenever a user opens an old document, Word freezes for some minutes
whilst it tries to locate the retired server. None of the solutions
mentioned in the KB article help much (except for the first one and it would
take me upwards of 50,000 minutes to implement this!! ..And the one stating
"change the new server name to match the old one" is a real scream!. :-()

What screwy software!! ..And they left this "bug" in for Word2002 and
Word2003!

Doe anyone know how to fake a network share in a W2k domain or have a *real*
fix for this?? Aside from shifting to WordPerfect or some such.. ;-)

TIA,
Cameron