# Word 2003 takes ages to load from Windows Explorer



## Beyon (Feb 16, 2006)

My Word 2003 gets a problem recently. The symptom is that it takes ages to start if I double click a word document in Windows Explorer. Previously, it took only a few seconds for Word to open the required document. Now it takes almost a minute or more for the file to open. Moreover, the Explorer seems to be freezed until Word completed the loading up process.

However, if I open Word from Start, Program Files, the load up speed of the program is normal. Also, the time needed to open a specific document within Word is normal. In other words, the delay problem only confines to Windows Explorer. Any suggestion or help to solve this problem is welcome. Thanks.

Beyon


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

You might try this - open Win Explor and then Tools>Folder Options>File Types. It will search for associated file types. Find the one for DOC and make sure it's associated with MS Word. If it is, try this: highlight and delete it. Then go to New and type DOC in the small box. Now find "DOC" on the list of file types and "Change" the extension to MS Word (mine defaulted to Notepad). 

Hope this helps.


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## Beyon (Feb 16, 2006)

Thanks for the suggestion, however, the trick didn't work. I'd deleted the file type association and re-created a new one linked to Word. Still the same problem... it takes more than a minute for the Word to load and open the doc. Nothing change at all. No matter what I appreciate the help offered. Any more suggestion?

Beyon


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi

Could be a corrupt Normal template. Do a search for Normal.dot and rename it. Then re-start Word - it will create a new Normal template. Let us know if that works.


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## Beyon (Feb 16, 2006)

Have just tried this out... no luck again. The problem presists after I'd renamed the normal.dot and let Word created a brand new one. Actually, there is further delay on opening the specific doc (the one I double clicked in Explorer) after Word is loaded.

Increasingly I suspect the problem has more to do with Windows Explorer than to Word as I've no difficulties in starting Word (Start, Program Files) and in opening doc within it since then. Is it possible that it's some kind of virus/malware infection?

Beyon


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## Anne Troy (May 1, 2006)

The more I read, the more it sounds like it's this specific document. Do you think that's the case? Anyway:

Document Troubleshooting:
http://www.officearticles.com/word/avoid_document_corruption_and_bloating_in_microsoft_word.htm
and/or
http://www.officearticles.com/word/recover_a_corrupt_microsoft_word_document.htm

Word Troubleshooting:
http://www.officearticles.com/word/steps_to_troubleshooting_microsoft_word.htm

Ooops. Hi, Glaswegian!


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## Beyon (Feb 16, 2006)

Thanks Anne, however, I'd already tried deleting/recreating the normal.dot and it didn't help. As I suggested above, I'm not sure whether it's Word or Windows Explorer that cause the problem. For if I open Word from Start/Program Files, the whole process takes only two to three seconds. Once Word is opened, I can open specific files within Word quickly, i.e. another two to three seconds.

However, it takes nearly two minutes for Word to load and another one minute for the specific document to open if I double click the required file in Windows Explorer. No matter what once the document is opened, everything works fine in Word. It's just the double-click that causes the problem.

Probably I've to try repairing Word or editing the registry as suggested in one of your article.

Beyon


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## iamthebest (Jun 6, 2006)

You may try a compete repair of MS Office...

To do this: Start --> Control Panel --> Add/Remove Programs --> Look for Microsoft Office --> Click the Change Button --> Click Reinstall or Repair --> Click Next --> During this period you may be askedfor your MS Office Installation Disc, however you may not because there is usually a Ghost image stored on computer after initial installation. This sequence may solve the problem....


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## Beyon (Feb 16, 2006)

I've just tried the last two tricks, i.e. deleting the entry of Word in the registry and let Windows recreate it, and repair Office. Both attempts failed. Increasingly it seems to me that the problem is not in the Office but in Windows Explorer. But I've no idea how to proceed to solve the problem.

Beyon


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi again

Are there any other problems with your system? Pop ups, browser redirects, constant 'hourglass' with the mouse, a blank screen in Add/Remove programmes? Does Ctrl+Alt+Delete bring up Task Manager? If you have problems with any of these, then it could be malware. If not then it's back down to Word and/or Explorer.



Hi Anne - keeping busy? :grin:


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## Beyon (Feb 16, 2006)

By accident I finally located and solved the problem. It's caused by a program called Total Recorder that I'd installed a few days ago. I hadn't suspected this program at first as it has nothing to do with Office. However, once I uninstall it, Word/Explorer had returned to normal. Probably the driver of this program has clashed with Explorer... a rare problem I guess.

Thanks a lot for all the suggestion and advice.

Beyon


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

It can happen...some programmes just don't like each other.

Thanks for letting us know - useful information for the future!


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## Beyon (Feb 16, 2006)

I've just upgrade my TotalRecorder to the latest version and things seem working fine so far. As Total Recorder uses a virtual audio driver to record sound files that are sent to the audio card. Maybe it has clashed with Explorer on redirecting the files to the virtual driver... and thus caused the delay. What actually happen is out of my understanding but I'm glad to get the problem solved. I hope this piece of information will be useful to others who have similar experience in the future.

Thanks again.

Beyon


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