Audio Notes Feature in Notebook Layout

[fuzznix]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Has anyone else had a problem with the Audio Notes feature in the Notebook layout for Word 2008? I have a new Macbook (I got it in November 2008).

This seems to be a recent problem, but I record notes for some of my classes and the past few times I've tried to stop the recording, Word freezes and I have to force quit the application.

When Office recovers my file, the recently recorded audio is no longer there. I try to save the file in class while I'm still typing with the audio running, but the audio doesn't save (the text does). I could try to stop the audio, then save, then start it again, but I don't want to run the risk of freezing word in the middle of class. Is there a time/space limit for the audio files? Maybe I shouldn't be grouping several class periods together.

 

[John McGhie]

I think everyone gets problems with the audio notes feature until they learn
not to use it!

Essentially, you are creating a Notebook layout document, and these are very
unstable anyway. The notebook view document relies on specific styles being
applied to the text, and if the definitions of these styles get changed, the
document fails soon after.

Then: Word is inserting multiple very large attachments as embedded
"objects" into a document structure that is very fragile anyway. It's a
bridge too far.

My main advice is "Buy a Walkman and don't use Audio Notes."

If you can't do that:

1) Avoid putting more than one recording into a document. Try to let the
recorder run, then when you stop it, save and close the document and start a
new document if you want to record some more.

2) Never edit or copy a notebook document. Always create a new notebook
view document when you want one. Because notebook documents build up
problems over time: if you copy one, you copy its problems and it will fail
sooner. If you edit such a document, you create problems faster

There is no "official" limit for the recording time, but on a MacBook I
would not allow any document to get above 32 megabytes. (I'm sending this
from a MacBook...)

If you have a seriously powerful workstation (a Mac Pro with mega memory...)
you can allow the document to go up to about 2 gigabytes. But keep careful
backups!

Hope this helps

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Has anyone else had a problem with the Audio Notes feature in the Notebook
layout for Word 2008? I have a new Macbook (I got it in November 2008).

This seems to be a recent problem, but I record notes for some of my classes
and the past few times I've tried to stop the recording, Word freezes and I
have to force quit the application.

When Office recovers my file, the recently recorded audio is no longer there.
I try to save the file in class while I'm still typing with the audio running,
but the audio doesn't save (the text does). I could try to stop the audio,
then save, then start it again, but I don't want to run the risk of freezing
word in the middle of class. Is there a time/space limit for the audio files?
Maybe I shouldn't be grouping several class periods together.

--
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John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]