Publisher 2002 runs slowly

[Brian]

I've upgraded several workstations to Publisher 2002 (from
the 2000 version) and now it runs very slowly on these
computers when saving or opening files on the network.
All computers have 256MB or more of memory and are at
least Pentium 3 processors. Any suggestions? I'm ready
to go back to the previous version.

 

[Brian Kvalheim - [MS MVP]]

Hi Brian

This is not a normal issue for Publisher 2002. Overall,
the performance of 2002 was improved over 2000.

1. Does this happen if you run/save files locally and not
over the network?
2. Does this only happen with files created from a
previous version of Publisher or ALL Publisher files,
including new files from Publisher 2002?
3. Are you running the latest Service Packs, Service Pack
2a for Microsoft Publisher 2002?

Brian Kvalheim
Microsoft Publisher MVP
http://www.kvalheim.org

 

[Randall Arnold]

That's not entirely accurate. While Publisher is not a "network
application" per se, with today's networking technologies there is very
little difference between saving to a local hard drive and saving to a
shared server. I've used the entire Office suite (including adjunct
programs) in this manner for nearly a decade with no greater incidence of
corruption working over a network than working locally. In fact, the
benefits of having work files on a server far outweigh the risks IMO. The
only time I've seen file corruption with Office products become an issue is
during power shortages, and that was only because IT neglected to install a
UPS on the department hub (!!!).

That said, I *have* experienced problems with corruption using other apps
such as AutoCAD over a LAN, but my experience has been that this is due to
AutoCAD's own file handling idiosyncracies, some of which are legacy
carryovers from the old DOS-based versions.

Randall Arnold

 

[°°°M°S°°Publisher°°°]

Randall you are not correct. Publisher should not be regarded as the same
as Office.
We have heaps of experience with Publisher on a network and know all the
issues and problems.
You use Publisher files across a network and you must be prepared to suffer
the consequences of your actions.

--

 

[Randall Arnold]

All I can say is that neither I nor any one I've supported has experienced
those problems in several years of using Publisher (from version 97 to 2003)
on a network. Perhaps the difference in our diverse experiences lies in the
respective network topologies and management.

Again, in the robust networks allowed by current technology, there is little
relevant difference between opening a local file and opening one located on
a shared drive. I reiterate the word "robust".

Randall Arnold

 

[Brian]

Is there a way then to share the files with other users
without copying the file to a CD?

 

[Randall Arnold]

You could invest in PDM software that has checkin/checkout features, for
one. Some are built on Sharepoint technology. But that *may* be overkill
for your situation. Regardless, a method that temporarily loads a working
copy of the master file to a workstation would be the ideal solution. You
would need to determine how to handle versioning, backup and conflict
resolution. No matter what, make sure only one user has a working file at
any given time (but you already knew that).

I repeat that *I* have never experienced the problems the other fellow
mentions. Not that I'm discrediting his experiences; I just don't see them
as absolute and universal. A fast, stable network is almost transparent to
the applications working over it.

All that said: backup, backup, backup. And maintain versioning.

Randall Arnold

 

[Ed Bennett]

Whilst attempting to develop brick-based storage technology, Ed reads a

Is there a way then to share the files with other users
without copying the file to a CD?

He said you shouldn't *save* the files to the network.
Save to the hard drive, and copy to the network, then have the user on the
other end copy to the hard drive and open.