Word 2007 produces very large Word 2003 compatible files

[BrianS]

When I save a file in the docx format in my normal user account on my
computer it is about 65kbytes. When I save the same file in the doc format it
is 220k. (If I then open the doc file with Word 2003 on a different computer
and save it, it grows again by a factor of three or four.)

If I use the Admin account on my computer to save the file as a doc file
then it grows to 75k and the file size is stable when opened by Word 2003.

Similarly, if I import the docx file into Word 2003 and save it as a doc
file, the size is 75k.

I have reloaded Office and run the Office Repair. I have also run the Word
diagnostic Programme - which says everything is fine. I have removed all the
templates from my User account template folder and copied in normal.dotm from
the Admin account. The problem persists.

I can check through my files and find that the problem started in November
or December, prior to that, saving in the doc format worked fine.

Obviously, something is wrong with the initialising data for Word in my User
account. Can you help me fix it, please?

 

[Terry Farrell]

Does this happen with any document? Try this test. Open a blank new
document. SaveAs Test1.docx. Open another blank document and SaveAs
Test2.doc and note the file sizes.

Now repeat this but start Word in Safe Mode: from Start, Run, type in

winword /a

and press enter. Use SaveAs and choose Test3.docx. Then repeat saving as
test4.doc Note the sizes and let us know the results please.

 

[BrianS]

Yes it always happpens. The file sizes are:


test1.docx - 10.8kB
test2.doc - 25.5kB
test3.docx - 10.7kB
test4.doc - 25.5kB

Hope this helps.

 

[Beth Melton]

The new Office Open XML file format (*.docx) will produce files that are 75%
smaller than the old binary file format. This is primarily due to a couple
reasons, one the file format itself and two the files are stored in a
compressed (zipped) format. When you open them they are decompressed and
when you save/close them they are compressed again.

With that in mind the test file sizes you provided are typical.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Melton
What is a Microsoft MVP? http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpfaqs

Guides for the Office 2007 Interface:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx

Yes it always happpens. The file sizes are:


test1.docx - 10.8kB
test2.doc - 25.5kB
test3.docx - 10.7kB
test4.doc - 25.5kB

Hope this helps.

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Melton
What is a Microsoft MVP? http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpfaqs

Guides for the Office 2007 Interface:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx

 

[Terry Farrell]

As Beth says, this all looks absolutely fine: nothing wrong at all with
those sizes.

As to the original where a doc opened in W2003 on another computer causing
it to bloat suggests that on that other computer, either the FastSaves
option or Save Versions option is enabled. Both are the work of the devil
and should never be used because they both bloat the document leading to
eventual corruption.

Terry

 

[BrianS]

Beth

Sorry, please read the original message.

There is a significant difference between the size of the doc file created
by word 2003 and Word 2007 in one account - it just happens to be my main
user account. In addition the doc file created by Word 2007 is unstable in
size.

In another account (on the same computer) the file size is what I would
expect.

In addition, the difference between the file size in Word 2003 and Word 2007
is nothing like 75% - again, see my original message.

The test file sizes might be what you expect but the sizes of real files are
definitely faulty in a particular account.

regards

Brian

 

[BrianS]

Terry

Neither the Fast Save or Save Versions is enabled.

Also see my answer to Beth.

Brian

 

[Beth Melton]

If the issue occurs in one file, rather than all documents as I thought you
were indicating, then here are the common causes of file bloat:

1) Fast Saves (Tools/Options/Save not supported in Word 2007)
2) Preview Picture (Office Button/Prepare/File Properties/Advanced
Properties)
3) Versions (File/Versions) Make sure "Automatically save version on close"
is not turned on (not supported in Word 2007)
4) Revisions: (Reviewing tab)
5) Embedded True Type fonts (Office Button\Word Options/Save)

I see you ruled out a couple of these but I included them anyway. If the
above checks out then try copying all but the file paragraph mark from the
original document and pasting into a new document. The document could be on
the verge of file corruption.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Melton
What is a Microsoft MVP? http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpfaqs

Guides for the Office 2007 Interface:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx

 

[Tony Jollans]

If you get differences in behaviour from one User account to another on the
same machine and with the same document, then, assuming it happens with all
documents, the differences must be in the User accounts, presumably in the
Word settings on them. If you have copied Normal.dotm from the good account
to the bad, and it has made no difference, the most likely culprit is some
setting in the Word Data Registry key -
HKCU\Sofare\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Data. Try renaming this key and
letting Word create a new one - if that still doesn't make a difference, try
renaming its parent Word key.

 

[BrianS]

Beth

It happens on all files.

As you say I had already tried most of these before. They still don't
improve the situation.

I've tried cutting and pasting without the last paragraph mark, also cutting
and pasting as text only to destroy the format information. It doesn't make
ant difference - saving in the native format is fine, saving in the doc
format gives much bigger files from Word 2007.

 

[BrianS]

Tony

It is on all files.

I renamed the Data key to 'Data old' - no difference.

I changed the HKCU\Sofare\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word key to
HKCU\Sofare\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word Old - again, no difference.

I think you are probably in the right area. There must be other
initialisation information somewhere.

regards
Brian

 

[Terry Farrell]

At this stage, I can only suggest that the user profile is corrupt and fault
diagnosing user profiles is a nightmare. I suggest deleting the profile and
create a new profile for the user.

Terry

 

[BrianS]

I have no idea how to do that. If you can tell me how to do it then I'll give
it a try.

thanks

Brian

 

[Tony Jollans]

It's difficult to know exactly what might be the cause but on re-reading
your original post I see:

You have a document that is about 65K in .docx format and 220K in .doc
format -- this is believable. You open it on another computer and (and
what?) and it grows to 600-900K. This suggests something odd somewhere - I
wouldn't like to say where without knowing more about the contents
(pictures, perhaps, or just plain text, or something else?).

You take the same 65K .docx file and save it as .doc using a different user
and it comes out at 75K -- this is somewhat less believable, can you confirm
it? What then happems to this document when opened on the other computer,
and treated in the same way as the first?

 

[BrianS]

I have a desktop, that's my 'normal' computer that has Vista and Word 2007, a
portable that has XP and Word 2003 and my wife has another desktop with Vista
and Word 2007.

Word 2003 on the portable has the Microsoft software that allows it to
import and save in docx format.

My normal computer has an Admin account and my normal user account.

It is this last account that is giving the trouble. All the others work will
happily save docx and doc files that are stable in size and have about 20%
difference in size, as you would expect.

If you look at the very large doc files you find they are full of padding,
typically mainly 'y' with a trema on top though not entirely.

In the 'bad'account, if you take the 75k doc file and save it as docx, then
it's 65k. If you save it as doc file it's 220k.


I produce a monthly newsletter that goes to about 500 people, some of whom
may be still using Windows Me and early versions of Word with dial up access.
This means that file size is important.

The problem started between the November and December Newsletters.

regards

Brian

 

[Tony Jollans]

It sounds like you're having problems with a single document, although I'm
more confused now than I was.

You start out as a 75K .doc file (from somewhere) - you open it in Word 2007
using your normal account and save it as a .docx (which is 65K) then you do
what exactly before saving it again as a .doc at 220K? And then according to
your first post you open this on the Word 2003 computer and do something
unspecified before it again grows by a factor of 3 or 4.

As you don't seem to need or want the document in .docx format, what happens
if you simply work with the document in .doc format - you open a 75K file,
edit it somehow, and save it (as .doc) - how big is it then?

As for the contents, I would be a bit surprised if the file was mainly the
'y' you mention (all binary ones) - there would be some of them - a block at
the beginning is common, as is a block at the end - but binary zeroes are
much more common padding (and they do sometimes seem to go and on more than
is really necessary).

 

[BrianS]

It's on every document I create. I've been giving you examples of a specific
file, so I can use real numbers.

When I take the 75k doc file (or the 65k docx file) and save it as a doc
file it goes to 220k.

The 'unspecified' thing I did in Word 2003 was nothing. Just open the file
then save it.

regards

Brian

 

[Tony Jollans]

I'm sorry to persevere with this but I really don't follow (or perhaps I
find it hard to believe): You open a 75K .doc file and make no changes but
do an explicit Save and the resultant file is 220K - but only on one user
account; other user accounts on the same machine do not do this. Any chance
you could send me both .doc files?

 

[BrianS]

I'd be delighted to send them to you.

I don't think I can attach them to this, so what address should I send them
to?

Brian

 

[Tony Jollans]

It should show somewhere - depends how you're accessing the newsgroup - but
it's my forename at my surname dot com.