atw: Re: Microsoft word size limit?

No simple answer to this.

Word can handle absolutely massive files, including huge embedded graphics,
as long as you don't ask it to do a few other specific things as well.  The
are four issues, speed, locking, corruption and weird stuff happening.

Re speed, Word doesn't like tables, so if you use tables as a layout tool as
I do, your file size needs to stay much smaller than it would otherwise.
When the file slows down too much, I set Tools, Options, Show picture
placeholders, so the file does not have to display the graphics as I am
paging through it - this gives a massive improvement in speed.  

Re locking, if you use the clipboard, you must clean it out long before it
reaches it's limit, and as Michael suggested, re-boot every few hours to
clean "stuff" out, or your system will just lock anyway. (I shut down at
lunch time).

Re corruption, I haven't had any corrupted files in recent years (2003 and
2007) so I think this is becoming less of a problem, but that could be
because I have lost the habit of linking. I don't link anything any more.
Links seem to lead to more terminally corrupted files (rather than just slow
files), and weird corruptions, than anything else.  

Re weird formatting stuff happening, I find it is not normally related to
file size.  More often it is related to templates and style changes.  With
2007 I have admitted defeat with linked templates - the last link to go.  

Then look at all possible ways of reducing file size.  Make sure all
graphics are saved to the smallest possible file size - no bitmaps!  Files
created in 2003 are reduced to just over half the size when saved in 2007.
So you could be very brave and upgrade to 2007, but if you do that, allow a
few weeks to get your head around all the new problems.  It's a great
product, but requires a new set of workarounds for the inevitable bits that
don't work.

Then get the best hardware you can with a huge RAM.  I have worked on 30MB
files with a few huge embedded graphics but no tables, on what is now a
relatively low end machine. On the other hand, I struggle with 6MB files
that have lots of tables and hundreds of small embedded graphics.

ck




> -----Original Message-----
> From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:austechwriter-
> bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of bill parker
> Sent: Wednesday, 28 November 2007 9:00 AM
> To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: atw: Microsoft word size limit?
> 
> Folks,
> 
> 
> Is there a practical limit to the size of a Word document?
> 
> I am being asked to compile a series of SOPs for a lab  that cover 9
> areas of work each with several sub sections.  The aim is to have one
> document on-line and that has a complete index to all sections.  A
> few of the documents are already 1MB  in size.
> 
> 
> Any advice welcome.
> 
> Bill
> 
> 
> --
> Dr Bill Parker
> Editor  "Solar Progress" ON-LINE
> The ANZSES Journal
> Box 322 Mount Lawley 6929 Australia
> Phone 08 9272 9955   0403 583 676
> http://www.sustainablehouseday.com
> http://www.anzses.org
> **************************************************

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