Text Flashes in Word

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I updated XP Pro SP2, current updates with one known issue: I failed Genuine
Advantage after I did a Help/repair in Word 2002 (from Office XP SBE). The
repair deleted all my email from Outlook. A new instance of Outlook came up
and I had to re-enter all my email settings. Whatever got screwed up did
something that causes Microsoft, when checking, failing my installation as
being genuine. Every progrram in office, however, when I check, says it is
activated.

I installed Vista RC1 as an upgrade over this. I now have an issue with Word
2002(10.6804.6811 SP3). I have a file with tables that have frames that are
hidden and had it set for review. When I open the file, the tables are
flashing at a rapid rate, along with the cursor/waitcircle flashing. I can
remove focus from the document by opening a drop-down menu. At this point the
wait circle/cursor is still flashing/spinning, but the tables in the file are
no longer flashing. My microprocessor is pegged at 99% while this behavior is
going on.
 
Insight Driver said:
I updated XP Pro SP2, current updates with one known issue: I failed Genuine
Advantage after I did a Help/repair in Word 2002 (from Office XP SBE). The
repair deleted all my email from Outlook. A new instance of Outlook came up
and I had to re-enter all my email settings. Whatever got screwed up did
something that causes Microsoft, when checking, failing my installation as
being genuine. Every progrram in office, however, when I check, says it is
activated.

I installed Vista RC1 as an upgrade over this. I now have an issue with Word
2002(10.6804.6811 SP3). I have a file with tables that have frames that are
hidden and had it set for review. When I open the file, the tables are
flashing at a rapid rate, along with the cursor/waitcircle flashing. I can
remove focus from the document by opening a drop-down menu. At this point the
wait circle/cursor is still flashing/spinning, but the tables in the file are
no longer flashing. My microprocessor is pegged at 99% while this behavior is
going on.
Click to expand...

Some more information: I checked a bunch of other documents I have, some
with tables, almost all the rest, just simple documents. Some, for a reason I
can't figure out, make the wait/cursor flash slowly as compared to the
document I posted about orignially. I have been unable to see what
differences in documents would cause such strange behavior.

I also have one more issue related: the hidden data removal tool. Word gives
me an error it failed to load the tool, with the suggestion to uninstall the
utility and reboot. I've done the whole route twice, so I know something must
be in the registry causing this behavior, but I have no clue how to fix it
myself and I'm not going to dig around in places I don't understand at this
point.
 
I uninstalled Office 2002, rebooted, then re-installed Office 2002. I started
Word and it came up with no issue. I opened the problematical document (which
I had written on my computer using this Word program) and I get the cpu
cycling hitting the peg at 100%. I tried another thing; I reinstalled
rdhtool.exe (hidden data removal tool) and when starting Word, I no longer
got the error message about failing to load it. I'm writing messages here now
as if it was a blog. I had no issue with this doument on XP Pro, so I'm
convinced it is an interation with Vista.

I'm going to reformat my hard drive and do a clean install of XP Pro, then I
will do an update to Vista and see what happens then.
 
Now I know the problem is with Vista RC1.

I wiped my hard drive. I made a clean install of XP Pro, Office XP, SBE, and
the other programs I use. I activated and validated everything. I open the
problem document in Word 2002 (10.6804.6811)SP3 and it sits there, just fine,
editable and stable.

I install Windows Vista RC1 in a seperate partition, clean install. I
install Office XP, SBE and the other programs I use. I activate and validate
everything as working. I open the problem document in Word and again,
repeatable, cpu hits 100%, cursor flashes rapidly switching betwen
wait/cursor and text in the tables is flashing.

Now I wonder, as long as I have been posting this behavior is no one else
has this combination of Vista and Office XP. And I wonder if anyone would be
willing to open this document on their installation to see what it's behavior
is.

Further, being that I am dual-booting successfully without any issues. I
have clean installs on both systems and everything registered and activated
with Genuine Advantage. I have the same hardware environment for both OS's I
can say that the clean install of Vista is much better than upgrading over
XP, but everyone here should already know that. That said, it's a good idea
to do an upgrade to find out what the experience is like for some portion of
the market segment is going to be doing just what I did.

I am going to try an experiment. I'm going to use the hidden data removal
tool on the document while running XP Pro. I'll post again with results of my
experiment. Whoever happens to read these posts, could you at least reply
that you are reading them?
 
More data: I reformatted my hard drive. I made a clean install of XP Pro. I
made a clean install of Vista RC1 on a different partition. Open problem
document, same version of Word 2002 (10.6804.6811)SP3 on both OS's. On XP,
document is fine. On Vista, document text flashes in the tables in the
document and same behavior with PC, cpu at 100%.

I experimented. I used Hidden Data Removal Tool on XP. The report log
mentioned VB Macro Comment failed to remove. Reason: If the "trust Access to
Visual Basic Project security settings is disabled, the tool cannot determine
if the document contains a macro. Of course, it doesn't contain a macro, I
made the document up using Word. Furthermore, while looking at the document
in read-only mode before saving it I was looking at the Reveal Formatting.
While doing so I suddenly got a pop-up box apologizing for serious error in
Word, Word will shut down and will attempt to recover document.

The "recovered" document created then was in the dialogue box asking which
version to save (original or recovered). Looking at "show repairs," I saw
this cryptic comment: Internal Data Integrity(type 4) 1. I saved that
document with a different name.

So I have two documents now, one with hidden data stripped and one,
recovered with Internal Data Integrity whatever repaired.

I open the repaired document in Vista and same version of word. Text flashes
just like before. In my way of thinking, logic now would say that there is
something about Vista in the way it interacts with a complex document that
was created in Word 2002. Maybe it's just a combination of factors that just
happens to trigger this. I suppose I could try re-creating, from scratch, the
document on Vista. Doing so, though, won't tell me just what is wrong with
the document I spent hours creating. To let you know it's an application form
for a non-profit group I am the secretary of. A circle this choice, fill in
this data on these lines, type of document. No images, no obscure font; all
standard, included in Word stuff.
 
I'm dissapointed, to say the least, that no one has even commented on my
problem. I do not believe it would be rare to have someone using an older
version of Office on a Vista box. Word 2002 is not that old, after all, and
there is nothing in later versions I need to be able to write the documents I
work with. For that matter, with any Swiss Army knife, only the most common
gadgets are used, the rest are there for show. Clearly some interaction
between Vista and Word 2002 is going on. I have the same hardware for both XP
and Vista, so hardware, in my thinking can be ruled out. It's got to be a
software thing, but what I have no clue.
 
I'm dissapointed, to say the least, that no one has even commented on my
problem. I do not believe it would be rare to have someone using an older
version of Office on a Vista box. Word 2002 is not that old, after all,
and
there is nothing in later versions I need to be able to write the
documents I
work with. For that matter, with any Swiss Army knife, only the most
common
gadgets are used, the rest are there for show. Clearly some interaction
between Vista and Word 2002 is going on. I have the same hardware for both
XP
and Vista, so hardware, in my thinking can be ruled out. It's got to be a
software thing, but what I have no clue.
Click to expand...


I have Office XP (2002). When I get a chance I'll install in 5728 and test
a document or two, but I don't really like Word or use it. I use Corel
WordPerfect Office, currently version 12. Been using WP since version 4,
possibly 3, don't remember that far back...lol

In any event WordPerfect 12 works the same in XP as it has in Vista since
before Beta 2. It's fast, and no "flashing". The only quirk I have come
across so far is that documents originally created in WP12 under XP and
saved to a data volume separate from the XP and Vista volumes, when opened
in Vista pop up a message that they are read only. Strangely after editing
one of these read only docs in Vista, saving under a new name, then opening
under XP it opens fine. Go back to Vista and it's read only again. This
happened for 2 or 3 iterations of the same document and then all of sudden,
no read only advisement. Docs can be edited under either OS.

I will try out Word 2002 when I get a chance. I just downloaded a .doc file
on XP memory management that for some reason WordPerfect can't open, so I
was planning on installing Office XP anyway to open it.
 
Thanks, Rock,

If you don't see an issue with your document on Word 2002 on Vista, I am
willing to send you my document as it is a public application for membership
to the club I am secretary for. I have found, however, that even a few lines
of text can be problematical. Do keep in touch and let me know if you can
replicate this behavior. I was thinking I may be missing something and
thought about hardware being different, but the hardware remains the same,
only the drivers differ.
 
"Insight Driver"
Thanks, Rock,

If you don't see an issue with your document on Word 2002 on Vista, I am
willing to send you my document as it is a public application for
membership
to the club I am secretary for. I have found, however, that even a few
lines
of text can be problematical. Do keep in touch and let me know if you can
replicate this behavior. I was thinking I may be missing something and
thought about hardware being different, but the hardware remains the same,
only the drivers differ.
Click to expand...

Ok, I installed Office XP today in build 5728 which had been a clean
install, and then did all the updates -
SP3 and the post SP3 patches. Do you have them all?

I was able to open every document created in Word 2002 under XP except one.
It crashed
Word something awful...lol. Very reproducible. No matter the method of
opening , as soon as Word tries to open it, it crashes.

I then tried to open it in WordPerfect12, which is very strong at converting
and opening
word docs. It started the conversion and then also crashed.

I booted into XP and tested the same docs. Word 2002 in XP crashed the same
way with that doc so definitely something wrong with it.

I didn't see any visual artifacts. All I can suggest is to make sure you're
up to date on the patches for Office XP.
 
Insight Driver said:
Thanks, Rock,

If you don't see an issue with your document on Word 2002 on Vista, I am
willing to send you my document as it is a public application for
membership
to the club I am secretary for. I have found, however, that even a few
lines
of text can be problematical. Do keep in touch and let me know if you can
replicate this behavior. I was thinking I may be missing something and
thought about hardware being different, but the hardware remains the same,
only the drivers differ.
Click to expand...

Ok, I installed Office XP today in build 5728, and then all the updates -
SP3 and the post SP3 patches. Do you have them all?

I was able to open every document created under XP except one. It crashed
Word something awful...lol. Very reproducible. No matter how you try to
open that doc, as soon as Word tries to open it, it crashes. I then tried
to open it in WordPerfect12, which is very strong at converting and opening
word docs. It started the conversion and then also crashed.
 
Hi Rock,

Yes, I have all the updates as I run windows update (and all the other MS
products) automatically every day. As my docutment reproduces the flashing
text reliably on my install of Vista with Office XP, would you want to try
out my document? Give me an email addy and I can send it to you. I haven't
played with it in a while now. Let me know if you want it.

Ed
email_edward_dot_casey_at_comcast_dot_net
 
I have new information now.
I downloaded and installed Office Proffesional Plus 2007 Beta on Vista 5600.
I loaded my document and got the CPU cycles pinned at 100% and the cursor
flashing. The difference was that the text no longer was flashing.

I rebooted my computer (warm). I opened Word 2007 and started creating the
same document from scratch. As soon as I opened the page layout and set my
margins to, "narrow," (.5" on each edge) I got the symptomatic CPU pegged and
cursor flashing. Resetting the margins back to default (both times using the
selection included in the tab, not manually chaning the margins) did not
change the symptoms. I closed word. CPU drops immediately back to around 2%.

I re-opened Word 2007. Blank document is open by default. I simply clicked,
"Page Layout," then selected, "Narrow Margins," and I got my flashing cursor
and CPU 100%.

Summary: Both Word 2002 and Word 2007 Beta exhibit the same symptom. Open a
document with margins set outside default and CPU cycles hit 100% and the
cursor starts flashing.
 
New Information:
I downloaded and installed Office Proffessional Plus 2007 Beta

No change on document behavior when I open it. I rebooted my computer.
I opened Word 2007 and left the default blank document open.I tried a few
experiments. I decided to create the document from scratch. As soon as I
picked, "Page Layout," then "Margins," then "Narrow Margin," I got the CPU
pegged and cursor flashing. I closed Word, waited for CPU cycles to drop
down, then re-opened Word. This time I clicked, "Page Layout," "Size" and got
CPU and flashing cursor.

All this is repeatable. I close Word, click the same menu choice and get the
same behavior.
 
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