jaya@ra.src.umd.edu (Jaya Kanal) (10/17/90)
I have seen several postings regarding MSWord 4.0 "freezing" for no apparent reason, causing the user to reboot. The posting I just read mentions that Microsoft is aware of some problems with the user's (sorry i don't have the message in front of me w/ your name) Dove board. The posting also mentions that others with SE/30s and Mac IIs (and no dove board) have the same problems. To add 2 more cents in about this problem, We have experienced Word freezing up (the mouse pointer moves, but everything else is frozen) on a Mac II and an SE. Both systems are running System 6.0.4, Finder 6.1, Quickmail 2.2.3, a screen saver and a few other inits -- But this configuration has been the same for quite some time and the problem first started occurring only recently. The only changes they have made to their systems are: (1) they began using Multifinder recently, but the problem didn't start right after they began using it, (2) they began using style sheets regularly, (3) we installed the Disinfectant init (again, the problems didn't start directly following the installation of the init). If any Microsoft people read this newsgroup, perhaps you can add this description to "the list". ********************************** Jaya Kanal, Systems Research Center University of Maryland College Park jaya@ra.src.umd.edu
dcook@cssun.tamu.edu (David A. Cook) (10/18/90)
I also have had experience withe Word 4.0 lockups and crashes. I have an SE/30, 5 meg, multifinder, and ZERO inits (I took everything down to a 'bare' system, trying to find the problem). I used to regularly freeze/crash (the crashes were of type 1, 3, 10, and a few others). Also, I used to frequenty get a "file not found" message (and the file name listed in the error box as "%&#@ ]" or some other random character file name. I took my machine in to the dealer twice, checking the disk drive and memory, and no errors were found. I have almost totally cured the problem by checking the "keep program in memory always" and "keep file in memory always" in the preferences box. I havn't had a crash or lockup in about 2 months, as opposed to having one about every 30 minutes. I don't know why this works, but you might try it. Also, I called Microsoft about getting 4.0b and got 4.0c as the latest upgrade yesterday. I didn't know upgrade c had been released yet. Don't remember exactly what 'c' had that 'b' didn't, but it wasn't much. David A. Cook
holey@cs.umn.edu (J. Andrew Holey) (10/18/90)
I just got another lockup yesterday. I had just pasted a piece of text from one document to another, and I wanted to reduce the font size of the text. I selected in and typed <command>-<shift>-,. It was at that point that the lockup occured. (Same symptoms--the mouse moves the pointer, but nothing else responds.) I have only had lockups with <command>-<shift>- key combinations, but this is the first time I was certain that I had typed a valid combination. --Andy Holey University of Minnesota
xdab@ellis.uchicago.edu (David Baird) (10/18/90)
I have been having a real problem with my IIci locking up. I don't think its Word, though, causing the problem. I have had the machine freeze in PageMaker 4.0, and MacDraw. It usually happens right after a mouse-up event. That is, I have a dialog window open, and have selected the cancel, or OK button, and everything stops. All I can do is to reboot. I wish I had a good place to start to try and pin down the problem. I had posted a few days ago a message talking about "too many windows open" in PageMaker 4, and have consequently increased the number of files that can be open to 25 by using the utility Layout 1.9 to modify the bootblock. At that point it seemed like I lost control of the machine. -- X-----------------------------------------------------------------------------X X David Baird xdab@midway.uchicago.edu X X University Computing Organizations d-baird@uchicago.edu X X University of Chicago (312) 702-7161 X
dana@are.berkeley.edu (Dana E. Keil) (10/19/90)
holey@cs.umn.edu (J. Andrew Holey) writes: >I just got another lockup yesterday. I had just pasted a piece of text from >one document to another, and I wanted to reduce the font size of the text. >I selected in and typed <command>-<shift>-,. Have you tried trashing your Word Settings (4) file yet? It's found in the system folder. That's apparently a good thing to try according to Microsoft. You'll loose any customization of menus that you've done, but it would be worth it if it could stop your problems. I always keep a freshly customized copy of the Word Settings file somewhere else so I can easily get rid of one that I think may have a problem. -- Dana E. Keil Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics University of California, Berkeley dana@are.berkeley.edu
geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen) (10/20/90)
jaya@ra.src.umd.edu (Jaya Kanal) writes: >To add 2 more cents in about this problem, I'll up it to 4. :^) >We have experienced Word freezing up (the mouse pointer moves, but >everything else is frozen) on a Mac II and an SE. I get it on an SE. System 6.0.5. A few inits, but nothing weird (though someone mentioned Moire. I don't know if that's the culprit.) In my freezes, the mouse freezes, too. > (1) they began using >Multifinder recently, but the problem didn't start right after they began >using it, Hmmm... I recently switched ``Set Startup...'' to MultiFinder. >(2) they began using style sheets regularly, I make *heavy* use of style sheets, but I've been doing that for a while. > (3) we installed >the Disinfectant init (again, the problems didn't start directly following >the installation of the init). Haven't installed the Disinfectant INIT yet. -- Geoff Allen \ Computers are useless. uunet!pmafire!geoff \ They can only give you answers. bigtex!pmafire!geoff \ -- Pablo Picasso
robs@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (10/25/90)
Have you check for viruses? They can also couse lockups. robs@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu "Either I'm still dreaming, or he's playing clasical music at 78."
walkerl@boojum.uucp (Larry Walker) (10/26/90)
From article <1054200005@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, by robs@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu: > > Have you check for viruses? They can also couse lockups. > Yes, Disinfectant showed a clean bill of health on my system. I'm STILL waiting to receive the hardware mod from Dove that allegedly fixes the Word4 lockup problem, but in the meantime I talked to Microsoft again. A customer support person there (who prefers to remain anon) suggested that he thinks he is seeing a pattern of problems after people upgrade from System 6.0.3 to 6.0.[4|5] USING THE INSTALLER. He believes that using the installer to upgrade the System and Finder in place (to avoid having to reinstall your DAs and fonts) somehow corrupts something. He claims to have had good results asking people to trash the System and Finder from their hard disk, and install them from scratch from the System Tools diskette. (He suggested using Font/DA mover to extract all of your fonts/DAs to a temp suitcase file first, to ease the re-install.) I'd be curious to know if this helps all you non-Dove lockup suffers out there...
geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen) (11/02/90)
walkerl@boojum.uucp (Larry Walker) writes: |I talked to Microsoft again. |A customer support person there (who prefers to remain anon) suggested that |he thinks he is seeing a pattern of problems after people upgrade from |System 6.0.3 to 6.0.[4|5] USING THE INSTALLER. Hmmm... I used the Installer to upgrade from 6.0.2 to 6.0.5... |He believes that using the |installer to upgrade the System and Finder in place (to avoid having to |reinstall your DAs and fonts) somehow corrupts something. He claims to have |had good results asking people to trash the System and Finder from their hard |disk, and install them from scratch from the System Tools diskette. (He |suggested using Font/DA mover to extract all of your fonts/DAs to a temp |suitcase file first, to ease the re-install.) Might be worth a try. Actually, it's been a few weeks since my last lockup (I don't know why -- I haven't changed anything), so unless it starts up again, I think I'll hold off. |I'd be curious to know if this helps all you non-Dove lockup suffers out |there... It might. Thanks for passing it along. And thanks to the anonymous Microsoft support person who suggested it. I'll be interested in hearing if this solves the problem for anyone. -- Geoff Allen \ Computers are useless. uunet!pmafire!geoff \ They can only give you answers. bigtex!pmafire!geoff \ -- Pablo Picasso
vd09+@andrew.cmu.edu (Vincent M. Del Vecchio) (11/03/90)
On 01-Nov-90 in Re: Word 4.0 Lockups user Geoff Allen@pmafire.UUCP writes: >walkerl@boojum.uucp (Larry Walker) writes: >|I talked to Microsoft again. >|A customer support person there (who prefers to remain anon) suggested that >|he thinks he is seeing a pattern of problems after people upgrade from >|System 6.0.3 to 6.0.[4|5] USING THE INSTALLER. I had heard something a while back about problems using the default script in the installer that came with, I believe, 6.0.5. I don't remember that they were related to Word locking up. Using the custom scripts apparently solved the problem, however.