Question

docx files on Novell server are very slow to open

Asked by: mwpai

Many of my users are experiencing extreme slowdown when trying to open docx and xlsx files from a mapped drive and its subfolders. However if they open Word or Excel first and browse to the mapped drive and folders they open without issue.

The delay is not only apparent when trying to open the file but is happens when we just single click the icon within the folder. In worse case the delay between click and the icon being highlighted is greater than 2 minutes, and slows the local system to almost a complete stop while trying to access the file.  Older word and excel documents within the same folder have none of these problems just the newer 2007 extensions.

All systems are running Windows XP sp3 and this particular file server is Novell 5.5.

I have read through the lists of similar problems with slow opening docx files and non of the solutions has helped. What have read within Experts Exchange leads me to believe that this problem may have no solution short of upgrading server but I thought I would try this post anyway.

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Asked On
2009-06-15 at 10:56:37ID24493040
Tags

docx

,

Novell File Server

,

Windows xp explorer

Topic

Novell Netware Network Software

Participating Experts
3
Points
500
Comments
8

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Answers

 

by: ShineOnPosted on 2009-06-16 at 19:24:12ID: 24644397

Are you using Office 2007 or Office 2003 with the 2007 compatibility pack?

What client are you using to connect to NetWare?  If it is the crapware(tm) client that comes with Windows, that may be the cause, but without knowing what version of NetWare you're really running, that's hard to say for sure.  Or are you using NFAP/CIFS?

NetWare didn't ever come in version 5.5.  There was a GroupWise 5.5 but pure-IP-capable NetWare only came in 5.0, 5.1, 6.0 and 6.5,  Before that were several 3.x and 4.x versions ending in 3.2 and 4.2 respectively.  The current Novell server platform, OES2, comes in both a SuSE Linux Enterprise 10 and NetWare 6.5 kernel "flavor," and the NetWare kernel is virutalization optimized to run as a guest on a SLES-based OES host.

That being said, what is the real version of your NetWare server(s) and what Support Pack is applied?  To find out for sure, enter "version" at the server console "colon" prompt.


 

by: mwpaiPosted on 2009-06-17 at 09:34:42ID: 24650001

Thanks for the reply...

I am using Office 2007, client is Novell client 4.91 sp4, this particular file server is NetWare 5.1 SP08 (sorry for the confusion).

Since I posted this question I have tried all of the work arounds suggested for 2007 docx file delays posted on this and other sites some help a little and others do not. The ones that help a little are changing the folder advance options for file types to include "%1" at the end of the open command line. But that too is not 100% effective.

Again any help will be appreciated.

Bill

 

by: ShineOnPosted on 2009-06-17 at 19:00:26ID: 24654061

What protocol are you using - TCP/IP or IPX/SPX?  

If you're using both - pick one, preferably TCP/IP.

Have you also applied all of the old tried-and-true tweaks for other Microsoft file delays, or only those that are specifically for docx?

 

by: mwpaiPosted on 2009-06-18 at 06:31:42ID: 24657200

I am using TCP/IP and I have tried the tweaks.  When I first applied the tweaks the problems seem to resloved but the next day when i rechecked it was slow again.

 

by: ZENandEmailguyPosted on 2009-06-18 at 08:41:18ID: 24658553

Here is what I'd suggest as we put these two changes into the Novell client and solved a problem opening Access databases.  Our client uses a program that has an Access database and for a long time, they would start the program and it could take 4-5 minutes to fully open/initialize.

With the following:

Novell Client Properties | Advanced Settings | File Caching (on by default) change it to OFF
Novell Client Prpperties | Advanced Settings | File Commit (off by default) change it to ON

Restart the workstation and test.

It changed our app start time to about 20 seconds from 5 minutes.

Scott

 

by: SourDoPosted on 2010-09-29 at 14:15:01ID: 33793647

This is the key paragraph:
"The delay is not only apparent when trying to open the file but is happens when we just single click the icon within the folder. In worse case the delay between click and the icon being highlighted is greater than 2 minutes, and slows the local system to almost a complete stop while trying to access the file.  Older word and excel documents within the same folder have none of these problems just the newer 2007 extensions."

I came to this site searching for an answer to the same exact symptoms described above by the original poster.  I was puzzled why some Windows XP computers at my office were having this problem while others were not.  What I learned while gathering clues is that this "single click delay" problem is hardly noticeable with files located on Windows Servers, but becomes mysteriously long (over 2 minutes just as the OP stated) with files located on Novell servers.  And this problem only occurs with MSO 2007/2010 file formats; there is no delay with other file types.

After many hours of investigation, I discovered some kind of incompatibility between Windows XP's Windows Explorer, Novell (Client 4.91SP5, Netware 6.5), and MSO2007/2010 file formats.  The workaround to completely avoid both the delay in opening a file and the delay in just trying to select a file is to change one Folder Option: Windows Explorer -> Toos -> Folder Options -> Tasks -> Use Windows classic folders.  The symptoms are completely reproducible by simply toggling Tasks back to "Show common tasks in folders", which is what Windows XP has as default.

 

by: mwpaiPosted on 2010-09-30 at 06:57:50ID: 33798639

Thanks I will forward this to the users.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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