Microsoft KB Archive/31319

Speeding Up Word’s Operation

PSS ID Number: Q31319 Article last modified on 11-02-1994

2.x 3.x 4.00 5.00

MS-DOS

= SUMMARY =

Various Word menu settings allow streamlining of the program’s operation, thereby increasing the execution speed of many processes.

= MORE INFORMATION =

To speed up the screen display, do the following:

  Switch from graphics mode to text mode. Text mode is two to four times faster than graphics mode. In Word versions 4.00 and 5.00, press ALT+F9 or set Options “display mode:” to Text. For earlier versions, start Word in text mode by typing the following: WORD /C   In Word versions 4.00 and 5.00, set the Options “line numbers:” field to No.   In Word 4.00, set the Options “printer display:” field to No.   Turn off the Style Bar. In Word version 5.00, set the “show layout:” and “show linebreaks:” fields to No and set the “autosave:” field to 0 (zero).   In Word 4.00, set the Options “visible:” field to Partial or None. In Word 5.00, set the “show non-printing symbols:” field to No. 

To speed up file I/O, do the following:


 * 1) Avoid using floppy disks. Use a hard disk whenever possible.
 * 2) The BUFFERS setting in the CONFIG.SYS file may be too small or missing. BUFFERS should be set to a maximum of about 16 on PCs and XTs, and 32 on ATs. This change can increase the speed at which Word and other applications access the disk by buffering more data when a disk is read.

To speed up printing, set Print Options “draft:” field to Yes. This change will turn off microspace justification while leaving other formatting intact.

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================================================================ Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1994.