Tips and Tricks for Microsoft Office 4.2 - Part 2 of 5

• Microsoft Office for the Macintosh, version 4.2

SUMMARY

The following information was published as part two of a five-part series in the 1.2.95 issue of MacWeek.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MICROSOFT OFFICE VERSION 4.2

Dear Mac User:

This is part two of a five-part series of tips and tricks about Microsoft Office Standard version 4.2 (which includes Microsoft Excel 5.0, Word 6.0, PowerPoint 4.0 and a Microsoft Mail 3.1 workstation license). We hope you will find this information useful as you upgrade your organization to Office Standard version 4.2

                                                   - The Microsoft Mac Team

PART 2: RAM ISSUES ON 68K AND POWER MACINTOSH

How Much RAM Do I Need?

Microsoft lists random-access memory (RAM) requirements on product packaging based on the total RAM you'll need on your Macintosh computer. The total RAM you need to run an individual program will be the sum of the partition size (see table below), plus the size of your operating system and any other system extensions you have running.

 PRODUCT               68K MACINTOSH              POWER MACINTOSH*
 ==========================================================================
 Microsoft Excel 5.0   2.8                        4
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Word 6.0              1.7 minimum, 3 preferred   2 minimum, 3 preferred
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 PowerPoint 4.0        2.8 minimum, 4 preferred   1.5 minimum, 2.5
                                                  preferred
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 * With virtual memory on

Running Programs Together

Many Macintosh users are used to launching a program, using it, and shutting it down before launching another. This can result in the need to launch a program many times in a day. Using RAM Doubler on a 68K Macintosh, or RAM Doubler or virtual memory on a Power Macintosh, you can keep more programs open without having to relaunch. This is because as additional programs are launched which require more than the physical memory of the computer, the nonactive programs "spill over" onto disk. Switching back to these programs activates their retrieval from disk, which is faster than relaunching.

Using two or more programs together requires that enough RAM (physical or virtual) be available to cover the sum of the partition spaces needed. The use of OLE technology, (which enables dragging and dropping of objects between programs, visual editing, and linking) requires some additional RAM beyond the sum of the partition sizes.

Using Virtual Memory on a Power Macintosh

The Get Info command on a Power Macintosh will show the size of the program's data space, plus the program code that is loaded into memory. With virtual memory off, the entire code base must be loaded at once because code segments are not swapped to disk as they are on a 68K Macintosh (where virtual memory is typically off). With virtual memory on, the Power Macintosh operating system becomes more flexible in the way that code is loaded and used, therefore maximizing the memory available. Hence with a Power Macintosh, virtual memory (or RAM Doubler) should always be used.

 MICROSOFT EXCEL MEMORY REQUIREMENTS COMPARISON TABLE
 ==========================================================================
 System                          Megabytes of RAM in Use
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                0      4      8      12      16     20
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 68K Macintosh with virtual     |DDDDSS|SSSS<-program code swaps->   |
 memory and RAM Doubler "off"   |DDDDSS|SSSS       to disk           |
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Power Macintosh with virtual   |DDDDDD|SSSSSS|CCCCCC|CCCCLLL|LLL    |
 memory and RAM Doubler "off"   |DDDDDD|SSSSSS|CCCCCC|CCCCLLL|LLL    |
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Power Macintosh with virtual   |DDDDDD|SSSSSS|<-swap with virtual memory->
 memory and RAM Doubler "on"    |DDDDDD|SSSSSS|<-swap with RAM Doubler->
                                |DDDDDD|SSSSSS|      (compressed)
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 D = Microsoft Excel default partition     S = System 7.5
 C = Microsoft Excel code                  L = Shared Libraries with Office

FEATURE TIP

Connectix RAM Doubler Included FREE

RAM Doubler is a memory utility from Connectix Corporation. This product works on a regular Macintosh and in place of virtual memory on a Power Macintosh. RAM Doubler will compress memory that's not being used before writing it off to disk to minimize hard drive usage and improve performance. If you received RAM Doubler version 1.0.4 for Macintosh with Microsoft Office Standard 4.2, you can upgrade to version 1.5.1 for Macintosh or Power Macintosh at no charge by downloading it from the Microsoft bulletin board system at (425) 936-6735 (search on "Doubler"). Or, when you fulfill the Power Macintosh native disks for Office, version 1.5.1 will be included on that customer service disk set - just send in the coupon in your Office Standard box.

Look out for Part 3 coming in the next issue! The topic will be Power Macintosh performance.

Need More Information?

• By Phone: Please call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400 or, in Canada, call (800) 563-9048, and request the Mac Office 4.2 Power Macintosh Technology White Paper. Ask for part number 098-56876.
• By Fax: You can call the Microsoft Sales Fax Service at (800) 727-3351 or, in Canada, call (800) 563-9048, and request data sheets for any of the programs in Microsoft Office.
• On-line: See our AppleLink(R) forum - Third Parties (H-O): Microsoft: Office.

REFERENCES

"MacWeek," 1.2.95, "Tips and Tricks for Microsoft Office Version 4.2," page 51, The Microsoft Mac Team