MacWord 6.0 FastTip: Setup & Performance OptimizationLast reviewed: February 5, 1998Article ID: Q119335 |
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, version 6.0
SUMMARYYou can obtain this FastTip from the following sources:
The following is the text of the Word 6.0 for the Macintosh FastTip MW1052 "Setup and Performance Optimization."
THE TEXT OF MW1052
Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
MW1052: SETUP AND PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION
Revision Date: 11/94
No Disk Included
The following information applies to Microsoft Word for the
Macintosh(R), version 6.0.
| INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY | | ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an Application | | Note) IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER | | EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED | | WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR | | PURPOSE. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and | | the use of this Application Note. This Application Note may be | | copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1) All | | text must be copied without modification and all pages must be | | included; 2) If software is included, all files on the disk(s) | | must be copied without modification (the MS-DOS(R) utility | | diskcopy is appropriate for this purpose); 3) All components of | | this Application Note must be distributed together; and 4) This | | Application Note may not be distributed for profit. | | | | Copyright (C) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. | | Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows is a | | trademark of Microsoft Corporation. | | Apple, LaserWriter, Macintosh, and TrueType are registered | | trademarks and PowerBook is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. | | PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. | This Application Note contains six frequently asked questions about setting up and optimizing Microsoft Word version 6.0 for the Macintosh, followed by the more in-depth "Optimizing the Performance of Word 6.0 for the Macintosh" section.
INTRODUCTIONWord 6.0 is larger and more robust than earlier versions of the application, so your computer requires more resources to run it. As a result, the performance of your Macintosh, and therefore Word 6.0, may be slower. This Application Note describes how you can increase the operating speed of Word 6.0 for Macintosh when it is running under Apple System 7.x. When you optimize the performance of your Macintosh system, you also speed up the performance of Word. Optimizing the system involves both your software (for example, the operating system version, extensions, fonts, and device drivers) and hardware (for example, processor type and speed, amount of memory, and available hard disk space). You can use this Application Note as a checklist to optimize both your software and hardware configurations for Word and other Macintosh- based applications running under System 7.x.
HOW TO OPTIMIZE WORD ON A MACINTOSH WITH 4 TO 6 MB OF RAMTo run Word 6.0, you must have at least 4 MB of RAM. As with most minimum requirements, 4 MB is not the optimal amount of memory to run Word. To run Word 6.0 optimally, we suggest that you either add more RAM to your computer, or optimize your existing RAM. Even with a 4-MB environment, you can almost always improve Word's performance by configuring your Macintosh system to free up additional memory.
Add More MemoryIf you regularly work with large documents (50 pages or more) or use many graphics in your documents, adding RAM gives you the most dramatic improvement in Word's operating speed. If your computer has 8 MB of RAM, Word runs faster, and you can also run another large application (such as Microsoft Excel) at the same time and interact with it from Word. On the other hand, if you work primarily with average-sized documents (50 or fewer pages) and don't use many graphics, the suggestions that follow should help increase Word's speed on your 4- to 6-MB computer.
How to Make 4 MB Seem Like More RAMThe key to making Word run faster on a computer with 4 MB of RAM is to free up memory currently used by other operations that have little or no effect on Word's performance. Use the following recommendations to make sure the maximum amount of RAM is available for Word to use. The first recommendations optimize the Macintosh system; the last recommendation specifically optimizes Word.
Increasing Available Memory in System 7.x
=========================================
This section discusses how you can optimize the Macintosh by
configuring the Macintosh system.
Disk Cache/RAM Cache
--------------------
On a 4-MB computer, it is important to free up as much memory as
possible. Although the disk and RAM cache features are designed to
increase performance, they reserve memory for their purpose--reducing
the amount of overall available memory. Therefore, minimize the Disk
Cache setting to 32 kilobytes (K), the smallest setting possible, and
set the RAM Cache setting to Off. Both of these options are located
in the Memory control panel.
Reduce Background Programs--Extensions, Control Panels, and Drivers
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Background tasks are allocated valuable memory on your 4-MB Macintosh.
Limiting the number of background applications that load when you
start the Macintosh may noticeably increase your Macintosh's available
memory. Extensions, control panels, and drivers are examples of
background applications that are loaded into memory at startup.
For information about background programs, refer to the "Background
Processing - Extensions, Control Panels, and Drivers" section of this
Application Note.
Modify Word's Advanced Settings
===============================
To increase bitmap-redrawing speed and scrolling speed in Word, you
can use the instructions below to add BitMapMemory and CacheSize
settings to the "Microsoft Word" category of Word's Advanced Settings.
To have access to these settings, add the Advanced Settings command to
the Tools menu with the following steps:
1. From the Tools menu, choose Customize. Click the Menu tab.
2. Under Categories, select Tools. Under Commands, select
ToolsAdvancedSettings.
3. Click the Add button. Click the Close button.
BitMapMemory
------------
If your documents often contain many graphics, you should skip this
section--it could actually make Word run more slowly. Otherwise, by
modifying the BitMapMemory setting, you can free up some of the memory
(up to 512K) Word reserves to work with bitmapped graphics. The
default BitMapMemory size is 1024K (1 MB).
NOTE: This setting has no effect on the speed of accessing or
displaying vector graphics such as PICT, EPS, and Windows(TM) metafile
graphics that do not contain bitmaps as part of their format.
To add the BitMapMemory setting to Word's Advanced Settings:
1. From the Tools menu, choose Advanced Settings. If Advanced Settings
is not available on the Tools menu, see the "Modify Word's Advanced
Settings" section above.
2. In the Categories box, choose Microsoft Word.
3. In the Option box, type BitMapMemory.
4. In the Setting box, type 512. Click Set and then OK.
If Word does not seem to run faster, or if Word runs more slowly,
remove the BitMapMemory setting:
1. From the Tools menu, choose Advanced Settings. If Advanced settings
is not available on the Tools menu, see the "Modify Word's Advanced
Settings" section above.
2. In the Categories box, choose Microsoft Word.
3. In the Options box, click the BitMapMemory setting once, and then
click the Delete button. Click OK.
CacheSize
---------
The CacheSize setting defines the size of the internal DocumentText
cache in Word. The default CacheSize setting is 64K, which is also the
minimum. If you frequently work with large documents, you can increase
the CacheSize setting to reduce the frequency with which Word accesses
your hard disk to retrieve parts of your document--thereby improving
Word's performance. Because of memory constraints on a 4-MB computer,
the maximum CacheSize setting you should use is 128K.
To add the CacheSize setting to Word's Advanced Settings:
1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 in the "BitMapMemory" section of this
Application Note to access Word's Advanced Settings.
2. For Option, type CacheSize.
3. For Setting, type 128. Click Set and then OK.
HOW TO OPTIMIZE WORD ON A MACINTOSH WITH AT LEAST 6 MB OF RAMOn a computer with at least 6 MB of RAM, Word 6.0 for the Macintosh runs well, even if you make no changes to your Word or Macintosh System configurations. If you have 6 MB or more of RAM, Word can make more use of memory and does not need to access the hard disk as frequently. Even so, you may still be able to improve Word's performance by making the following additional adjustments to your system.
Allocate Memory to WordWhen Word is installed, the installer program allocates a certain amount of memory to the Word application, based on the amount of memory on the Macintosh. The following table shows how much memory is allocated to Word when it is installed, based on the total memory on your Macintosh:
Memory on the Macintosh Setup will allocate 0-5999K 2000K 6000-7000K 2500K 7000K and greater 3000K2000K-2500K is sufficient for simple tasks and smaller documents. However, if you are working on larger documents (50 pages or more) or documents with many graphics, or if you are performing more memory- intensive tasks (such as grammar checking), allocate more memory to Word if it is available. For example, if you have 5 MB of memory, Word is allocated 2.5 MB when it is installed. If the system uses 1.5 MB for itself, that leaves 3.5 MB available when no applications are running. You can safely allocate another .5 MB of memory to Word, bringing the total to 3 MB. To allocate more memory to Word, select the Microsoft Word icon in the Finder. From the File menu, choose Get Info. Increase the Preferred Size, based on how much available memory your Macintosh has. Allocating more memory to Word helps, but generally, unless your documents contain large numbers of graphics (in which case allocating up to 6 MB of memory may improve performance), allocating more than 3- 4 MB of memory to Word does not necessarily increase the speed of Word.
Disk CacheYou can increase the disk cache setting in your Macintosh if you have enough available memory. A larger disk cache can improve the performance of your Macintosh by setting up a portion of memory to store frequently used information that is usually accessed from a hard disk. The disk cache speeds up Macintosh operations such as opening and quitting Word, loading portions of Word (for example, the grammar checker), and switching between active programs. The disk cache option is located in the Macintosh Memory control panel.
ADVANCED SETTINGSYou can increase the BitMapMemory or CacheSize settings in Word's Advanced Settings if you have at least 8 MB of RAM. To modify these settings, use the procedures in the "Modify Word's Advanced Settings" section of this Application Note. That section also contains a description of the BitMapMemory and CacheSize settings.
BitMapMemoryIf your documents frequently contain many bitmapped graphics (such as scanned images and screen captures), you can increase the redrawing and scrolling speed of bitmaps by increasing the amount of memory that Word reserves for these operations. On a computer with at least 8 MB of RAM, you can increase the BitMapMemory setting as high as 2048K (2 MB). The following sample entry from Advanced Settings sets the BitMapMemory value at 2048K:
[Microsoft Word] bitmapmemory=2048 CacheSizeIf you primarily work with large documents, you can increase the CacheSize setting to enlarge Word's internal Document Text cache. With a larger cache, Word does not need to access the hard disk as frequently, which speeds up performance. Start by changing the CacheSize setting to 256K and then, if necessary, increase it to 1024K (1 MB). The following sample entries from Advanced Settings set these values respectively:
[Microsoft Word] cachesize=256 [Microsoft Word] cachesize=1024NOTE: You may not need both the BitMapMemory and CacheSize settings, depending on the type of documents you usually create. If you change one of these settings and do not notice any improvement in Word's performance, delete the setting so that Word, System 7.x, and other applications can use the memory for other operations. You may find that Word's default settings already provide optimal performance.
16 MB of RAM or More: Create a RAM DiskIf you have at least 16 MB of RAM, you can create a RAM disk, which can provide an increase in Macintosh performance by reserving memory to emulate a disk. Because memory access is much faster than hard disk access, running Word from a RAM disk may result in a performance increase. The System 7.x RAM Disk feature is available in the Memory control panel. To run Word from a RAM disk, you must allocate enough memory for Word (at least 4 MB).
ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR IMPROVING WORD FOR THE MACINTOSH PERFORMANCE
General Speed Tips
Background Processing - Extensions, Control Panels, and Drivers
===============================================================
Besides consuming memory on a Macintosh, background tasks force your
Macintosh to distribute its processing time instead of concentrating
it on your foreground application. Even if they are completely idle,
background applications are allocated processor time that could be
devoted to simple tasks such as updating windows. Extensions, control
panels, and drivers are examples of background applications that are
loaded into memory at startup. Limiting the number of background
applications that load when you start the Macintosh may noticeably
increase performance. To modify your control panel settings, choose
Control Panels from the Apple menu. Extensions and drivers are located
in the System Folder's Extensions folder.
To determine the performance increase you can obtain by paring down
the amount of background processing, try starting your Macintosh
without extensions. First, choose About This Macintosh from the Apple
menu and write down the Largest Unused Block value. Then start your
Macintosh without extensions. (To start without extensions, hold down
the SHIFT key when you start the Macintosh. When you see the message
"Welcome to Macintosh Extensions Off," you can release the SHIFT key.)
Check to see what the Largest Unused Block value is now.
NOTE: Some extensions, control panels, and drivers are necessary for
important tasks, such as connecting to the network, printing,
accessing a CD-ROM drive, and so forth. Your ability to pare down your
extensions, control panels, and drivers depends greatly on how you use
your Macintosh.
Use the Right Display Mode for Faster Screen Display
====================================================
You may not need the millions of colors your Macintosh can support.
Monitor settings significantly affect operations on the Macintosh that
entail redrawing the screen (for example, screen updates that occur
when you scroll or update graphics). If you are writing reports and
working with spreadsheets, you may need only 16 to 256 colors. (You
can easily switch back to using more colors if no change in
performance occurs or if your work requires additional video
capabilities.)
In black-and-white mode, a single bit is used to track the color of
each pixel on the screen. This figure increases proportionally with
1-bit, 2-bit, 4-bit, on up to 24-bit color mode (millions of colors).
Use the table below, which lists the memory "cost" of additional
colors, to balance your performance needs with your display needs.
Colors Memory cost
-------------------------------------------------------------------
16 Base number (lowest cost)
256 2 times the memory/work of 16 colors
65K 4 times the memory/work of 16 colors
16 million 6 times the memory/work of 16 colors
You can set the number of colors or shades of gray your monitor can
use by opening the Monitors control panel in Control Panels.
Optimize Hard Disk Access
=========================
By optimizing your hard disk periodically, you can improve disk access
time. The access speed of a hard disk affects overall Macintosh
performance, more so in conditions of significant disk activity (such
as reading or writing a file or reading an application or segments of
an application). Because Word is a large application, a significant
amount of hard disk access occurs when reading parts of the
application into memory.
File fragmentation on the hard disk can slow reading and writing.
Fragmentation occurs with the ongoing deletion from and insertion of
information onto the disk and results in a lack of continuous space to
place information. With disk-intensive activities, hard disk
fragmentation hinders the performance of your Macintosh.
Optimizing the drive rearranges the contents of a disk so that the
files are stored on sectors located next to one another. Optimizing a
drive increases the speed of file access. There are several programs
available for optimizing drives on the Macintosh.
Virtual Memory
==============
The System 7.x Virtual Memory feature swaps out portions of files and
programs from memory to the hard disk. With the Virtual Memory feature
turned on, a 4-MB Macintosh can perform tasks that require more than 4
MB of memory. However, because hard disk access time is much slower
than memory access time, virtual memory is much slower than random-
access memory. Whenever possible, you should not use virtual memory.
How to Print FasterMany factors affect printing speed. Below is a short checklist of steps you can take that may help increase printing speed:
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