Question : docx files on Novell server are very slow to open

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.

Answer : docx files on Novell server are very slow to open

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