Hi:

I use Excel automation in two Visual Basic Applications to create reports as Excel workbooks. The problem is that on some machines, it can be very slow to generate these workbooks. I am running Windows 2K Pro and Office 2000, and I have never noticed this problem myself as the developer. However different users who use different Windows/Office configurations report that there is a long delay at times when generating these reports. It seems that usually they are slow to generate on Windows XP. It seems as if there is a very long delay at the first in loading Excel before the report even starts to generate.

I have spent a great deal of time researching on this trying to find a solution. I have used all of the "optimization techniques" in my code that people have suggested, but this has not helped.

I do not know what is happening, but it appears that the major slow down may occur when changing the margins or page orientation when certain printers are the default printer.

I really need to find out why it is fast usually in Windows 2000 but slow in Windows XP. I can provide any further information anyone requires to find a solution. Please help! My e-mail is [email protected]. Thanks in advance.

Hi!

Is the Windows variation (XP, 2000 etc) your only variable?
I ask because there is ample evidence that the page set up procedures for printing are considerably slower in Excel 2000 than they were in Excel 97. I have no experience of versions after Excel 2000. Could it be there is an issue here?

Alf

I do not know all of the variables involved. The ones I do know are:

Windows Version
Office Version
Memory Capacity
Printer Driver associated with the default Printer

The Printer Driver associated with the default Printer seems to be most significant, although the other three variables may play a part. I really think the cause of this is changing the margins and orientation of the Excel worksheets. Some printer drivers can be dog slow when doing this.

By the way, the slowness I am noticing is just in pulling up the workbook on the monitor. It does not concern printing. I have not measured printing performance.

Have you manage to get to the bottom of your problem. I am asking because I am encounting the similar problem as well.

Please help.

gin

Hi Brian,

I can think of a couple of things that *may* be part of the problem.

I do most of my spreadsheet development over a network (I am running Win XP Pro) and sometimes opening a workbook can take 30secs+. (At other times it can be 1-2secs though) I don't much about network administration, but that could be something to look into. It also only seems to XP computers at my work with the problem.

Something else that could be contributing to the problem is anti-virus software that is scanning the workbooks as they are opened.

Hope this helps
Andrew