See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/...peningWord.htm however your
McAfee comment points to a possible clue. From the Help task bar, uncheck
the online content settings so that Word does not try to access the
internet. Unlike Word 2000, Word 2003 will make use of online resources,
which can be useful if you have a broadband connection. Note that Word will
always start faster second time if you close then re-open. This is because
of the way Windows handles memory.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




KM1 wrote:
Word has always had a double type opening characteristic. When you
open Word the normal.dot opens with the top part of the toolbars.
Between the two I can see my Desktop backgroud for a short period.
Then the toolbars open. This is only for about a second or two at
first open. If I close and then reopen it is faster but still notice
the double opening. Is this normal for Word 2003, do not notice it
in word 2000?

Also, once I got highspeed internet connection, the first time I
opened Word it hung between the Normal.dot for a good 3 - 5 seconds,
then opened the toolbars. Closed and reopened, did it again, but not
quit as long. Restarted, tried again, back to 3 - 5 seconds. I did
do a lot of Windows XP Critical Updates, Mcafee Updates, Installation
of a new Mcafee pop-up/addblocker, and defragmentation after my new
internet connection along with some Office 2003 updates (one of them
a smart tag update) all before opening word. Never this long of a
pause between Normal.dot and toolbars. There was no program error or
program hang error reported, even in event monitor, during this
timeframe. However, did have Mcafee notify me that Word wanted to
access the internet, which I blocked access too, on the first attempt
at opening Word. This behavior has been improving throughout the day
but really strange. Never noticed this with dial up connection,
whether connected or not. My question is what caused this and is it
indicative of Word being corrupted in some way? Any info would be
appreciated.