"initializing folders", how to edit network delay ?

Hi, within Office 2007, whenever attempting to browse to open or save
attachments, etc, the "Initializing the root folders to display" window
appears and delays any browsing for a long period of time. From what I've
read in previous posts, this is due to an unavailable mapped drive. Deleting
the mapped drive is a poor solution, considering in this case it's probably
only available when a VPN is active and the user isn't going to want to
recreate the mapped drive letter everytime the VPN is initiated.

Where in the registry can I edit the timeout delay for this problem in
Office? If this is not possible, when will MS issue some solution to this
well-known hassle?

Thanks in advance,
Tyson.

The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

Tyson wrote:

Hi, within Office 2007, whenever attempting to browse to open or save
attachments, etc, the "Initializing the root folders to display" window
appears and delays any browsing for a long period of time. From what I've
read in previous posts, this is due to an unavailable mapped drive. Deleting
the mapped drive is a poor solution, considering in this case it's probably
only available when a VPN is active and the user isn't going to want to
recreate the mapped drive letter everytime the VPN is initiated.

Where in the registry can I edit the timeout delay for this problem in
Office? If this is not possible, when will MS issue some solution to this
well-known hassle?

Thanks in advance,
Tyson.

Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:

The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

This "software issue" is Office waiting for the Operating system to
return a list of valid targets. Office is primarily designed to work in
a business environment with a working network. Provide an invalid
target, and you will wait. As to fixing your setup. Simply put a
shortcut on the desktop that points to a batch file that contains the
mapping to the drive letter you want to use and click it to do the mapping.

example line for batch file which you write in NOTEPAD and save to the
root of "C:"

NET USE Z: \\computername\sharename


save and name the file something like MAPDRIVE.BAT then right click on
it and Send To Shortcut to desktop.



Tyson wrote:
Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:


The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

It seems to me that you're suggesting that Microsoft office is perfect (once
again) and people should go out of their way to work around their issues with
the program.

I have a similar situation. I use a laptop for work. In the office, I am
plugged into the network and have several mapped drives to the server drives.
Outside of the office, once connected to a VPN, I also use these same mapped
drives. At home, the laptop is connected to a different network and I use
different mapped drives. Lastly, I am an electrical designer and do
programming of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). Some of the software I
use has a software key that I need to move to other computers depending on
what I am working on. I can only move the key to a mapped hard drive.

As you might be starting to comprehend, constantly removing and
re-installing mapped drives is not exactly the ideal solution.
Is it possible that there is another solution to this problem?

I would be grateful for any replies. Thanks.



"Bob I" wrote:

This "software issue" is Office waiting for the Operating system to
return a list of valid targets. Office is primarily designed to work in
a business environment with a working network. Provide an invalid
target, and you will wait. As to fixing your setup. Simply put a
shortcut on the desktop that points to a batch file that contains the
mapping to the drive letter you want to use and click it to do the mapping.

example line for batch file which you write in NOTEPAD and save to the
root of "C:"

NET USE Z: \\computername\sharename


save and name the file something like MAPDRIVE.BAT then right click on
it and Send To Shortcut to desktop.



Tyson wrote:
Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:


The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

No Office is not perfect, but it seems you have a pretty cobbled up mess
on your computer as far as configurations go. If you need to use custom
mapping then do so. Simply map the appropriate drives with a logon
script or batch file. End of issue. What you are doing is like commuting
all week with a housetrailer behind your car, because you go camping on
the weekend, and then complaining about the cars perfomance around town.

JMF wrote:

It seems to me that you're suggesting that Microsoft office is perfect (once
again) and people should go out of their way to work around their issues with
the program.

I have a similar situation. I use a laptop for work. In the office, I am
plugged into the network and have several mapped drives to the server drives.
Outside of the office, once connected to a VPN, I also use these same mapped
drives. At home, the laptop is connected to a different network and I use
different mapped drives. Lastly, I am an electrical designer and do
programming of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). Some of the software I
use has a software key that I need to move to other computers depending on
what I am working on. I can only move the key to a mapped hard drive.

As you might be starting to comprehend, constantly removing and
re-installing mapped drives is not exactly the ideal solution.
Is it possible that there is another solution to this problem?

I would be grateful for any replies. Thanks.



"Bob I" wrote:


This "software issue" is Office waiting for the Operating system to
return a list of valid targets. Office is primarily designed to work in
a business environment with a working network. Provide an invalid
target, and you will wait. As to fixing your setup. Simply put a
shortcut on the desktop that points to a batch file that contains the
mapping to the drive letter you want to use and click it to do the mapping.

example line for batch file which you write in NOTEPAD and save to the
root of "C:"

NET USE Z: \\computername\sharename


save and name the file something like MAPDRIVE.BAT then right click on
it and Send To Shortcut to desktop.



Tyson wrote:

Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:



The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

"Tyson" wrote:

Hi, within Office 2007, whenever attempting to browse to open or save
attachments, etc, the "Initializing the root folders to display" window
appears and delays any browsing for a long period of time. From what I've
read in previous posts, this is due to an unavailable mapped drive. Deleting
the mapped drive is a poor solution, considering in this case it's probably
only available when a VPN is active and the user isn't going to want to
recreate the mapped drive letter everytime the VPN is initiated.

Where in the registry can I edit the timeout delay for this problem in
Office? If this is not possible, when will MS issue some solution to this
well-known hassle?

Thanks in advance,
Tyson.

I've been trying to figure a fix/workaround to this problem too.. Finally
found 1 that works for me, not sure if it will work for you or not.. took me
brainstorming a little and then figuring out that having the drive available
offline would probaly fix the initializing folders delay, since the drive
would be visible all the time.. I just created a placeholder txt file in the
drives that are not always online and then told windows to make it available
offline..since the file has nothing in it it is as close to a 0 bit file as
you can get(in fact windows reports it as 0 KB).. so synchronization will
take no time at all with it..

Hi All,

Bob, please don't bother replying as you obviously want us to work around
technology rather than technology work for us.

To everyone else, have you figured out a solution to this that is NOT what
the idiot Bob was suggesting??

Infinity, if you are still around, can you please clarify your solution a
bit more. I was a little confused how you got this to work.

THank you

Even idiot Bob knows how to look up "off-line files" in Windows Help.

Wildviper wrote:

Hi All,

Bob, please don't bother replying as you obviously want us to work around
technology rather than technology work for us.

To everyone else, have you figured out a solution to this that is NOT what
the idiot Bob was suggesting??

Infinity, if you are still around, can you please clarify your solution a
bit more. I was a little confused how you got this to work.

THank you

"Bob I" wrote:

Even idiot Bob knows how to look up "off-line files" in Windows Help.

Wildviper wrote:

Hi All,

Bob, please don't bother replying as you obviously want us to work around
technology rather than technology work for us.

To everyone else, have you figured out a solution to this that is NOT what
the idiot Bob was suggesting??

Infinity, if you are still around, can you please clarify your solution a
bit more. I was a little confused how you got this to work.

THank you