[Ti] MS Word 2004 using excessive processor time (CPU)

[Bob Fowles]

I alluded to this problem under the thread Overheating.

Environment: 500Mhz Powerbook 10.4.10

I first noticed MS Word 2004 using excessive processor time a few 
days after I applied the latest iTunes and Quicktime 7.2 update 
(7/14) and the Microsoft update 11.3.6 (7/13). Prior to that I 
upgraded to 10.4.10 (6/21) from 10.4.9 but the problem occurred after 
the previously mentioned updates. These are the only system changes I 
am aware of before the problem occurred.

After those changes, the fan started coming on more frequently, and 
Unix top and Activity Monitor showed that Word was always using 50% 
even when NO files were open. When I quit Word, CPU usage decreases 
by 50%. When I start it, CPU usage  increases by 50%.  My temporary 
circumvention is to quit Word immediately after using it. I used to 
always run with Word as an active application.

There are many posts in the Apple forum about people having problems 
with the QT 7.2 update. Some have managed to go back to 7.1.6 to 
eliminate the problem but it is not a simple task.

If you haven't applied that update, you might want to wait a bit.

Bob Fowles