I have a new computer build of Windows 7 and Excel 2010. It started out running fast but over the course of about 5 days it slowed to a crawl, with a screen update taking as long as 50 seconds on a sheet with just data, no calculations, no macros.
I discovered a fix but I don't know why it worked and I suspect it will not last. Below are the steps I took to fix it. If someone has an explanation of what happened and a permanent solution, I would appreciate hearing it.
I got the idea from Excel’s help file under “screen update” and a section on changing how Excel can automatically update. And why you shouldn’t let it. Below are the steps I took.
Control Panel
System
Advanced System Settings
Advanced
Settings
Let Windows Choose What’s Best for My Computer was the default
Adjust for Best Performance was what I selected.
Apply
Okay (etc.)
I started Excel, no improvement an inferior look to the display
I repeated the steps above but selected Let Window Choose What’s Best for My Computer (That is a bit arrogant, don’t you think?)
I did that because if the performance was going to be bad, at least I wanted a better look to the display.
After saving, I started Excel with a large file and it is fast, at least for now.
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