Solved Corel WordPerfect Office 2021 Slow to Load in Windows 24H2

I have been using WordPerfect (WP) products since 1988 when they were based in Orem, Utah before Corel acquired the company. MS Office has clobbered their market share, so there has not been a new version since 2021. Nonetheless, I am a "power user" of WP and have never bothered learning Word. WP does everything I need to do and much, much more. When I was working, it was the organization's word processor.

When my main desktop computer (Spec 1) was upgraded to 24H2 from 23H2 by Windows Update a month or so ago, I noticed that WP became very slow to load, taking about a minute. In doing some research, it appears that WP likes to have an online printer operative during its loading (KB Corel: WordPerfect is slow launching). My printers are usually off unless I want to print something, which is seldom these days. The slow loading was not an issue with Windows 23H2 with my printers off.

I run Malwarebytes Premium, and there was a known issue with Word and other files (After update to Windows 11 24H2, slow print in Chrome, slow Adobe and Word), so I assumed that was the problem, but Malwarebytes has just fixed that issue with their latest component update, but WP loading remained slow.

So, I turned on my printer and then tried to launch WordPerfect 2021. It loaded normally without undue delay. It seems that there is a WP loading speed problem when no actual printers are online with Windows 24H2, which is resolved by simply turning on a listed printer device in Windows.

There will be a very limited audience for this information, but I thought I would share it for the benefit of any other WP dinosaurs like me out there in cyberspace.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

Hi, @garioch7

I'm a fellow dinosaur and I did not notice this printer issue in a fresh install Windows 11 24H2, on a relatively old laptop. WP is loading with my printer off without any noticeable delay. I would say this issue is affecting some HW configurations, I maybe wrong.

I also started with WP 5.1 for Windows on my first computer in '92, even took classes at local Community College.

My WP 2021 opens just fine on the latest update Version 24H2 Build 26100.2454. I do have an older program that I got a message about having to reinstall it.

It could well be a hardware configuration issue, if others have not noted the issue. It could also relate to the make/model of printer and/or the printer driver. It might also be only WP Office 2021 that is affected and not earlier versions, or some combination thereof.

Thank you for your feedback. It is nice to know that I am not the sole surviving WP dinosaur!

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

Forgot to mention, my WP 2021 is on a Desktop but I also have WP X9 on a Notebook which is at the latest Windows Build, also opens speedily.

@Berton ,

Thank you for your reply. I guess it must be my hardware or printer or its interface software.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil