MSO2007: Word GUI Corruption

Product: Microsoft Office Word 2007 RTM (Current April 2007)
Bug: Multiple Word windows Equation GUI corruption
First Discovered: January 2007
Discovered by: Michael Kennedy

The new version on Microsoft Office 2007 RTM has lots of nice new features which are not included in much of the hype. However it also has a few bugs left in there for curious users to find. This discusses some drawing issues with the GUI when multiple Word windows are opened.


This picture shows the equation editor inserting a new equation in the first windows in a new document. I really like this equation editor, it was so nice to use and the results look great in PDF. This saved me from using LATEX.


However when you open a second window and try and insert an equation, under some circumstances the GUI will not be drawn correctly in the second window. While this at first may appear insignificant, the new black bits to the right and bottom of each of the equation tiles covers up part of the respective tile, and makes it hard to distinguish between tiles by their respective images. Which makes it quite annoying, and in my opinion is clearly a bug. Probably not an easy one to find because the corruption does not occur on all equation tiles.

In terms of duplication, I have been able to generate the same error on multiple machines quite easily. The first was a high spec workstation and the other was Dell Inspiron 500M with 1GB RAM. The systems both had all drivers and windows software up to date, and shared very little in common in terms of system hardware.

Duplication steps:

1. Open Microsoft Office Word 2007 RTM twice, so you have two new windows each with their own new document.
2. In the first, insert a new equation.
3. In the second, insert a new equation.
4. In the first, move the mouse over the equation ribbon and click each tile's down arrow to reveal all the optional example tiles.
5. In the second, move the mouse over the equation ribbon and click each tile's down arrow to reveal all the optional example tiles.
6. Notice the new blacks bits that appear in one of the windows.
   

I do not believe this error is confined to this element only, but with no money from Microsoft and little interest in the user forums I have given up on testing. Clearly since I have finished my thesis, and my copy of 2007 was legal and free, I have no need or right to complain much.