OT: MS Word Problem - need help - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2017, 07:18:05 pm
content: My company is requiring me to write a procedure using their Word template. IT sends me a .dot file, which opens in Word. I save this as a .docx file with a nice name (myprocexam.docx)I spend a few hours typing away and then, for no apparent reason when I hit Ctrl-s for about the 23rd time, I get a dialog that the file cannot be found. Here I am stuck and I do not recall what I did exactly.I have started over somehow and when I hit Ctrl-s for about the 19th time, I get a Save As dialog. No matter what I do, the Save As dialog reappears. I tried new names, new locations, etc...I punted the file back to IT via the Save and Send, which put a file in my Outlook email. I don't think it had my edits though. IT sends a docx file back that has newer formatting, a new template I guess.I work on this file for a day and it seems fine, so I send it to the staff admin for routing and they send me back an old version asking for another section to be added. I open my local version and start typing, and first Ctrl-s gives me the Save As dialog again.WTF?

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2017, 07:43:57 pm
content: I'm not sure what you are doing exactly, but I would recommend that once you open the DOT, save it to a known location as a .docx (or maybe even try .doc in the older Word 97 format)... and confirm it is there by opening the actual folder and checking it. In fact, make another copy and open it and see if it is there and contains what it should.As you type and edit the file, keep saving but occasional also "Save As..." and make a new file maybe after every 10 saves. Or as you work on it and save, periodically make a COPY of the file to a new one. Open it to confirm that it contains your updated changes.At least this way, if things seem to have a problem again and doesn't contain your edits you may be able to revert back to something more recent and not lose all your work. And since you've verified the edits are there on the previous versions, and they are different files, you know they are there.What I'm thinking could be causing the problem is that somehow when you are opening it up from the email it is creating a temporary file and it may even be read-only, and it is having a problem saving the data or something in the background is wiping your temporary directory or your email program is doing something to clean up stuff. I would save the DOT to a folder and then open it up from Explorer and do what I am saying regarding saving periodically with different file names or making a copy. You will get a bunch of files but then delete all the intermediate ones when you are done.I never open up things directly from an email program. I always save it out to the hard drive and open it from there.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2017, 07:55:36 pm
content: I copied the dot file to my hard drive and opened it from there. Then I saved the file as a docx on my hard drive. I closed it and reopened it. It seemed to work for awhile, then it's in this save as loop. I was wondering if the template has some dependencies that are behind a secure server that the IT folks have access to. But it's a company template so then other's would be having a problem.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2017, 10:01:52 pm
content: I'm done with this. Thanks.There is no rhyme or reason either.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2017, 10:56:18 pm
content: It's been a year or so since I last worked with MS Word, but here goes:.dot files are a kind of "stationery" and need to be handled specially. When they come from IT, they often have all kinds of formatting and macro sh*t embedded. You need to conserve this.The easy way, which doesn't always work, is to open the .dot file and save it immediately as template (NOT as .docx) locally, there is a file type under "Save as" for this. Accept the suggested location and extension (.dot).Close all files under Word and ask for a new file. The menu will ask for the template (usually you just have "Normal") and choose the newly stored template for your document. Now you're in ".docx mode" and can edit/store your document normally.If the above doesn't work, you'll have to find out where your Word installation stores the templates, and simply store the received .dot file in that location.Then do the File - New thing again.