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Guest Trefcon

Hi Guys,

really need your expert computer knowledge, i myself am a complete know nowt!

99% of my Great War A- Z's are in Excel. On trying to open one earlier i got a 'unable to read files' window pop up. On Googling this it seems i might have lost everything i have created over the last few years!!! The A-Z's i have on site are now way over due for an update, which i have been doing daily, these are in those files too. Plus other stuff i haven'e put on site at the moment.

I have recently uninstalled Norton Anti Virus, as apparentley this was causing the 'you are low on virtual memory' pop up.

Can i rescue anything at all ? Could i e-mail the files to someone else and would they be able to open them and save them for me ? If i cant resue them then you wont see me for months as i''l have to back track all i have done !!!!

Any suggestions much appreciated, and as i say, i am easily baffled by computer jargon !!

Dean.

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Could i e-mail the files to someone else and would they be able to open them and save them for me ? If i cant resue them then you wont see me for months as i''l have to back track all i have done !!!!

Dean.

PM sent regarding email address.

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Hi Guys,

really need your expert computer knowledge, i myself am a complete know nowt!

99% of my Great War A- Z's are in Excel. On trying to open one earlier i got a 'unable to read files' window pop up. On Googling this it seems i might have lost everything i have created over the last few years!!! The A-Z's i have on site are now way over due for an update, which i have been doing daily, these are in those files too. Plus other stuff i haven'e put on site at the moment.

I have recently uninstalled Norton Anti Virus, as apparentley this was causing the 'you are low on virtual memory' pop up.

Can i rescue anything at all ? Could i e-mail the files to someone else and would they be able to open them and save them for me ? If i cant resue them then you wont see me for months as i''l have to back track all i have done !!!!

Any suggestions much appreciated, and as i say, i am easily baffled by computer jargon !!

Dean.

I'm lost when it comes to working with Excel Dean,

but would say that if you have the files on your computer

or backed up to CD/DVD's there is no need to panic.

Just don't delete anything.

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Guest Trefcon

Cheers Steve,

just going to send a couple of small files to Richard, see if he can open them.

Dean.

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Cheers Steve,

just going to send a couple of small files to Richard, see if he can open them.

Dean.

Opened fine.

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I'm lost when it comes to working with Excel Dean,

but would say that if you have the files on your computer

or backed up to CD/DVD's there is no need to panic.

Just don't delete anything.

When Steve first admitted that he didn't know a great deal about MicroSoft Excel (I think because he uses the Open Office equivalent but infrequently) Stuart0742 admitted that he worked with it on a daily basis to keep all sorts of spreadsheets at work.

I think Stuart could be the man to ask here.

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Cheers Steve,

just going to send a couple of small files to Richard, see if he can open them.

Dean.

A word of advice not just for Dean but for anyone,

always back-up/save all those important files and data to an external source,

be it to CD/DVD's, an external HDD (hard disk drive) or Flash drive.

Computer problems can crop up any time without warning,

and if your computer hard drive gives up the ghost;

your data goes with it.

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Opened fine.

Good news,

So if Richard can open them the files cannot be corrupt and there is no reason why Dean shouldn't be able to open them once he has got his computer sorted out.

Make sure all the files are well backed up as Steve says first though Dean.

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Guest Trefcon

Cheers guys, i have been saving the whole lot to disc, but i cant read those either at the moment, plus they are way out of date. The problem is i dont know how to fix my 'problem' at the mo.

Dean.

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As a service to all SheffieldHistory folks, if you wish you can email data to sheffieldhistory@gmail.com - this will just sit there, we will not do anything with the data without your express permission. It's just a place to dump data as a backup, obviously not for personal information, just for historical data/images/lists etc etc.

There is considerable storage available; all moderators can have access to this resource (this means multiple people can assist in getting your data back to you; moderators who wish to access this account please PM Stuart0742 or me for the password).

Stuart0742 (who is looking after this account) can create folders for anyone that wishes to make use of this service - this is, of course, free of charge.

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Dean still can't open them (although all the data is safe and both Word and Excel files open just fine here).

Sent some suggestions/questions.

Create a new folder, stick stuff in there, see what happens.

Make acopy and shorten filenames to eight characters of less, no spaces.

Can he create new Excel files and save then re-open.

Could be file associations shot, so, right click and Open With, Excel.

Suggest no major changes; don't run defrag; fingers crossed ...

any more suggestions ?

Main part of this message - all data secure.

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As Dean has not made mention to what software he is using to read the files,

I suggest that he removes the program and then re-installs it.

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As Dean has not made mention to what software he is using to read the files,

I suggest that he removes the program and then re-installs it.

Buy a memory stick and back everything up first Dean; re-install of your software is the next thing to do as Steve says.

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Cheers guys, i have been saving the whole lot to disc, but i cant read those either at the moment, plus they are way out of date. The problem is i dont know how to fix my 'problem' at the mo.

Dean.

Test message from Deans replacement computer; laptop (not brilliant, but exactly the same as the main one I use); docking station, dual 19" flat screens to be delivered when I visit Sheffield, hopefully this weekend - not bad for nowt, eh ?

Anyone for a pint ? Any suggestions for a B&B or Hotel ?

The maps are "coming home" - bet that'll shock Dean when he sees 'em !

Still got £3K's worth of scanner kicking about in car2 ...

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As Dean has not made mention to what software he is using to read the files,

I suggest that he removes the program and then re-installs it.

Excel documents are usually produced by Microsoft Excel, a part of the Microsoft Office suite.

Microsoft Office is one of the most widely used and robust of the pieces of office software available so it is strange it has gone wrong in this way.

Microsoft also usually offer good support for CURRENT versions of MS Office

Although MS Office Excel is used to create an Excel document (.xls) it is not the only program which can open and use them.

Dean could try downloading and installing the free, open source, office suite OPEN OFFICE which should be able to open, edit and resave (in another format if necessary) Excel documents.

Open Office is a very good office suite, apart from being free it is almost the equal of MS office.

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Excel documents are usually produced by Microsoft Excel, a part of the Microsoft Office suite.

Microsoft Office is one of the most widely used and robust of the pieces of office software available so it is strange it has gone wrong in this way.

Microsoft also usually offer good support for CURRENT versions of MS Office

"I'm sorry to say MrsB that the problem has more to do with your year of birth than anything else."

Since I can open everything perfectly, I don't think its Excel so much as the PC/operating system. I've used (daily) every version of Excel/Loyus 123/SuperCalc/Borland Quattro/Multiplan/Logistix and even the very first spreadsheet VisiCalc (63 columns by 99 rows !) 26 years of "Beefy Goodness" !

Dean will be receiving a replacement computer when I deliver it, its the one I'm using right now.

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All operating systems "fall apart" gradually and require patches, fixes, upgrades and maintenance. I wouldn't go there in your present situation Dean but what are you running and how up to date is it fixes-wise ?

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Guest Trefcon

Thanks for all your suggestions chaps, much appreciated. I must confess to being a complete ignoramous re computers !! My Pc is ten years old now and has had some very heavy wear. Since buying i've got through 3 printers/scanners and 3 key pads! I think its on its last legs!

All i'm interested in is being able to save and work with my Great War stuff for putting on here, and to that end Richard as come up trumps, i think!

I've had to Google 'Docking Port' !!

I'm one of those that if you press a button and it dont work, press another untill it does !

I'm up for a beer Richard, come on lads, quick stroll up town and a few pictures taken!

Dean.

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Thanks for all your suggestions chaps, much appreciated. I must confess to being a complete ignoramous re computers !! My Pc is ten years old now and has had some very heavy wear. Since buying i've got through 3 printers/scanners and 3 key pads! I think its on its last legs!

All i'm interested in is being able to save and work with my Great War stuff for putting on here, and to that end Richard as come up trumps, i think!

I've had to Google 'Docking Port' !!

I'm one of those that if you press a button and it dont work, press another untill it does !

I'm up for a beer Richard, come on lads, quick stroll up town and a few pictures taken!

Dean.

Plug laptop into docking station, attach two screens, scroll left/right between 'em, just like one very wide screen.

"Did you think I would leave you dying, when there's room on my horse for two" - Rolf 1970

"Did you think I would see you knackered, when I've got this stuff kicking about" - RichardB 2010 (doesn't quite scan)

First round is yours Mush ! I even have a preference for a Pub ... not a place I remember under its current name ... though I might have been in there in the late 70's - any guesses ?

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All operating systems "fall apart" gradually and require patches, fixes, upgrades and maintenance. I wouldn't go there in your present situation Dean but what are you running and how up to date is it fixes-wise ?

That's just a conspiracy by Microsoft / Apple.

It's proper name is "Calculated, built in obsolescence"

Without it they would never be able to sell you a newer, "better£ operating system, which is their main business and carry on making money out of you.

Microsoft even go as far as telling you the "life cycle and support dates" of their systems. (XP with service pack 2 is about to expire shortly, along with Windows 2000)

Now because LINUX is FREE there is no need to have this built in obsolescence as there is no money to be made.

Linux has new versions every 6 months or so but these are just genuine upgrades, not just money making gimmicks.

That's one of the main strengths of LINUX.

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