Excel CSV leaving out empty columns from row 17 onwards

[nilesh.shah.uk]

Excel omitting commas in random ways !!
Anyone come across this ?

When I save this file in csv using excel 2003

A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z,AA
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,

and open in text pad, I get (in text pad)
A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z,AA
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O,,,,,,,,,,,,
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,S,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O
A,,C,D,,21-Nov-06,27-Nov-06,B,1,2,,3.5,BP,N,O

 

[Dave Peterson]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=77295
Column Delimiters Missing in Spreadsheet Saved as Text

 

[Earl Kiosterud]

If the fix in the Knowledge Base isn't satisfactory, try the Text Write
Program at http://www.smokeylake.com/excel/text_write_program.htm. Use the
"write rectangular" option.

 

[Harlan Grove]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=77295
Column Delimiters Missing in Spreadsheet Saved as Text

....

This KB article only mentions Excel 97, 95, 5.0 and 3.0 for OS/2. I've
just confirmed that Excel 2003 'works' the same way. So it appears this
is a bug Microsoft regards as a feature. Unlikely it'll be fixed any
time soon. [Perhaps this, er, feature comes from millions of user
requests for CSV to work just this way, but the reference to Excel 3.0
tends to suggest this 'feature' may go back to the original Excel
version, so suffused with all the foresight and design acumen that also
underlies Excel's continuing inability to open multiple files with the
same base filename.]