File Error: Data May Have Been Lost

[Tbird2340]

A user setup an excel spreadsheet to use as a template in Excel XP (2002).
This file is opened successfully from a network drive from both Excel 2003
and 2002.. The user makes changes to this file and then saves it as a
different name to a network drive. When an Excel 2002 user makes changes to
this file and then saves it and an Excel 2003 user goes to open that file
they get:

"File Error: Data May Have Been Lost"

They click OK and get that message about 25 times before they can open the
file. When they do open the file there is indeed a bunch of data missing.

Is there some sort of incompatibility between Excel 2002 and 2003?

2002 to 2002 users do not have this problem.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

Sound like the workbook has been corrupted. In general, the answer to your
question is no.

 

[Tbird2340]

Tom, thanks for the reply... The workbook is fine when a 2002 user opens,
edits, and saves it, then another 2002 user opens it..

They get that message when a 2002 user opens, edits, and saves it, THEN a
2003 user trys to open it..

I had the original resaved as a different name so I don't think it is
corrupt..

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

Excel 97 through Excel 2003 use the same file format. Also if you look,
there are a paucity of people complaining of this situation if any. I
assume you are not trying to open this file from a floppy nor did you save
it directly to a floppy.

You might want to explore the Knowledge base and see if you can find
something. Search on your error message:

http://support.microsoft.com

used advanced search and set your product to Excel 2003

This is an example:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;820712
You receive a "Damage to the file was so extensive that repairs were not
possible" error message when you try to open a workbook in Excel 2003

 

[Ken Wright]

Also, get the user with 2003 to try an open and repair on the file. Do File
/ Open and then on the dropdown arrow that you will see on the 'Open' button
select the 'Open and repair' option and see if that helps.

 

[Tbird2340]

I tried the file > detect > repair and that didn't do anything... However,
the file in question has links that can't be updated. Apparently the user
that created this template lnked it to files on his desktop and then
published the template to the network.. There are 3 links.. I'm going to
"Edit > Links" and I'm trying to break the links to the three files... I can
break the link to one of the files but the other two stay there when I try
to break the links..

Any ideas?? I think this may have something to do with the data loss.. How
can I break these other two links?

Thanks!

 

[Ken Wright]

Not sure to be honest as I would have expected the Break links option to
work. If you know where the links are then you can do it manually, or by
all means send it to me and I'll take a quick look for you. You would need
to take the NOSPAM bit out of my email addy.

You can also try Bill Manville's excellent FINDLINK addin:-

http://www.bmsltd.ie/mvp/

 

[Guest]

This sounds a lot like a problem I am having. Have a workbook with
macros/formulas that I e-mail to others when I update it. Has worked fine for
over a year until yesterday it started giving the 'File Error: data may be
lost' when they open it, then lots of clicks thru error messages. Then it
opens with data gone.

Odd thing is it still works fine for me at my home and work PC's. But not
for them at all. If I send them a previous version, that one works fine too,
so I am very confused.

Is probably important to note that this newest update contains new info
copy/pasted from other's worksheets that I did not create. But I do not know
enough about this problem to search in the new data and fix.

Can't go back to older version because too many changes in the new.

If anyone can assist, much appreciated.

 

[Ken Wright]

What versions Excel?

File sounds like it may be partially corrupted. Excel 2002 upwards has a
File / Open & repair option that may help

 

[Guest]

I tried Open/Repair, but since the file is not having problems on my side, I
am not sure if it fixed anything. Wont know unless I e-mail to my partners
and they tell me.
If it is partially corrupted, why would it work OK on my end? I get no error
at all. Just my partners get it.

versions
Home - 2002 - works ok
work - 2000 - works ok
customer site - Not sure which but they are pretty up to date. I believe it
is the same version that worked before.

I sent a 2-week old verion of the file to them yesterday as a test and that
one still works OK for them. Leads me to believe that something crept into my
latest update of the file itself that is causing this.

In general, what kinds of things can cause this?

 

[Ken Wright]

Corruption, if indeed that is what it is, is extremely hard to nail down I'm
afraid.

More than happy to try opening it and see if it plays up my end, assuming
you are able/willing to send it out - your call. You woulod need to take
the NoSpam bit out of my email addy. Might help to have one that you know
works and one that doesn't

 

[Guest]

Ken, trying to send you the file but your firewall blocks any file with
active script. I sent without the 'NoSpam' thing included in the address.

 

[Ken Wright]

Must be the ISP's firewall doing that. Try zipping the file(s), or just
changing the extensions to .dat or something. I can then just change back
this end

 

[Guest]

Did not go through again. I sent to (e-mail address removed) with a ".dat" suffix.
Never mind.

 

[Ken Wright]

LOL - You missed off the world bit, but please don't post it as a real addy.

ken dot wright at ntlworld dot com
^^^^^^