lettered: (Default)
It's Lion Turtles all the way down ([personal profile] lettered) wrote2006-04-11 02:26 am
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I'm in the depths of despair.

My Word docs keep getting . . . corrupted somehow. I'll save a file, and when I go to open it again, both the top and bottom have a lot of extra text that mostly seems to be about what directory the file was saved in. All the italics (and other kids of formatting) are lost. And worst of all, it's as if the text's been chopped up into chunks--sometimes cutting sentences or words in half--and then tossed like a salad, so that I have to try to figure out how everything fits together again. And some things are lost entirely. . . especially if I had the file saved, then went back in and changed a couple words, saved it again--even if I rename the file after the little tweaks. It's been going on for a while with a random file here and there, but lately it's been getting worse, doing it with every single file.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Does it sounds like a Word problem, or is it my computer, is it a virus? Any advice?

It's fucked up three fics so far, and one I'm not sure I can put back together again.

Also, every once in a while my keyboard just stops working. Everything else will work, but the keyboard is completely crapped out. When I reset the computer, everything works fine.
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[identity profile] moss6886.livejournal.com 2006-04-11 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Aw, honey.

I do NOT pretend to be an expert on such stuff, but the last time I saw something like your doc problems, it was a bad spot on the disc. Depending on your version of Windows, Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk (if you're pre WinXP), or the errorchecking tool on the Tools tab under your hard drive Properties option (XP & maybe ME), should tell you if that's the case and possibly isolate the bad section. (They'll take a while to run.) Your files may be FUBARed, though you could try saving them to a different directory.

Hopefully, the keyboard problem is a separate issue and your keyboard is just dying or the connection has jogged loose. If none of this helps, you may very well be looking at a virus problem, but I've never encountered a serious virus before so that's not something I have any suggestions for.

Good luck!
ext_7189: (Default)

[identity profile] tkp.livejournal.com 2006-04-11 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, this is sense-making. My old computer crashed a couple months ago, and there was this old (REALLY old) family comp I dug up to use in the interrim before I got a new comp. I thought I was going to get a new one right away, but yeah it doesn't appear to be happening. Anyway, I seem to remember this comp getting set aside because there were bad sectors. Now I have to figure out how to do the scan disk thing.

I think the keyboard is a separate issue, too.

Thanks!
lynnenne: (omg by literati)

[personal profile] lynnenne 2006-04-12 02:21 am (UTC)(link)
Agree with this. Usually when your files start getting corrupted, it's because of a bad disk. I would try to save them to floppy or burn them on CD right away, then go out and get a new hard drive.
ext_7189: (Default)

[identity profile] tkp.livejournal.com 2006-04-12 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, thanks. I've been backing my files up online and on the network I'm on. I am supposed to get a new computer soon anyway...hopefully soon means really soon!
lynnenne: (faith2 by killmebecomeme)

[personal profile] lynnenne 2006-04-12 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
Good luck! :)
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