ASCII Filter? Help me save my doc!!!

[teazalamode]

Hi
So, I have been writing a very important document over the last few months on my laptop, i have taken a break from writing for a while, then today when i go to open it...

this ASCII Filter Option menu comes up, the defaults are set to ..

Western Europe (Windows-1252/WinLatin 1)
Times New Roman
English (USA)
CR & LF

Now, i've never seen this popup before so, i just clicked ok
To my utter utter dismay, my once 89 page document was just ##################################################
and more #########################
the whole god damn thing!

I tweaked with the ASCII settings, trial and error, but no dice.
just all my words reduced to a series of pound signs (########################)

I just don't understand, i really don't

Can my document be recovered?
Please help
Thank You So Much!

-Tim

[r4zoli]

this ASCII Filter Option menu comes up, the defaults are set to ..

It is a sign that your file is broken.
If you rename file extension to .zip, can you unpack file?
If yes your file can be repaired, if not your data possibly lost.
You allowed creating backup files?
Check your user profile, [Tutorial] The OOo user profile

[Hagar Delest]

Sorry, I think your file is dead: 22 pages term paper replaced with pound signs. I hope you had a backup.

[RoryOF]

There is a possibility (faint, but possible) that there may be a file of type .bak on your system, as r4zoli says. Do a Search for Myfile.bak, where you replace Myfile with the correct name.

[teazalamode]

sigh. backup is nowhere to be found. i guess my data is lost.

thank you for your suggestions and help

-tim

[RoryOF]

Did the laptop hibernate while the document was active, or did you just close the lid and to let it suspend? These are both bad things to do with any document of importance. Or were you working to a USB device?

[briowalker]

I have 2 laptops, one running windows vista and another running windows 7. I have been using Windows Vista laptop for 3 years with OO (without Microsoft Office loaded), i am using OO Calculator for almost every working days for last 3 years, there is no problem with it. Until lately i bought my windows 7 laptop, after few times using my windows 7 to open OO Calculator file (ods file which was created and used for 3 years in my windows vista laptop and stored in Flash Drive), it suddenly stops me to load the file as what TIM is facing.

I was panic the whole yesterday. I unplugged the flash drive from windows 7 laptop and plugged it into windows vista, windows vista can open the file smoothly. Then i unplugged the flash drive to plug into windows 7 laptop again, windows 7 laptop stops me to load the file as previously.

Today, i am uisng my windows 7 to run OO writer file (odt). After editing the file, i unplug my flash drive and went for a snap. About half an hour later, i plugged in the flash drive to continue my work, sigh...i am having problem again...the ASCII Filter Option, stops me to open the odt file. There is no way to open the file at all...

I start to regret using OO for doing my work...what if no body can help me to recover my work......

briowalker

I have removed your email address. No one will reply by email, they will reply here in the thread so other forum users can see and benefit from the discussions. It would also have been found and exploited by spam-bots (TheGurkha, Moderator).

[TheGurkha]

I would recommend that you don't work directly on your flash drive. Copy the files you wish to work with to the PC you are working on and then copy them back to the flash when you have finished.

And make backups, and save often and with different filenames in different folders.

[rodlaurin]

I trided opening an .odt document which shows 41 KB but am getting an ASCII Filter Options message. Data still seems to be there but the text is jibberish. The document was saved on to a memory stick. Is there any way of recovering it?

thanks,

[acknak]

Follow the link Hagar gave up above--there are lots of tips there.

You can also attach the document here and I expect someone will take a look at it.

[rodlaurin]

Here is the attached document which has 159 pages so I expect the information to still be there but in a scrambled format. any help unscrambling it would be much appreciated...Rod