Help, unwanted ASCII !!!

Discuss setup / installation issues - Add a spell checker, Language pack?
Post Reply
BSE
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Nov 19, 2017 2:50 pm

Help, unwanted ASCII !!!

Post by BSE »

Hi all

I just opened a .doc I have been working on over the last two days and it came up as symbols. The whole doc consisted of ############# .

Closed it down, opened it again, and there was a box asking which ASCII text I wanted. Presumably this must have come up the first time and I must have clicked it without realising. I don't know why it came up though. Other docs seem to be opening without any problems.

Any ideas how I can get my doc back? Two days work down the drain otherwise.

Thanks.
Open Office 4.1.1 on Windows 10
User avatar
RoryOF
Moderator
Posts: 34570
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:30 pm
Location: Ireland

Re: HELP1 UNWANTED ASCII !!!

Post by RoryOF »

Your file has been damaged, perhaps because of over hasty close down of the computer before internal housekeeping was complete.

See this link for information on recovery:
[Tutorial] How to find and un-delete Writer temporary files

If that desn't work as soon as possible do the following:

Download Recuva or PhotoRec (only one needed) and let it do an indepth recovery of deleted files on your computer. You may get a file containing some or all of your data (or not). Do this as a first priority; other use of the computer may overwrite any existing but deleted files and prevent their recovery. There is no guarantee that you will recover anything useful.

Do the above soonest!

Most likely there is nothing usable in your corrupt file, but if you upload it someone will have a look; do the above recovery information anyway, as soon as possible, just in case.
Apache OpenOffice 4.1.15 on Xubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
BSE
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Nov 19, 2017 2:50 pm

Re: HELP1 UNWANTED ASCII !!!

Post by BSE »

Thanks so much.

I just remembered - I saved a copy to DropBox. Scared to open it in case it's the same though.
Open Office 4.1.1 on Windows 10
User avatar
RoryOF
Moderator
Posts: 34570
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:30 pm
Location: Ireland

Re: HELP1 UNWANTED ASCII !!!

Post by RoryOF »

Try the recovery outlined above first.
Apache OpenOffice 4.1.15 on Xubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
Post Reply