OO portable corrupted my file: ASCII error! ...S-O-S

[iamthetravelguy]

my Open Office crashed during saving and now my file is corrupted.

Because Im using the portable verison I have NO user folder and thus NO backup folder.

I already tried everything I could find over google like renaming to .zip and trying to fix it, zip-repair and word-repair tools, everything.
The file is the same size and has the same info. But its contents are just hash marks.

I think using OO to recover it is useless, How do I get an earlier version of my file from my Computer?

My windows has the file history function, but it wasnt enabled


I need help urgently, I am willing to pay money to anyone who is capable of getting me yesterday's version of my file.

please help

[Greengiant224]

iamthetrevelguy:
The file is the same size and has the same info. But its contents are just hash marks.

Sorry, but the file is corrupt.

See this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=77738

The paths to the portable version are displayed via:
Tools>Options>OpenOffice.org>Paths
also look using the folder structure:
The folder containing the portable version Users\OpenOffice4\user\

Did you not make a backup via a third party tool?

Greengiant224

[Villeroy]

and this one: Using a USB stick with OpenOffice.org and its Derivatives

[iamthetravelguy]

Okay, how do I recover the file outside of Open office which I will delete once I got my file back?

[RoryOF]

It is possible that an undelete utility such as Recuva or PhotoRec may recover a deleted copy either of the file itself or of a temporary working file. The less use your computer has before running such a utility the better the chances of a successful outcome.

[iamthetravelguy]

I am running Recuva now. With windows 8 the shadow copies function is useless.

But i never deleted that file. What can be found?

[Bill]

Because Im using the portable verison I have NO user folder and thus NO backup folder.

If you installed the Portable Apps version, they should be somewhere in the Portable Apps folder.

[John_Ha]

Have a look at these posts:

Using RECUVA to recover Writer temporary files

Another on RECUVA

Using 7-ZIP

Inside an odt file

Hints on how to prevent it happening

[iamthetravelguy]

i tried recuva, it didnt recover anything.

my backup folder is empty.

renaming to zip showed an empty archive

my hint on how to prevent it is to delete open office. oo is horrible: you have to >activate< the backup function? Thats like you have to >tell< your bank they should put your money in safe.

[John_Ha]

Because Im using the portable verison I have NO user folder and thus NO backup folder.

Are you sure? There must be a place where AOO stores your Profile - on a normal W7 installation it is at C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice. Is the reason you cannot see it because it has been created as hidden files - if so, make hidden files visible by Control Panel > Folder Options > View and tick Show hidden files and folders and possibly also un-tick Hide protected OS files. While you are there make sure you un-tick Hide extensions for known file types - it will stop you getting into all sorts of trouble.

[iamthetravelguy]

All my hidden files are shown. but it doesn matter: I had not enabled the backup functin anyway. The backup function ist DISABLED by open office by DEFAULT, no matter if portable or standard version. How retarded is that? F*** open office.

[John_Ha]

The backup function ist DISABLED by open office by DEFAULT, no matter if portable or standard version.

I agree that I would prefer it to be enabled. But the user needs to take some responsibility for his/her own actions or, in this case, inactions. When you install software you should always go through the Options/Preferences to be certain it matches what YOU want to do. It is also a good idea to re-visit all the Options every year or so to be certain they still match your way of working.

[iamthetravelguy]

hello microsoft word.

[John_Ha]

hello microsoft word.

Make sure you go through the Options/Preferences when you install MS Word so that it is set up how you want it. Then take responsibility for how YOU have instructed it to operate - in the UK we have a saying "A bad workman always blames his tools".

If this solves the problem, please edit your original post title to [Solved].

[John_Ha]

Also, did you read Using RECUVA to recover Writer temporary files as it explains precisely how to find your temporary files and how to recover them even though they are now deleted.

[Bill]

All my hidden files are shown. but it doesn matter: I had not enabled the backup functin anyway. The backup function ist DISABLED by open office by DEFAULT, no matter if portable or standard version. How retarded is that? F*** open office.

oo is horrible: you have to >activate< the backup function? Thats like you have to >tell< your bank they should put your money in safe.

hello microsoft word.

Good luck. Hope you never need the automatic backup in MS Office. It's also disabled by default.

[Villeroy]

In the long run all the non-techies having portable everything everywhere will end up with apps and clouds because they are completely unable to manage their own data.

[John_Ha]

In the long run all the non-techies having portable everything everywhere will end up with apps and clouds because they are completely unable to manage their own data.

This was IBM's premise for computing - put computing in the hands of those who understand it. When PCs came out, everyone ran away from centralised computing, but no-one counted the real cost of highly paid staff struggling to get their PCs working. It has only taken 40 years for people to see IBM was correct all along ...

[iamthetravelguy]

f**k you.