[Solved] Moving spreadsheet to new computer

[MrProgrammer]

I am needing to abandon my XP computer and move into the 21 century. Is there a way for me to transfer my OO spd to my new Windows 10 computer? I have a lot of hours invested in the formatting and operation of my multi-page spreadsheet so preserving all/most of that work is really important to me. Hopefully, I would need to rebuild my spd from scratch.

Thanks

[FJCC]

You can transfer it like any file. One method is to use a USB drive, saving the file to the drive on the old computer, transferring the drive to the new computer and copying the file to the new hard drive. Just be sure to carefully follow the protocol for unplugging the drive. You can also email the file to yourself from the old computer and read the message on the new computer.

[RoryOF]

You should also ensure that all fonts used in formatting your old spreadsheet are installed on your new computer.

[keme]

One important step: Install OpenOffice or LibreOffice on your new computer before you try to open your file.

If you fail to do this, Windows will most likely have default settings indicating that Excel be used to open ".ods" files (yes, this will be the case even when Excel is not installed). At best you will then get a message that the file cannot be opened because Excel is not installed. At worst it is opened by Excel (possibly an installed/click-to-run trial app, or an Office365 web-app trial) with autosave enabled, converting everything in your file to "the Excel way". This is likely to make a mess of your file.

Excel will handle data and formulas from Calc reliably 99% of the time. A few functions work differently. Some data handling (e.g. text vs. number interpretation, and dates before 1900-03-01) is different between the two. Shit happens.

If you have done any extensive formatting, you can expect things to behave weirdly after "visiting Excel context". Perhaps not immediately, but just wait for it ...

[Vexed]

I have a couple of questions based on the above responses:
1) Should I attempt to download the version (2.4) of OO that I am currently using before copying my spd or go with the latest version?
2) In checking the 'properties" of my spd I see that it is only 600kb in size. This can't be the actual file. My spd is 8 sheet large with lots of data. Is there another file that I need to be moving? I've done a search on the file name of my spd without any hits. Do my spds reside in a folder that I should be copying/moving?
3) There are macros and formatting that are part of my spd. The macros were saved with the spd but the formatting, I believe, resides elsewhere. The formating file is not clearly identifiable (at least for me). What should I be looking for and where should I be looking?

Thanks again.

[RoryOF]

The OO format is a compressed format, so the 600 KB is probably correct. I cannot advise with any certainty on the macros. I would suggest going for the latest OO (4.1.7), as 2.4 is more than 12 years old.

[FJCC]

If the macros are saved in the spreadsheet, then they will come along with the file. If the macros are in My Macros, they will have to be separately copied.
In any case, transfer the file and make sure everything works before disposing of the old computer.

[keme]

it is only 600kb in size. This can't be the actual file.

As an experiment I copied the entire text from the King James bible, found on project Gutenberg, and pasted into a Writer document. The source text is 4,2 MB. The saved Writer file is 1,6 MB. Calc largely uses the same compression techniques and has the same data storage requirements as Writer, so if you estimate your spreadsheet data to be within the magnitude of one third of the bible, you can rest assured that your stuff can all be contained in your file.

This goes for pure text (formatting, numbers and formulas included). Embedded pictures, video and sound will shift the balance a bit...