Excel corrupts XLS documents on a Win2000 Server?

External Since: Feb 20, 2008 Posts: 1

I have 20+ Excel 2004 users working in OS 10.4.10 on MacMinis who are using a Windows 2000 server machine for a file server. About once a week, one of the users will report not being able to open a file they had previously saved. The error message is: "Unable to read file". I've dragged these files to a Mac, tried to open them there, same results. Have tried MacLink Plus to convert to another version of Excel and the convert takes place but the newly converted file has same error when opening. I can open the files in icExcel but that separates the worksheets into separate files. I can use Windows Excel 2003 to open with the same error message but Excel 2003 can "repair" the file, which leaves it somewhat readable but useless unless you print it and use the data to create a new Excel file. This is Excel version 11.3.5.
Anyone seen this? Or have ideas how to stop it from happening????

External Since: Feb 11, 2005 Posts: 579

On 2/20/08 8:57 AM, in article ee8e223.-1.TakeThisOut@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw,
"Dasman@officeformac.com" <Dasman.TakeThisOut@officeformac.com> wrote:

> I have 20+ Excel 2004 users working in OS 10.4.10 on MacMinis who are using a
> Windows 2000 server machine for a file server. About once a week, one of the
> users will report not being able to open a file they had previously saved. The
> error message is: "Unable to read file". I've dragged these files to a Mac,
> tried to open them there, same results. Have tried MacLink Plus to convert to
> another version of Excel and the convert takes place but the newly converted
> file has same error when opening. I can open the files in icExcel but that
> separates the worksheets into separate files. I can use Windows Excel 2003 to
> open with the same error message but Excel 2003 can "repair" the file, which
> leaves it somewhat readable but useless unless you print it and use the data
> to create a new Excel file. This is Excel version 11.3.5.
> Anyone seen this? Or have ideas how to stop it from happening????
I've seen things like this in the past. It is usually do to a "flakey"
server connection. The connection is dropped and then reestablished while
the file is being saved. The only suggestion I can make is to make sure
everything is updated to the latest version (your copy of Office is not). If
that doesn't help, then change the work habits to work locally on the files
and move them to the server for storage. This can be automated to make the
process painless (or invisible) to the users.

--
Bob Greenblatt [MVP], Macintosh
bobgreenblattATmsnDOTcom