data changes unexpectedly

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

I have several excel .xls files where the data changes sometimes after
closing the file. Upon reopening it, cells are sometimes blank, sometimes
different data, all data still relevant to the row header (like a state may
change from VA to NY or just be blank, a zip code may change but still be a
zip code). The data seems to be whatever may have been originally on the
spreadsheet (if we never had a NC state, a new one is not created) but maybe
the cells have shifted up or down, but there is no pattern. Some files were
created in Excel 97, some in Excel 2003. Most all from cutting and pasting
from other spreadsheets that have numerous other originations due to the
sharing of addresses for mailings, so I don't know the version of the other
Excel programs. All also have some hand entering and tweeking. I am running
anti-virus updated software and all appears clear. There appears to be no
macros and there is no prompting to enable or disable macros. I have tried
saving a spreadsheet as a .txt with tab delimited and reopening it in Excel
and then saving as .xls but the problem follows it. It happens on another
computer running Excel XP using the same file. The changes can be saved fine,
but once closed and reopened, it is only guaranteed that there will be
incorrect data somewhere. What to do?
 
Helen

You sure you are opening the same file you just saved?

Do a file search and see if you have more than one version hanging around in
two different spots.

Any code involved with these files?

Any links to other files?

I have not had any file do this to me so have never had to trouble-shoot such
a phenomenon.

Gord Dibben Excel MVP
 
Sounds like you may have multiple occurances of the same file and getting
the "wrong" one opened..............just try FILE > SAVEAS, and re-naming
the file and see if the problem still occurs with the new name.

Vaya con Dios,
Chuck, CABGx3
 
Yes, I am opening the correct file. I even save them and do a save as with a
new name and check both. No code, no links, these have got to be the most
basic excel files ever. All general or number cells, just used for mail merge
purposes. This problem has been going on for months and months, when we had
Excel 97 and then when we had Excel 2003. All progams had and have all fixes
and patches, always up-to-date. I fear that some invisible macro came in on a
shared spreadsheet that we copied and pasted to ours because a coworker
mentioned the macro enable/disable choice a while ago, but said it had
"disappeared." That is where I fear a virus may have entered, but the scans
aren't catching anything. We didn't have this problem 9 months ago, but maybe
6 months ago it started. I wrote it off like you probably were thinking; user
error. But not anymore.
 
Nope, see answer above.

CLR said:
Sounds like you may have multiple occurances of the same file and getting
the "wrong" one opened..............just try FILE > SAVEAS, and re-naming
the file and see if the problem still occurs with the new name.

Vaya con Dios,
Chuck, CABGx3
Click to expand...
 
Hi Helen

what about copying the data (select cells & choose copy not move or copy
sheet) to a new file and saving that? because this is seriously unusual
behaviour.

Cheers
JulieD
 
Hi Julie,

Oops, I should have included that in the first post with the cut and paste.
Been there, tried that. The only thing I am not sure of is if any file that
is created without copy/cut and paste, one where you hand enter everything,
has this problem, because I don't think we have any files like that. We have
resorted to creating the file and NEVER closing it until we mail merge. But
after that point, or if we need to reboot, all bets are off. Not a good way
to work.
 
Hi Helen

if it's not confidential info, do you want to zip the file up and email it
direct to me as i've not come across behaviour like this before. My email
is julied_ng at hcts dot net dot au

Cheers
julieD
 
Back
Top