can't open word file, Word 2007 asks how I want to encode...

by ryuken3k | November 12, 2010 3:42 PM PST

So I typed up my homework on either word 2003 or word 2007 and the file was saved in word 98-03 format. As far as I can recall, I did not save it in any special format nor did I encode it in any special way. Every time I open a certain word file through word 2007, a window pops up and says,"Select the encoding that makes your document readable." I select "Windows (Default)" option and click OK but I get weird symbols and numbers. Is my document corrupt? I don't understand how I could have corrupted it through normal use.

As further background information, I am using both office 2003 and office 2007 on Vista Business edition 32-bit. I have not encountered this problem before when I was using both Office versions. I save my word files directly to my flash drive. Copying and pasting the document to my desktop and running it from there did not help.

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Seems like a corrupted document indeed.

by Kees_B Forum moderator | November 12, 2010 10:13 PM PST

Try it on another PC to confirm the diagnosis. Then better start retyping from your last good backup.

Kees

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still doesn't work

by ryuken3k | November 13, 2010 4:10 AM PST

I tried it on my other desktop computer using Word 2007, same window pops up asking me how I want to encode it. I suspect it is my Kingston flash drive that is to blame.

What is the best way to fix corrupted documents?

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Re: fixing corrupt word document

by Kees_B Forum moderator | November 13, 2010 4:26 AM PST

Link only: http://www.google.com/search?q=fix+word+document

Opening it with Notepad and see if you can recognize, copy and paste some pieces of the text might help also. But don't expect too much from it.

Kees

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It's all about backup.

by R. Proffitt Forum moderator | November 13, 2010 4:13 AM PST

After all the lessons about losing files, I still find folk try to keep homework on some USB stick with no backup. I think you've learned your lesson so moving on.

Try this. Goto to Google documents and see if it can handle it. Also try opening it with Open Office.

After that, the price gets higher. A backup copy is the cheap fix.
Bob

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another question

by ryuken3k | November 13, 2010 9:42 AM PST

Thanks for the responses, guys.

I thought flash drives were more stable than HDDs and I have never encountered this problem with my other flash drives.

Is my Kingston flash drive defective or is this some random glitch?

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It's not perfect.

by R. Proffitt Forum moderator | November 14, 2010 3:32 PM PST

So far all storage media has proven one thing. We must have a backup copy.
Bob

can't open word file, Word 2007 asks how I want to encode...

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