strange notice attempting to open Word document

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When I returned to my Windows 10 pc (with One-Drive and Office 365), I found that the pc had been restarted – unusual as I defer normal updates.  When bringing up my Word docuements, I found that one which had been open before the (assumed) reboot – one that was password protected – did not open but gave me this message:
word-response-13-09-22
I’m scared.

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added info:  a later attempt to open the file appears to work, but I am still concerned with the response to my first attempt

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Can you post the message as a PNG so we don’t have to download/check/open/delete a doc.

cheers, Paul

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I opened it in LibreOffice Writer, just in case.

The embedded image shows:

I’m assuming the doc file in question was open when the device rebooted and its filename became corrupted.

If it opens OK in Word then fine… just save with a new filename and deleted the corrupt file.

If it doesn’t open in Word then you may need to open it in something more tolerant (e.g. LibreOffice Writer) to see if the contents can be saved.

Hope this helps…

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Thanks.  That is the message.

Should I be worried that it first appeared with the (assumed) Chinese name?  The info is sensitive.

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I’m wrong.  my file is lost, and it was probably the most important file on my PC.  It has been replaced by another file, much less important.

When I go to “file restore”, I’m told that  “there are no previous versions available.”  there are also no restore points available, even though they are supposedly set up before each update.

What can I attempt?

Note:  My daughter also recently lost an important word file, and no backups were found.  My lost file was on one-drive; my daughter’s on her hard drive.

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Moderator Note: Please do NOT post in all caps.

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Have you tried going to view online (left click on OneDrive icon in system tray) and looking either in the recycle bin, or better, going to the file and right clicking on it and clicking version histories?

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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globalist, b

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Refer to these, with a few screenshots, if necessary:

Restore deleted files or folders in OneDrive

Restore a previous version of a file stored in OneDrive

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globalist, Rick Corbett

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globalist wrote:

WHAT CAN I ATTEMPT?

Maybe it’s just me but I don’t understand what you mean by “My file is lost… it has been replaced by another file”.

Are you talking about the file itself has disappeared and you cannot find it using File Explorer or do you mean you can find file but its contents have been replaced with that of another file?

You’re using Word for Microsoft 365 which I’ve never used so perhaps someone with more familiarity can step in.

However, in the meantime, have a look at this very recent Microsoft article – How to troubleshoot damaged documents in Word.

See also this generalised Microsoft article – Open a document after a file corruption error.

Hope this helps…

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globalist wrote:

I’m wrong.  my file is lost

No regular image backups ?

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Update:

I checked, and my original file had first been replaced with the Chinese-looking file on OneDrive, and then with another backup file.  I turned off this pc and turned on a much older pc which I use for specific tasks every few days.  I downloaded the file from the local memory before OneDrive had a chance to update it and it with another file name, so I am in business again.

 

Re my backups – no, I haven’t done image backups in several years.  However, I am amazed (and very vulnerable) because:

• the backups that are supposed to take place before MS updates no longer take place,
• my Outlook backups appear to not have been working for a long time (even though I had them set up – and they still are set up – and I am asked (and respond yes) to the archiving okays).

Note: I receive regular notice that my Outlook file is too large, even after I delete parts of the file to bring my size below the limit. 

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globalist wrote:

the backups that are supposed to take place before MS updates no longer take place,

No backups are supposed to take place before Windows updates.
Restore Point nay be created but doesn’t help as no data in backed up.

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globalist wrote:

I checked, and my original file had first been replaced with the Chinese-looking file on OneDrive, and then with another backup file.  I

I wouldn’t dismiss that your PC/OneDrive has been hacked by Chinees hacker.
To be on the safe side I would have changed Microsoft’s account and password and run a/v software on your PC/OneDrive data.

I don’t use OneDrive but I assume there is a log-ins/accesses detailed log.

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Safety features within WORD:

In WORD, click on File, Info, Manage Document, Recover Unsaved Documents. From the file open dialog box, see if a copy of your file is there, if so select & open & save back as a *.docx file.

The above procedure assumes File, Options, Save, “Save AutoRecover” and “Keep the last AutoRecovered…” is checked. You can also specify a different location to save the *.asd files.

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Also, File, Options, Advanced, under heading Save: “Always create backup copy”, if checked: creates a “Backup of *.wbk” file in the same directory as the *.docx file. Then these *.wbk files, which are really *.docx files, can be renamed a *.docx file if need be.

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How to recover unsaved Word documents:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/word/recover-lost-unsaved-corrupted-document

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My rule of thumb: All files one edits should have a near copy backed up to a separate physical location.

Windows 10 22H2 desktops & laptops on Dell, HP, ASUS; No servers, no domain.

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globalist

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