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Paul Kent reports: <<I've got a document that has been HEAVILY
redlined, Layer after layer of redlines exist in this thing. We need
to send the redlines to the customer so they can see what we've changed
from the original. We've sent them the original (it's a legal doc), but
the redlined version opens with an error. "Errors were detected in this
file, but Word was able to open the file by making the repairs listed
below. Save the file to make the repairs permanent." I've saved the
file using various names, but every time I open any of the files, I get
the same error message.>>
If you're using Word's versioning feature (File --> Versions), open
that dialog and delete any past versions, then resave the file under a
new name. If you've been using "Fast Save" (in the Options/Preferences
dialog), turn that off and do a "save as" with a new name. Then never
use it again. Ever. That being done, there are a few things you can
try:
First, try saving the file in rich text format (rtf). This preserves
all insertions and deletions, with revision tracking preserved (not
sure about comments... test this!), and if you can successfully save
the document, you can then reopen it and resave it as a .doc file.
Second, create a new document, and with change tracking turned _off_,
open the Insert menu, select "File", then select the file in question.
If it inserts successfully, then save the file. All your revisions will
still be clearly marked. This insertion process solves many a problem.
Third, try using the compare documents feature: Save a copy of the
"final" file, with all revisions accepted. Next, open a copy of the
original file. (If you don't have one, reject all edits from the final
file and save that as a copy.) Next, open the Tools menu, select Track
changes, then select Compare documents. After some churning, Word will
show the original document, but with almost all the changes you made
marked using revision tracking. Save this file. Note: This isn't
perfect; it sometimes misses some changes, and doesn't clearly show
complicated changes (e.g., multiple authors editing each other's
edits), but if all else fails...
Word 2003 also has an improved ability to open damaged files and repair
them, so it's worth trying to recover the file using that version if
you're using XP or earlier. I recommend not using any of the various
versions of OpenOffice that are floating around; they're good products,
but they're not Word, and I've heard anecdotes from several editors
about problems with retaining tracked changes created in Word.
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