Corrupt thesis document

[Function]

Hello everyone

I don't know a lot about corrupted files and such, but I fear my thesis document might be one, or be close to being one.

Since yesterday (actually since the last big Windows update), everytime I want to open my thesis, Word crashes (Word has stopped working and sometimes, Windows error reporting has stopped working), unless I open it in safe mode, or when I'm quick enough to select everything and change the font.

Changing the font, however, is no option. Don't feel like doing that. However, there might be arguments that the font itself is somewhat conflicting, since the problem does not occur using another font. But like I said, that's not really an option. Yes, that's how serious I am about fonts. After all, suspicious that it occurred only since yesterday, no?

I'd love it if someone would trust me to send them the thesis file and the font installation files (no viruses, guaranteed), to check where things go wrong, because I simply don't know where to start ...

Thank you very much!

Function

Edited November 20, 2017 by Function

[StringJunky]

Have you tried uninstalling/rebooting/reinstalling Word?

[Country Boy]

Well, for God's sake (and you own) make a paper copy of what you can get, whatever the font.  If nothing else, you can write what you see on the screen by hand.  Even if you have to copy the information in the file by hand, then type it into a new file, that's better than losing it.  I'm not sure what you mean by "Changing the font, however, is no option. Don't feel like doing that."  Why not?   It is the information in the file that is important.  I would try changing the font, if that is necessary,  save it to a different file, open that new file in WORD and see if I couldn't change the font back in that new file. 

[Function]

I sure do have back-ups. But typesetting is quite time-consuming itself and I don't feel like doing it over and over again.

  On 11/20/2017 at 8:07 PM, StringJunky said:

Have you tried uninstalling/rebooting/reinstalling Word?

Expand  

I did, unfortunately.

[StringJunky]

  On 11/20/2017 at 8:09 PM, Function said:

I sure do have back-ups. But typesetting is quite time-consuming itself and I don't feel like doing it over and over again.

I did, unfortunately.

Expand  

That eliminates a corrupt Word then. It's the file. What file format is it in?

Edited November 20, 2017 by StringJunky

[Function]

  On 11/20/2017 at 8:11 PM, StringJunky said:

That eliminates a corrupt Word then. It's the file. What file format is it in?

Expand  

Hmm ... That's what I feared. I'm going to see if I can open it up with MS Office 2010. Still have a product key lying around somewhere

[studiot]

Some tricks I've found with recalcitrant Word things over the years.

1) Save the doc as an RTF file. Open the RTF file. Resave that as a new doc.

2) Copy (use the Windows select and copy function)  the entire doc or the bad part of it. Open a new window of Word wiith a blank doc. Paste the bad doc into this.
     Sometimes simply opening a neew balnk doc in the original Word window and pasting into that is sufficient.

Edited November 20, 2017 by studiot

[Function]

There are no problems opening the file in Word 2010. I will try your recommendations, studiot. Thanks! Will keep you updated.

[StringJunky]

  On 11/20/2017 at 8:47 PM, Function said:

There are no problems opening the file in Word 2010. I will try your recommendations, studiot. Thanks! Will keep you updated.

Expand  

Do it to a copy of the original.

[Function]

  On 11/20/2017 at 8:50 PM, StringJunky said:

Do it to a copy of the original.

Expand  

Yes, of course. I'm not even thinking of messing around with the original  

 

[Strange]

  On 11/20/2017 at 8:09 PM, Function said:

But typesetting is quite time-consuming itself and I don't feel like doing it over and over again.

Expand  

It shouldn't be, if you use styles. It should take a few seconds.

Admittedly, each release of Word has made it harder to do this properly ... it is may be near impossible now.

[Function]

  On 11/20/2017 at 8:54 PM, Strange said:

It shouldn't be, if you use styles. It should take a few seconds.

Admittedly, each release of Word has made it harder to do this properly ... it is may be near impossible now.

Expand  

I know, but margins, headers that are mirrored on even/odd pages, section breaks ...

[Endy0816]

Which font is it?

What happens in a new file if you try and use that font?

Edited November 21, 2017 by Endy0816

[Function]

  On 11/21/2017 at 12:30 AM, Endy0816 said:

Which font is it?

What happens in a new file if you try and use that font?

Expand  

Futura Pro (Book & Medium & Small Caps Book & Small Caps Medium)

No problems in other documents ... I'm starting to think it might have something to do with the file size and all the images in it?

[Strange]

  On 11/21/2017 at 11:22 AM, Function said:

I'm starting to think it might have something to do with the file size and all the images in it?

Expand  

I wouldn't be surprised. Word is notoriously unreliable with large, complicated files. You may have to split it into multiple files (one per chapter). 

Which, of course, make the problem of maintaining formatting consistency even worse. Especially as Word doesn't properly support importing and applying a standard template to a document. (I have usually ended up writing VBA code to manage formats across multiple documents.)

[studiot]

  On 11/21/2017 at 11:22 AM, Function said:

Futura Pro (Book & Medium & Small Caps Book & Small Caps Medium)

No problems in other documents ... I'm starting to think it might have something to do with the file size and all the images in it?

Expand  

Yes I had lots of problems with writing  technical reports incorporating photos and diagrams etc, in Word.
That is where I found out those methods I mentioned.

Incidentally opening or pasting into wordpad can cut a recalcitrant document down to size.