Missing MS Office and Excel Files - New Mac Air

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Amy McCray

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Hi fellow mac users. This is not for me, but for a friend who just got a new Macbook Air. I have never experienced this problem so thought I would come to the Grumble's own Genius Bar and beg for help. Thanks much!

Here is her Question: "Anyone know Microsoft Office for Mac? Critical files disappearing. Mailbox disappeared, then data disappears from critical Excel files. Brand new MacBook Air."
 
I have a MAC, an Imac G5, but I'm really becoming unsupported because my computer is 7 years old.:shutup:
Peter Odems is a Grumbler who has a lot of knowledge on the MAC systems.
He is in the Netherlands (Holland) and is in a way different time zone but he will probably check in and give some help at some point.
 
Thanks Neil. Yes I'm hoping Peter will be chiming in soon. He's probably asleep now though. Or eating lunch. Not sure which.
 
She had just switched over to Macs from being on "the other side", so I'm guessing it's the newest version, but I'll ask and get back.
 
Amy McCray said:
Here is her Question: "Anyone know Microsoft Office for Mac? Critical files disappearing. Mailbox disappeared, then data disappears from critical Excel files. Brand new MacBook Air."
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, at least to my eyes, that issue is too vague to be very actionable (not least of all on an internet forum). Under what context are files disappearing (reboot, relaunch of excel, etc)? Is she getting any error messages? What version of Office is she running? When she says "Mailbox disappeared", what does that mean precisely?

The hardest part of computer support and troubleshooting issues is finding out what the actual problem is... then the fix is often quite simple.

If she lives near an Apple retail store, she should set up a Genius bar appointment. They may be able to determine the problem really quickly. From there, she may need to contact Microsoft since I don't think Apple will support an MS product... but MS support should be free if she recently made her purchase.
 
Euh... I saw my name noted......

I think I know where this goes wrong....... Your friend should have been told that MS Office on a Mac can't handle her MS Office PC-files native. Both MS Office versions are programmed too different and more important is that the Mac-version is an older programmed version as he PC-version. That is why PC-files can't get imported as I think.

To avoid this problem your friend has to use the export-function of the PC-version to change the files in a more "general" type or in an "older-version-type", that can be imported in the Mac-version. So that's one step extra. She needs a PC to make that option available.

In general we can note that a MS Office Mac-version is 1 version behind the PC-version. But this can be more as well. But in case of a new Mac, she should have the newest Mac-version now as 1 version lower as the newest PC-version.

So to avoid all problems it's perhaps a better option to convert the files into more general files before transferring to the Mac. Use the export or "safe-as" function.
 
Mailbox disappears......

I once had this question last year in our forum. In general mailboxes can't disappear, but the problem can come up when settings are changed. And I don't mean settings in her program "Mail", but settings in her account. Sometimes new users start clicking all they can and afterward they have no idea what they clicked and what happened. If your friend made a proper working mail-account in "Mail" and that mailbox disappeared, I advise her next steps:

1. Open Mail preferences and check if that mailbox is in the list yes or no???

With yes:

Check the mailbox settings and/or replace the settings that you are sure that these settings are correct. If this doesn't work you must get a dialog-box with a warning!!!

If the problem still remains without getting a dialog-box. (It's almost unbelievable)
Than (and only than) I can note a more-step action to remove a "plist" and let the Mac rebuild it by itself to solve the problem.

With no:

Click the "+" option to ad the mailbox and be sure to fill all correct data, including the correct mail server-addressess.

It's certainly an option that this Macbook Air is the first Mac of your friend.
 
Peter Odems said:
Euh... I saw my name noted......

I think I know where this goes wrong....... Your friend should have been told that MS Office on a Mac can't handle her MS Office PC-files native. Both MS Office versions are programmed too different and more important is that the Mac-version is an older programmed version as he PC-version. That is why PC-files can't get imported as I think.

To avoid this problem your friend has to use the export-function of the PC-version to change the files in a more "general" type or in an "older-version-type", that can be imported in the Mac-version. So that's one step extra. She needs a PC to make that option available.

In general we can note that a MS Office Mac-version is 1 version behind the PC-version. But this can be more as well. But in case of a new Mac, she should have the newest Mac-version now as 1 version lower as the newest PC-version.

So to avoid all problems it's perhaps a better option to convert the files into more general files before transferring to the Mac. Use the export or "safe-as" function.
Click to expand...


I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you on this. Back in the early 2000's and 90's, yes, Macs had loads of trouble reading PC formatted office files. For the past 5 years, I've had a Mac at home and PC's at work and I've never run into the kind of trouble you're talking about there.

Now, obviously this is dependent on which version(s) of Office we're dealing with, but all currently available editions of office support the new .***x document formats introduced in 2007.
 
azoq said:
I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you on this. Back in the early 2000's and 90's, yes, Macs had loads of trouble reading PC formatted office files. For the past 5 years, I've had a Mac at home and PC's at work and I've never run into the kind of trouble you're talking about there.

Now, obviously this is dependent on which version(s) of Office we're dealing with, but all currently available editions of office support the new .***x document formats introduced in 2007.
Click to expand...

We have people over here who are very busy with using Office all day and they have a lot of troubles with file-content after swapping a PC-file spreadsheet to a Mac. But also with doc-files and specially with tabs, headers and footers.

Beside that. You can never open a Office 11 file on a Mac with Office 10, when you haven't prepared the file as I described.
 
Thanks so much for your help. I agree that there is not enough information provided and I am quite disappointed that the person has not gotten back to me with answers to any of my questions. I conclude from that, that she is either too busy to deal with it right now or it isn't quite the catastrophe that she originally thought. Either way, my recommendation to her was to go to the Genius Bar since the machine is brand new. Thanks again!!
 
I import quite a few PC native, Word and Excel documents into my ancient Mac G4 without any problems. Most good programs are “backwardly compatible”.

I don’t think it is too likely that the files are gone for good.

If the problem is a damaged “Preferences” file, usually if you drop them in the trash and delete them, the Office programs will recreate the Prefs. (Sometimes it is difficult to find exactly where they are, though - but they’re almost always in the Library folder.)

If the document files e.g. Word seem to be missing, chances are that the Directory is fouled up. You might run a data recovery program such as Disk Warrior or TechToolPro. With luck they will be able to recover those lost files and won’t be damaged beyond repair.
 
Nothing to do with the topic, but I just have to say this. I just recently did my first Mac-Mac transfer and was positively ASTOUNDED how complete and easy it was.

I don't think I've ever had a Windows "File and Settings Transfer Wizard" session go completely smooth, and the Mac goes one step further - it actually moves the applications as well. I just hooked them both up to the same network, they found each other, I told them which computer was the old one versus new one, and 4-5 hours later I logged into the new computer. Everything was identical including the state of my web logins, i.e. I came to the Grumble and was already logged in. Unbelievable.
 
Is always nice to hear of good experiences like that. Glad it went so smoothly for you. Shew! Bet you were sweatin' that one out.
 
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