The last paragraph fix doesn't seem to be working, but so long as the new file works, I'm okay. Thanks again.

It is doing it again. I don't know how to fix it.

One of the files I reconstructed, one chunk at a time, has again stopped saving.

I tried reconstructing it again, using the same method. I get the first 2/3 of the file, and then adding any part of the rest produces the same behaviour.

Adding and stripping a final paragraph has no effect.

I have also just noticed three picture inserts (out of a few dozen) have vanished from the corrupted file.

At this rate, I'd be better off editing in notepad.

Hi catseye,

Given that you've done a complete system refresh then, unless the problem is related to some of the non-Office software you've installed interfering with Word's save process, about the only thing left is a hardware problem (eg a faulty RAM chip).

What error messages are you getting when you can't save?

FWIW, it is not unknown for AV software to interfere with Office. Try disabling Avast and seeing if you can save correctly. If so, you'll need an Avast update/reconfiguration.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Faulty RAM or suchlike doesn't seem likely to me. (1) It's a fairly new laptop. (2) Such a fault would surely show up in other applications.

This is only happening with Word.

The main installations I've got since reformatting are now these:

Office
Opera
Firefox (w plugins and addons)
Itunes
Avast
Chrome
TextAloud (w Acapela SAPI5 voices - NOT with Word add in)
FLStudio

Are there any known conflicts with any of these programmes? I just can't think what else it could be.

It boils down to this: if I can't resolve this, I really can't go on using Word, which is hardly fair, because it is not cheap.

Hi catseye,

FWIW, hardware tends to fail fairly early on, or after a long time. I've bought two new laptops in the last 5 years (from different leading manufacturers) and both needed warranty repairs - one ended up being replaced and the other needed a new mainboard & video card. So don't rule out the hardware. And there's no reason to suppose the same problem would occur with other apps - Word may be using areas of RAM or some other aspect of your hardware in a way that other apps don't.

I am unable to comment on whether any of your applications might conflict with Word, as I don't use any of them. I'm surprised you'd want both FireFox and Chrome (in addition to IE). I have seen reports of Chrome being implicated in copy/paste conflicts with Word, but nothing about saving.

Just to rule out two other possibilities, check for updated printer and display drivers from the makers' websites. Also check that your problem documents aren't trying to use non-standard fonts.

As suggested before, it would have been good to see whether Word worked properly before any of these other apps was installed, then re-test after each new one is installed. Still, that opportunity's passed for now. Software conflicts can be really difficult to pin down. One particular application I have used, but no longer have installed, would kill off tabbed browsing in IE. Took ages to figure out that it was one of my apps, then which one. I went through a number of complete system refreshes. What made it even harder was that I couldn't get tabbed browsing in IE back by uninstalling the application - a system restore to an earlier time was required!

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

I really don't think it's a hardware problem. FLStudio is extremely intensive on RAM and just about every other piece of hardware with possible exception of display.

Do you know of any diagnostic software that would settle the question one way or the other?

Re other installations, Word was behaving like this before I installed other software apart from Opera, Avast and Chrome (which came with Avast - forgot to uncheck the box - and has never been run on this installation).

If there are conflicts with any of these programmes, I don't understand why, after months of conflict free functionality they would suddenly start to act up.

To be honest, this problem reminds me of an issue I had with an old version of Word, where documents kept being corrupted and the programme crashed. Everything apart from Word was blamed, but in the end it turned out to be an instability in Word itself - something to do with versions.

This time, I keep losing graphics from these files, as well as the files not saving. Frankly, there are aspects of graphic handling in word that seem very unfinished, and I wouldn't be surprised if the culprit lies somewhere in that area.

I will try storing the graphics separately for a while and see that does anything.

Hi catseye,

If the problem were inherent to Word, far more people would have been complaining before now. The fact you're having such an unusual problem after what's essentially a fresh install is strongly suggesting of either a hardware fault or a software conflict.

The fact that some of your other software 'is extremely intensive on RAM and just about every other piece of hardware' doesn't invalidate what I said. It's not the amount of RAM that's being used - it's how that RAM is being used. If Word stores code in an area that another program stores data, the same errors wouldn't be expected. the same applies to other hardware. Despite Word seemingly making rather pedestrian demands on video displays, that is one of the most common areas that driver/hardware inadequacies manifest; the other is with printers. I doubt either of those is the issue in this case, however.

If you want to run some diagnostics, goto: Control Panel > System and Security > Check the Windows Exerience Index > Advanced Tools > Generate a System Health Report. See also:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...tics-tool.html

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Neither of the windows utils you mention report any problems. PC Wizard (now also installed) also reports no problems.

I remember with the version saving issue I had with Word 2003(?), I was told the same thing, that more people would have reported it if it were Word. And yet it was Word. Everyone uses tools differently, and everyone's on the narrow end of a bell curve for something.

I have 50+ graphics in one document, most of which are groups composed of around a dozen or so subcomponents. I don't know if that's large enough to cause problems. Certainly, the *interface* of Word has problems with this. E.g. selecting and positioning of various elements is a regular pain, which I'm prepared to put up with to a point. But it suggests the handling of these is a bit of an afterthought. Which might also suggest that the memory handling of these might also be a little fragile.

Or it might, as you say, be a software conflict. At the moment, though, I'm thinking it is Word.

P.S. A new development. "Word encountered a serious problem with OneNote linked notes add in..." (or words to that effect.) I have disabled that add in. (Although disabling all add ins previously did not solve the main problem.)

Just noticed that my version of Word is 32 bit (while Windows 7 is 64). Would this make a difference? In any case, I don't remember an option during installation. How do I change it to 64 bit, if possible?

Hi catseye,

Running Office in 32-bit mode is what MS recommends, even on 64-bit systems. That's because some 3rd-party addins etc don't work properly in 64-bit mode.

FWIW, Word can handle documents up to 512MB in size, including 32MB of text. The only way anyone ever gets a document that large is by embedding many graphical objects, Excel workbooks, etc. Indeed, Word can even save documents larger than that - it just won't open them afterwards. So, unless you're pushing the 512MB limit, I don't think any questions of Word's "memory handling of these might also be a little fragile" is likely to be the answer.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

I still need some input here.

This is an update. Uninstalling software one at a time, I found that, after reconstructing a corrupted file (and these files are REALLY corrupted) and uninstalling TextAloud, Word started behaving itself.

I kept it this way for around four days.

I tentatively reinstalled TextAloud.

Word went on behaving itself for about a week or so.

Today, again, the problem returns.

Presumably, that settles the problem as a conflict between the two programmes.

I'm just trying to understand what exactly has happened, to find the fastest method of reconstructing these blasted files.

Today, I loaded up the last saved backup (which obviously saved correctly and so was not corrupted). I saved it as a new file, but that again failed to save.

The same with the backup before that, and so on. These files were not corrupted, so what is happening?

Any insight into this will be much appreciated, because it's destroying what's left of my sanity.

(PS Just noticed at least one other poster here has been having similar problems https://www.msofficeforums.com/word/...correctly.html.)

Hi catseye,

Judging from the age of that other thread, it would appear the OP's problem was resolved via the troubleshooting process in one of the links - you've been given essentially the same in this thread.

It does seem there is a conflict somewhere involving TextAloud. That conflict could be with Office 2010 directly, or only indirectly via some other piece of software that also works with Office 2010. Nailing these down can be quite difficult. One thing you might try, is removing the 'Send to Bluetooth' addin, if it's installed. Apparently, that particular addin has caused problems on many systems. See: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/o...f-a26103061c03

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Thanks for the response. I don't have "Send to Bluetooth" as a Word addin (only as part of Windows). Could it be something to do with text to speech handling? (I don't have the TextAloud Word Addin installed, but obviously Word has its own tts command.) The only other (superficially meaningful) connection I can think of is the fact that the graphic content is always hit dramatically. (Acres of graphics vanishing without trace.)

Hi catseye,

Whether you have TextAloud installed as a Word Addin doesn't seem to be the issue then - merely having it installed seems to be enough. If you're not having problems without TextAloud, then that's almost certainly the culprit, though interactions with something else you have installed may implicate other software also. I note that TextAloud has its own forum. You may be able to get some help there.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]