I have recently started using Word 2010 after years of using previous versions of Office.
However I have only started & I have encountered a strange nasty problem.

Essentially what happens is that I can be working on a document ...just straight text...and I usually initially do a save as ..with a file title...and place it in My Documents.

Sometimes if I come back to the document at a later time and do a bit more work...usually on a new page...and do a save, if I then re-look at the complete file I will find that only the most recently added text appears...the earlier work has vanished completely.

I have tried all the known MS tricks to see if I can recover the missing file content without any luck....it seems that the file content simply vanished without leaving any trace whatsoever on the hard drive.

I'm completely baffled as to what is happening.

As an interim fix...I'm now saving incremental versions of my work...so I can recover when the problem occurs.

Hi frenchbruce,

It's unlikely that Word is deleting anything of its own accord, though it's conceivable this might happen if the document is corrupt. Other possible explanations are that you've somehow managed to format the text as hidden and are viewing the document with the hidden text display option set to 'off'. In that case, the text will still be there - just not visible.

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

Thanks Paul...it would have been a relief if it were just hidden text, but of course Word tells you immediately the file size & word count so you can confirm immediately that its gone...I've only one clue & that is the issue seems to occur when I'm working in the document and the text jumps into a new page. I can say with some certainty that its when I SAVE from that page, that the text preceding it( on the earlier save pages) vanishes.
I'm finding it hard to fathom as I've had years working with MS Office Word from day 1...and never have I seen this behaviour.

Hi frenchbruce,

What addins do you have running? Have you tried repairing the Word installation? Does this happen with all documents, or only with a particular one? Does that document have any macros?

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

Hi Macropod...there's nothing fancy running with Office...its only a new Toshiba..laptop..no macros installed by me..but your idea about repairing it made me think some more.
The 2010 Office software disc came with a second hand netbook , and a statement that the software had been loaded only once ...onto the netbook.

Is it conceiveable that if it has been loaded more than 3 times by the original user and now as a second user, I'm being punished by MS with the strange behaviour??
I had presumed that even tho I'm user number 2, I could do a download to the toshiba tecra using the remaining legit 1 or 2 copies off the disc.

Hi frenchbruce,

The # times installed on the same hardware is inconsequential. Even if you'd exceeded the licence permissions, what you're experiencing wouldn't happen.

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

well that's that idea kicked into touch.
Thinking outside the box, as a complete junior...is it technically possible to save a page to a file rather than the complete series of pages which should make up the entire file??

Not unless you delete whatever else was already there. You cannot save only part of a file.

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

Mmmm ...I'm clearly in uncharted territory with this strange problem...I can go forward and get around it by saving multiple versions so I can at least recover with min stress levels!

Hi frenchbruce,

Is your anti-virus software up to date? Have you done a full virus scan?

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

yes ..everything is new & fresh

Hi frenchbruce,

I asked before whether you had tried repairing the Word installation, but your answer doesn't indicate one way or the other. I also asked whether the problem happens with all documents, or only with a particular one. If it's only the one document, then that document may have some corruption.

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

Hi..No.as yet I haven't tried a repair on Word...I'll be trying that shortly.
The laptop is so new I haven't started many new word docs...& because of urgency with the file I'm creating...I have been concentrating on just one. However that said...I have saved several versions of the file in an effort to protect myself and the problem has occurred 3 times todate on different saved versions.As I indicated much earlier..I have had a lifetime of working with MS Word..and I have never encountered this strange nasty behavior..never have I had to think ....will the file still be there after I've done a save.
I've loaded up fresh malware/ antivirus SW ...clean sheet every time. The only consistent clue is that it appears to occur when I'm working on a new page...i.e it occurs when I do the save immediately following my last bit of text work on the page.

the result..I should have said was that the new save just saves the text on the last page I'm working on...and (all)the preceding pages just vanish....very stressful I can say!!