Here are some of the methods our tech support folks recommend before you retype:

They say March Madness is the great workplace productivity killer. There’s a worse one: corrupted files.

Using Open and Repair in Excel (2002, 2003, 2007, 2010)

If you open a file and notice something is amiss, or you simply cannot open the file at all, there might be a problem with the structure of the file itself. This is known as “corruption.” It is a generic term used to describe files that are no longer working correctly. If you think your file is shot, give the Open and Repair utility a try. It might save you from having to recreate the entire file.

Starting the process is slightly different depending on your version of Excel.

Excel 2002 and 2003:

1. With the file closed, click the File menu.
2. Click Open.
3. Navigate to the file and select it, but do not double-click to open it.
4. Notice the drop-down arrow on the extreme right-side of the Open button. Click it to reveal options.
5. Choose “Open and Repair” to attempt to repair the file.
6. Choose Repair.

Excel 2007:

1. With the file closed, click the Office Button.
2. Click Open.
3. Navigate to the file and select it, but do not double-click to open it.
4. Notice the drop-down arrow on the extreme right-side of the Open button. Click it to reveal options.
5. Choose “Open and Repair” to attempt to repair the file.
6. Choose Repair.

Excel 2010:

1. With the file closed, click the File tab.
2. Click Open.
3. Navigate to the file and select it, but do not double-click to open it.
4. Notice the drop-down arrow on the extreme right-side of the Open button. Click it to reveal options.
5. Choose “Open and Repair” to attempt to repair the file.
6. Choose Repair.

You will be given two options: repair or extract data. The repair option should be used first. Excel will attempt to automatically repair the file. If Excel finds corruption, it will let you know that it repaired what it could. If Excel could not find any corruption, then your file will open normally, and something else could be causing the trouble. Hopefully, after repairing, the file should work as expected. Save the file and continue your work.

The extract data option should be used if the repair option did not fix the corruption. This will strip all formatting from the file, removing many other elements as well. You are usually just left with the raw data and formulas. This is a last-resort option, as it often requires a lot of time reapplying formatting and other elements, such as charts, to get the file back to a satisfactory state. Sometimes this is the only way you can open certain files, unless you have a working backup copy.

For steps on how to use open and repair in Microsoft Word, click here.

How to Recover Data in a Damaged Excel File (2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2010)

One of the most frustrating moments you can experience is having your computer freeze, causing you to lose work or a file to become damaged. If your file is misbehaving, try one of these methods.

METHOD ONE:

Excel 2003 and older:

1. Before starting, make sure you know the name and location of the problem file. Click on the File menu and select Open.
2. Click the folder that has the damaged workbook file. Make a note of the damaged workbook filename while you are here, then click the Cancel button.
3. Click the File menu, click New, and click on Blank workbook.
4. In cell A1, type an equals sign, then a single quotation mark, followed by the full path to the damaged file and then the name of the damaged workbook file in square brackets. Next, add the name of a worksheet in the damaged workbook (without brackets around it), then another single quote, and then an exclamation mark. Add the cell reference of the first cell you want to pull in, most likely A1. For example: =’C:\Documents and Settings\username\Desktop\[filename.xls]worksheet’!A1
5. Click the fill handle of cell A1, and drag down to select the number of rows you want to recover. (The fill handle is the black square in the bottom right corner of a selected cell; your mouse cursor should appear as a black plus symbol when hovered over the fill handle.)
6. Click the fill handle again (with all the cells still selected), and drag to the right to select the number of columns you want to recover.
7. With all of the cells selected, press Ctrl+C to copy them.
8. Click the Edit menu, choose Paste Special, select Values, and click OK.

Note: This technique can be used in any version of Excel, but does not recover formulas, only formula results.

Excel 2007:

1. Before starting, make sure you know the name and location of the problem file. Click on the Office button and select Open.
2. Click the folder that has the damaged workbook file. Make a note of the damaged workbook filename while you are here, then click the Cancel button.
3. Click the Office button, click New, choose Blank Workbook, and click OK.
4. In cell A1, type an equals sign, then a single quotation mark, followed by the full path to the damaged file and then the name of the damaged workbook file in square brackets. Next, add the name of a worksheet in the damaged workbook (without brackets around it), then another single quote, and then an exclamation mark. Add the cell reference of the first cell you want to pull in, most likely A1. For example: =’C:\Documents and Settings\username\Desktop\[filename.xls]worksheet’!A1
5. Click the fill handle of cell A1, and drag down to select the number of rows you want to recover. (The fill handle is the black square in the bottom right corner of a selected cell; your mouse cursor should appear as a black plus symbol when hovered over the fill handle.)
6. Click the fill handle again (with all the cells still selected), and drag to the right to select the number of columns you want to recover.
7. With all of the cells selected, press Ctrl+C to copy them.
8. Click the Home tab, select Paste Special from the Paste drop-down list, select Values, and click OK.

Note: This technique can be used in any version of Excel, but does not recover formulas, only formula results.

Excel 2010:

1. Before starting, make sure you know the name and location of the problem file. Click on the File tab and select Open.
2. Click the folder that has the damaged workbook file. Make a note of the damaged workbook filename while you are here, then click the Cancel button.
3. Click the File tab, click New, choose Blank Workbook, and then click Create.
4. In cell A1, type an equal sign, then a single quotation mark, followed by the full path to the damaged file and then the name of the damaged workbook file in square brackets. Next, add the name of a worksheet in the damaged workbook (without brackets around it), then another single quote, and then an exclamation mark. Add the cell reference of the first cell you want to pull in, most likely A1. For example: =’C:\Documents and Settings\username\Desktop\[filename.xls]worksheet’!A1
5. Click the fill handle of cell A1, and drag down to select the number of rows you want to recover. (The fill handle is the black square in the bottom right corner of a selected cell; your mouse cursor should appear as a black plus symbol when hovered over the fill handle.)
6. Click the fill handle again (with all the cells still selected), and drag to the right to select the number of columns you want to recover.
7. With all of the cells selected, press Ctrl+C to copy them.
8. Click the Home tab, select Paste Special from the Paste drop-down list, select Values, and click OK.

Note: This technique can be used in any version of Excel, but does not recover formulas, only formula results.

METHOD TWO (Excel 2002 and 2003 only):

1. From the Windows Start menu, point to All Programs, select Microsoft Office 2003, choose Microsoft Office Tools, and click Microsoft Office Application Recovery.
2. In the Application list, click the document that is not responding.
3. To attempt to recover the files you are working on, click Recover Application.
4. To close the program and lose recent changes to the files, click End Application.
5. Click Cancel when done.

Note: Excel 2000, 2007, and 2010 do not have this feature.

(For an alternate method of salvaging corrupt Word docs, click here.)

Recover Slides from a Damaged PowerPoint (2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2010)

Microsoft PowerPoint has a time-saving feature that allows you to effortlessly bring in slides from other presentations; it is called Insert Slides from Files. While it was designed for other purposes, this feature may be able to help you rescue a damaged presentation and save you hours of reconstruction work.

PowerPoint 2003 and older:

1. Use a new blank presentation as the starting point. You can even do this from the Slide Sorter view.
2. Click the Insert menu and choose Slides from Files.
3. In the Slide Finder dialog box, on the Find Presentation tab, click the Browse button to find the presentation containing the slides you want to bring in. When you have found it, double-click to open it or click once on the file and then click the Open button.
4. In the Slide Finder dialog box, you should now see thumbnails of all the slides in the presentation you chose. If you do not see the previews, click the Display button. In versions 2002 and 2003, you will also see a checkbox marked Keep Source Formatting. If you want the slides you are inserting to keep the formatting they have in the original presentation, put a checkmark in this box. Note: This may bring in corruption from a damaged file; if this happens, insert the slides in a new presentation again without the formatting.
5. To insert a slide right away, double-click on it. That slide is immediately put into the presentation. To insert several slides, click once on each slide you want to insert (you do not need to hold down any keys, just click once on each slide) then click Insert. To insert all the slides from the other presentation, simply click the Insert All button.
6. At this point, you can browse to another file or click the Close button to close the Slide Finder dialog box.
7. For damaged presentations, make sure you save your presentation with a new name.

PowerPoint 2007 and 2010:

1. Use a new blank presentation as the starting point. You can even do this from the Slide Sorter view.
2. Click the Home tab, click the New Slide drop-down arrow, and choose Reuse Slides.
3. In the Reuse Slides pane, click the Browse button and select Browse File to find the presentation containing the slides you want to bring in. When you have found it, double-click to open it or click once on the file and then click the Open button.
4. In the Reuse Slides pane, you should now see thumbnails of all the slides in the presentation you chose. You will also see a checkbox marked Keep Source Formatting. If you want the slides you are inserting to keep the formatting they have in the original presentation, put a checkmark in this box. Note: This may bring in corruption from a damaged file; if that happens, insert the slides in a new presentation again without the formatting.
5. To insert a slide right away, click on it. Repeat for each slide, or to insert all of the slides, right-click any thumbnail and choose Insert All Slides.
6. At this point, you can browse to another file or click the “X” button to close the Reuse Slides pane.
7. For damaged presentations, make sure you save your presentation with a new name.

Tips were researched and written by PC Helps staff. For other helpful methods of dealing with damaged files, click on the following:

• Recover text from any file.
• Repair an Access database.
• Recover data from a damaged Project file.

In reality, business cannot be put on hold while users adjust to a new software version.

At PC Helps, the Office 2010 calls have quickly increased from a trickle to a stream. Most are coming from customers whose IT departments skipped an Office 2007 migration and were holding out for 2010. As with 2003-to-2007 migrations, 2003-to-2010 promises to throw a few challenges the way of end users and IT departments. Adjusting to the new ribbon interface is often the first obstacle. Once users adjust, plenty more follow.

Below we present the top five end user challenges so your IT department knows what to expect during the migration crunch.

1. Adjusting to a materially different interface

The “ribbon” and other new aspects of the Office 2007 interface reflect major changes in the look and feel of the core Office applications. In Office 2010, these differences carry forward and are coupled with the incorporation of the ribbon into Outlook, impacting usability of this critical communications application.

User confusion and frustration is almost guaranteed when attempting to learn and work with the ribbon for the first time. Basic functions that were performed without effort in the past, such as opening and closing files, managing day-to-day calendar and meeting entries, and applying formats, require a relearning process with the new application versions. For some users, relearning these basic functions is fairly straightforward, and for others it takes a more effort and help. More complex tasks in PowerPoint, Excel, Word or Access often require a combination of training and support in the migration process.

2. Recreating and reformatting important documents

As with any new or changed software, incompatibility with prior versions may require users to manually rework documents. Compatibility of versions has been a focus for Microsoft over the years, and improves with every new release. But users don’t always follow the best practices when creating documents, and end up with versions which are not automatically converted with an upgrade.

Files received from outside the organization in older formats may not open properly and need some rework or, sometimes, may need to be resent. Files with links, Access databases (especially if they integrate with other systems or use extensive code), and custom animations in older PowerPoint versions may be corrupted or impacted by compatibility issues. In cases where users have documents they regularly use, often containing complex formulas or formatting, and which need to be updated to the new versions, there can be a significant amount of time spent on reformatting and recreating documents.

3. Dealing with deadlines and urgency

In reality, business cannot be put on hold while users adjust to a new software version. Critical deadlines loom, and day-to-day urgent matters still need to be handled. During a migration, end users may find themselves stymied by lack of familiarity with a new Office application just at a time when they are facing these deadlines.

Of particular note among these end users are administrative support staff, who are often managing calendars and communications for managers and executives. Downtime is not an option for them either. In these circumstances, self-help, training and tutorials often compound frustration.

4. Using Office across a range of mobile devices and computers

The proliferation of new and different mobile and computing devices is changing the corporate computing landscape. (See Oct. 8’s blog post for recent stats about the iPhone and Android in the enterprise.) Employees now access standard Office applications across a range of devices and often from remote locations. Adapting to and syncing upgraded software and OS versions impacts end users in these mixed environments.

For example, to edit documents in the new Office 2007 file formats on a Windows Mobile device, an Office Mobile upgrade is required. Many users are not aware of this and don’t understand why they cannot successfully use the application. Another example, this one from the Apple side: The settings to sync an Entourage calendar to an iPad are not entirely obvious, and end users must also make sure they have the latest updates from Microsoft.

Many help desks have altered their policies to allow outside devices but are not able to offer support for these non-company issued devices. End users often search on their own for “how-to” support in online help communities and in-product menus. Even worse, they attempt workarounds that bypass updates and patches altogether, forgoing improved functionalities or simply not making full use of the devices or applications.

5. Finding help when it’s needed

According to a May 2010 Gartner report, one of the Windows 7/Office 2010 migration pitfalls to avoid is not seeking professional help early enough.

“Don’t underestimate the requirements for skills and services. It is often common to enlist an external service provider, especially for help with design and planning features,” writes Gartner researcher Michael Silver in Computerworld article about the report. “In addition to proper training for technical staff, make sure the service provider is contracted to transfer sufficient skills so staff can manage the new environment after the cutover.”

In addition to help with migration design and planning, help is needed on the end user side as well. As the migration process unfolds and users begin incorporating new or upgraded software into their everyday routines, it is essential that they quickly master tasks and processes relevant to their specific jobs in the new software environment. It is also important that they have access to additional help if they need it – which may be at points before, during or beyond the migration dates. Issues and causes users experience related to finding help include:

• Training was taken at the time of the upgrade, but a particular application or function has not been used since, and the user has forgotten how to use it. (Classic “use it or lose it” scenario.)

• Training and tutorials were planned by the user, but not completed due to limited time availability, and user now has an urgent need. Executives and higher level staff, or personnel who spend most of their time on the road, frequently experience this situation.

• General training and help tools may not be specific enough to the users’ particular needs.

• For a variety of reasons, in-product help and search tools do not provide the help needed, or are considered inadequate by certain user groups.

• Some personnel may rely on an assistant for support, and with that person unavailable, may not know how to access certain critical documents or handle certain tasks.

When employees find themselves in these situations, they often need help right away. They can’t afford the downtime associated with submitting a help desk ticket or waiting for next-day follow up. If they can’t get the application expertise needed from the help desk, they will seek out help from their co-workers, struggle with generic help menus, look to hand off the work to a delegate if they have one, or just not complete the task.

Can your company afford that?

(Jen Sweeney)

For further reading:

From NetworkWorld: 5 tips for a smooth Windows 7 migration

From Computerworld/Gartner: Pitfalls to Avoid on the Road to Windows 7 and Office 2010 Migration

The reports and surveys tell a compelling story. Actual customer feedback is even more powerful.

They are usually exasperated, and often embarrassed. Who wants to admit lack of knowledge, especially if they believe their job is on the line?

The employers themselves, the ones chanting “do more with less, do more with less” at every all-hands and in every company-wide e-memo, are partially to blame. If a corporation doesn’t offer software support, workers must find their own solutions — which usually cost dearly in downtime and lost productivity. If a company does offer how-to support, it’s considered a luxury and its use may be frowned upon. (This recent Dilbert cartoon, sent to me by a colleague, captures it precisely.)

In sour financial times, desktop application support usually is the first to go when budgets are cut. It’s hard to tally its return on investment, and the demand for such support is often hidden.

But the need is there, and even more so now when many companies are operating with fewer employees and the same workload. (See a post I wrote in October titled “Basic Training: Why Workers Need Software Support.”)

The reports and surveys tell a compelling story. Actual customer feedback is even more powerful.

Below is a letter that was sent to us by one of our customers, who was given the job of automating several departmental reports using Access. In her words, the task was “dropped on my plate.”

She and her colleagues were completing monthly updates in PowerPoint, Excel and Access. The updates were tied together but each had its own piece of information, whether it was typing in a completion date or color-coding a text box to show if something was completed on time or was running behind.

She knew there was a way to update more efficiently using Access, but explains, “What I was asking Access to do was far beyond what I could get out of the simple commands and toolbars available.”

Here’s how she solved the problem:

“Not being a guru of Access and needing functionality far beyond the basic options that are built in, I called the help desk. Quickly, I was connected with a pure genius of Access coding and he was able to not only help me build out several nuances, but actually through multiple calls over several months taught me how to do my own coding in Access. The end result was several reports that were exactly what the customer required, even better in both content and visual appeal, that were all generated with a click of the button!”

Her company offers software support, so she was able to find a solution that saved several hundred hours of time in development, plus at least 30 minutes per person per month in update time.

She was given the tools to do more with less, without sacrificing productivity.

MORE INFO IN: Desktop Application Support | PC Helps eTraining | Contact PC Helps

The three-day class was taught at company headquarters in Northern Virginia, so I flew from LaGuardia to Dulles. Factor in the dip in my productivity due to being out of the office, and throw in my two-night stay at a Reston hotel, plus meals and taxi rides, and it added up to quite an investment for my company.

The current corporate culture views training as a necessary evil.

The class itself was intense. I learned the basics of database design, running queries, what primary keys are, and a host of other information.

When it was over and I returned to my midtown Manhattan office, I had every intention of using my newly acquired knowledge, but I never did. I knew where to begin, but beyond that, I was lost.

Unfortunately, my experience is typical in corporate training. Without support and ongoing learning, it’s difficult to master an application.

A recent feature in Chief Learning Officer magazine addresses this issue and offers strategies for building corporate learning systems that actually work. To come to a solution, writes author Ed Emde, you need to answer three questions:

1. What approaches make learning stick?
2. What are the challenges when trying to implement those approaches?
3. How can a company increase the likelihood that the best tacks will be used and implemented?

The answer to number one is easy: instruction, plus a whole lot of practice. But even if you know which approaches are best, challenges persist. The current corporate culture views training as a necessary evil. What’s more, employers expect their workers to function at near-expert level upon completion of training. That’s an expectation that will rarely be met.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in migrations from Office 2003 to Office 2007. In a post from May, I discussed three ways to build better employees with support. Here’s an excerpt:

“People are more likely to retain information that is learned in small chunks over time than what is studied during marathon cramming sessions. We know this. We’ve been told at least once in our lives not to cram.

Yet, in the case of Office 2007 migrations for example, employees are given mini courses or just PDF cheat sheets to learn a software suite that is radically different from previous versions. Do you think your employees are going to remember that the chart options have changed in Excel 2007 if they learned it upfront but create only one chart a month?

Likewise, if you took a three-day course on jet propeller engine repair, would you submit your resume for a job as an American Airlines mechanic? Apply that same logic to standard corporate training courses. While you have given your employees initial training on applications, you cannot expect them to walk out of the classroom as experts.”

To increase the likelihood that your company will get a little ROI from its efforts, it needs to look beyond the present moment and prioritize. For example, cutting ongoing training and software support may seem like a money-saving solution — at least for now, during an economic slump — but such a move surely will be felt later on, after the economy rebounds. (Jen Darr)

MORE INFO IN: Productivity Loss Index (PDF) | Office 2007 Migration Checklist + Tools | Migration Case Study | PC Helps eTraining |Desktop Application Support | Contact PC Helps