Excel hangs/crashes while updating external link at file opening - excel

I encountered this weird ass and funny error.
I built a file for data ETL. This one takes in various .csv files, combines them and export new .csv files using VBA. The file is originally named as "xxx Modelling ETL.xlsm". It could be opened normally till one day it hangs or crashes while trying to recalculating something (may be the underground query).
After hours of struggling, I opened the file as a copy (under a new name of Copy of ...). Strangely it ran smoothly, no crash or hang. Then I try rename it by remove the "Copy of" part, then the error occurs again.
I want to share this as there could be someone has the same problem, or someone who could shed some light on this black magic thing.

Some solutions:
Rename the file or move it to local drive instead of Onedrive makes thing works normally again.
Open Trust Center, disable Macro with notification, Trusted Locations, and Trusted Documents. Enable them for specific files when open, not for all.

Related

Garageband Save & Save As & Export Buttons Do Not Function

I recently started making music using GarageBand's MIDI software. I've made it up to a certain point, where losing all my progress would be disastrous.
Here's the issue I have:
When I go to File > Save/Save As or just cmd+S or cmd+shift+S, or Share > Export Song to Disk, instead of functioning and saving the file (I checked in Finder; last time I exited the app without saving due to this issue, the untitled garageband file disappeared) properly onto the app, it would either do nothing or give me the rainbow wheel of death for 10-20 seconds and then proceed to not function.
I've searched online for answers to this, and there were several (2) users I found that had the same problem. Their post either had no answer or the answer was unintuitive (such as always using a different, more complicated method to save, like messing around with the garageband files themselves everytime to save).
I'm looking for an answer to this issue that would result in slightly more convenient, one-time edits to the app / any software beneath that would fix this issue, if there are any. However, if the community has any alternate way to save the file right now, I would greatly appreciate it.
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Also:
Since I'd assume most of the solutions would involve closing the app and then making edits, then reinstalling it, please tell me if I could just copy the notes (not the tracks) onto a text document and paste it into the new file after. I would prefer to save my music.
Try this . . .
First QUIT Garageband (yes you will lose unsaved work).
Find the Garageband folder where all the .BAND files are saved. Usually it is in Users -> Username -> Music -> Garageband.
Move older .band files into another folder (EG: "Garageband OLD")
Then start a new project (or open a project still in the Garageband folder).
Save and Save-As should now work.
It seems there is some sort of file limit for the Garageband folder. In my case the file limit is either 170 .band files or about 125GB.
I am currently using Garageband 10.3.5 on High Sierra.

Excel VBA macro failing to save workbook on coworker's computer, but fine on mine

I'm encountering an issue trying to get some macros and VBA scripts working on a new coworker's computer. I've been using the same code for years on my machine and several others without issue, but when my new analyst tries to run it, it throws an error stating it couldn't save the file. He can manually save the file without issue, but running the script throws the error. The really weird part is that it lists the file path, but replaces the filename with a seemingly random hex byte.
On another file, if he opens it, closes with or without saving, then I open the file and try to save it using a macro, it fails saying "cannot access file...". If I copy and paste the file, open and run the macro again, it saves over the offending file no problem.
We've checked permissions and settings and haven't found anything that was different between the two systems. We're both on VMs. His hardware allowance is less than mine but otherwise they're both IT-managed and identical. I'm at my wits' end... Any advice on what may be the source of my grief would be helpful, even if not a solution.
A couple of things I'd check before trying to step through debugger mode.
Coworker does not have write access to the directory (I think you said you checked already)
The new users' Trust Center Settings are not correct
File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings... > Macro Settings > Ensure the box is checked to trust the VBA model and that macros are not disabled
The new user does not have the same libraries referenced.
Alt + F11 > Tools > References... > Check if coworkers' libs match yours
Is he using a new/different version of Excel that you? A lot of older code got bojangled when Office 365 hit the scene.
After checking settings, I would ask the following:
What error is thrown when coworker attempts to run the macro?
When does the error get thrown? It could be that you have code that is attempting to edit the file (or has another file stuck in an edit) at the same time you're trying to save it.
I would see why the file name is getting corrupted. It sounds like coworkers' machine is looking to a bit of memory or memory address that is somehow getting forgotten. Like the code is referencing a variable that is out of scope.
User Access Control has been enabled on his VM that is somehow preventing him from saving the file correctly.
Your code does not properly Quit the Excel application, so its still running in the background on coworkers' machine. Have them open/close without saving a file and check Task Manager to see if Excel is still up to confirm

Manage external data source locations in Excel when sharing the file across Dropbox

When working in Excel, sometimes we have external data sources.
In Windows, these files may be stored in a specific location such as C:\Users\Freelensia\Dropbox\data source.xls
When sharing the main file and the data source file with another person through file-sharing services such as Dropbox, the location of the data source will be changed to:
C:\Users\PeterSmith\Dropbox\data source.xls
(from the view of the Peter Smith user)
This will break the data connection in the main file when Peter opens it. He can reset the path to the one as seen from his computer, but that will break the connection for the Freelensia user when he/she opens it from his/her end.
Is there a way to permanently fix these locations for multiple users? Such that Excel will correctly get the path when the right user opens it.
I am looking for an inherent Excel property if such a thing exists. Else VBA macros (A table with the file paths for each user, and MsgBox that ask the user to choose the user profile). Else a Windows .bat file could work as well.
Thank you for your help.
A trick to this is to move your Dropbox to C:\Dropbox for all users.
To do that, click on the Dropbox icon at the bottom-right, click the Gear Icon, Settings, Sync Tab, then you can move the folder to C:\Dropbox.
If you encounter permission errors, follow the instructions here to reset the permissions:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/move-dropbox-folder
If my understanding is right when ever a different user opens/saves a file the path "C:\Users\xxxxxxx\Dropbox\data source.xls" will be same only "xxxxxxx" in the path will be varying with the active user who has logged in.
So use "Application.UserName" function to get the username and use it in the path mentioned above
Excel uses relative links, even though it shows longer paths in the cells when you look at them. This ends up meaning that if you move the file and the file(s) it is connecting to a different location then the links will still work.
If you put your main file in Dropbox\Excel\main.xlsx and then your data sources in Dropbox\Excel\Data\data sources.xlsx then I think you should be good.
I tested this with Google Drive on two different computers, taking turns opening and modifying the data source and also opening and having the main file update without any issues.
I am not positive if this would work for you in Dropbox, but I really think it should... I am using Excel 2010, so if you are using Excel 2003 (or saving files as .xls instead of the newer .xlsx format) there is a possibility that could cause issues.

Win8.1 Refresh deleted my folder on desktop

I just restarted my laptop today because it was saying there was problem with one of the disks and it needed to restart to fix it, so I restarted it. But when it was booting it came across to a problem and was not able to boot and showed me some options. So under "refresh" it was saying it won't delete any files but it may delete apps, which was fine for me so I chose this and waited about 15-20mins to do the job.
Once it was done windows started normally and I got my old desktop with old names of my files. Everything was fine except I was not able to find the folder I have been working on for the last two months (which I did not backup stupidly, though I intended a few times but was lazy and I had no worry about losing the data). The folder was just at the middle of my desktop with the name "equation derivation". I can not freaking find it. All of my other folders are here but not THE ONE that is supposed to be. I am just freaking out here.... I had many matlab codes and PDF files inside this folder.
I tried to restore but there is no restore point because of freaking "refresh".
I tried to use a recovery program to show me some files, but it found almost nothing.
There is a "windows.old" file which has user accounts but in that one there are fiveusers: Administrator, guest, ibaha_000, Public, UpdatusUser. Last three folder's creation date is today and first two folders creation date is when I bought the laptop (2014-HP-Envy) . When I go inside ibaha_000 folder (or any others) there are some folders inside it and I try to go inside "Desktop" because the folder I am trying to find was on desktop, but there is nothing there at all. So "windows.old" did not restore any of my files....
When I search for any of the matlab file names or folder names or PDF file names on the search of PC, I get no result.
Please someone help me with this I really need someone's help to recover my files that I spent two months... (And I know I should have backed it up but there was no sign of anything like this I would have, stupid me...)
Thank you very much!
I was able to recover my files from the hard-disk with professional "active at" recovery program that ran about 8 hours to pull out data.
Refresh might delete your files because it might recognize some of your programs or text files as windows program files, as it happened in my case. It didn't delete all of my matlab files, it deleted the folder I have lots of .m files.
So before refreshing windows, BACKUP your data, that's the solution.

Recover unsaved .csv file changes

Does anyone know a way to recover changes made in a .csv that were not saved when excel 2007 was closed.
At the moment, I don't see any way to solve this.
Check all the temporary files created recently. Especially alongside the file you opened. There are a few temp folders in the system that Excel may use. C:\Windows\temp is the main one, but it is usually under the Users folder in later versions of windows. Eg: C:\Users\YourUserName\Local Settings\Temp
If you find any files that look like Excel temps, take a copy and rename the extension and then try to open it.
(Your only real chance is if auto-save kicked in and saved a copy - to a temp file - when you still had your new changes in the document. Otherwise the changes are lost I'm afraid)
If option #1 doesn't resolve your problem in Excel, go to File->Options->Save. Hopefully your AutoRecover file location, under the third box, will be populated with an address.

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