saving files to their original folder

[seagirl]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

In Word 2008, how do you specify that modified docs should be saved to the folder they came from rather than to the last folder you saved something to? Now when working with several open docs, I find them all being saved in various versions in each others' folders. The only way I can modify and save to the proper folder is to do a 'save as' and replace the previous version. If I'm not on the ball and just click 'save', the file can end up anywhere! What have I missed?!

I didn't have this problem with Word 2004 - it always saved the current doc to its existing folder.

 

[CyberTaz]

The behavior you remember for 2004 is exactly what *should* be the case in
2008 - or any other version for that matter. What you describe suggests that
there is a problem with your Mac's file system management. Word simply
relies on the OS for the opening/saving of files.

I don't ever recall having seen anything of this nature, and new versions of
files don't simply get created in differing locations - at least not without
some sort of prompt - unless something is seriously amiss at the OS level.

If you're certain that this is happening I would strongly recommend that the
first thing you do is back up any important user files. Then run Disk
Utility - Repair Disk Permissions, restart your Mac & see if the problem
persists. If it does use Disk utility again but this time run the Verify
Disk routine to see if there are file system errors.

Post back with your results as well as any additional details regardless of
how significant they may seem.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[seagirl]

Hi Bob

Thanks for this. I feared it might not be a simple problem as I couldn't find any other postings about it :-(

Files aren't getting created randomly as such, but if I'm moving between different files and saving as I go, the modified versions of all of them end up in the last folder I saved a new document to, or 'saved as' to, instead of their originating folders (it's quite hard to describe this so hope you understand).

If I'm only working on one document, once I've done a 'save as' to the correct folder, subsequent saves are straightforward.

The reason I upgraded to 2008 (I was quite happy with 2004!) was that when I recently changed laptops from a 3-year old Powerbook to a MacBook Pro, I couldn't save any Word files – I just got an error message saying it wasn't a relevant filename etc. and my Apple dealer suggested the Office upgrade – which as you see has only had partial success.

I ran Disk Utility a few days ago and fixed some small problems with permissions but it hasn’t fixed this. Verify Disk didn’t find any problems at all. It may be that something I copied over from the PowerBook is messing things up.

I fear there may be a fundamental problem with the system or even the hardware. When I first switched it on and tried to import from the PowerBook to the MacBook Pro using firewire, the MBP wouldn’t recognise the PB. It worked OK the other way so I moved files to the MBP icon. Maybe I copied some things I shouldn't have?

For what it's worth, I can open Excel files at all, nor email a word doc via Entourage using File -> Send to -> mail recipient - it just freezes.

Bit of a catalogue of errors eh?!

Do you recommend wiping the HD and reinstalling everything?

 

[CyberTaz]

I'm still not at all clear on your workflow, but I certainly don't think
wiping your drive will be necessary

If you're convinced you're seeing a difference in how things went in 2004 as
opposed to 2008, keep in mind that you're also using a different version of
OS X as well. Your perception could be influenced by changes to either or
both, but as you now describe things I'm not seeing anything different than
what I consider to be expected behavior.

With an existing doc if you Save changes that doc will be updated on disk
regardless of where it's stored or where you may have navigated to since. No
matter how may docs you open Word remembers the location of each one & saves
your changes to it.

I'm seeing that Save As takes you back to the same folder as the current doc
is in as long as you are saving that same doc as something else. However,
*new* docs are a different story...

When you save a newly created file for the first time the Save As dialog
appears & it will be pointed to what ever folder you last navigated to. I
don't remember Word 2004 doing any differently. I've played a bit with this
in both 2004 & 2008 running in 10.4.11 and haven't seen anything to suggest
a contradiction between them - although I must admit that I so rarely
operate in the manner you describe (as I understand it) that I'm not sure
I'm recreating your situation effectively.

I'll try to offer something about the other parts of your last message in a
separate reply - I think those problems are related to *how* you were moved
to the MBP, but I don't think it's [directly] related.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[seagirl]

" No matter how may docs you open Word remembers the location of each one & saves your changes to it."

This is where the issue lies Bob. Saved changes are not being updated in the original location - a new file gets created in the last folder that I've been using, without any dialogue, and the original file that I think I've just modified and saved remains unchanged, while the updated one is now sitting in a different folder.

Re work flow, I'm frequently working on documents (proposals, programme designs, reports etc) for different clients simultaneously, each stored in different folders, and copying and pasting sections from each other's files.

I thought I could recall a general pref (from years back) where you could specify where files get saved to (e.g. Documents folder, last folder used, etc). Does that still exist?

 

[John McGhie]

Yes, the preference you asked about exists: it's the same as the Word 2004
one: Word>Preferences>File Locations>Documents.

If you leave that entry blank, the default is that Word will save the file
in the folder you opened it from.

The only time that does not apply is if the file is of type "Template".
Word will try to force you to save Templates to your My Templates folder.

Bob has been trying to find out how you are creating these files, because if
the file type you are dealing with is a template, and you create on a
double-click, you will open a document, not a template. If you use
File>Open, you will open a template, and Word will direct you to a Template
folder on save.

A similar thing happens if the files you are working with are marked as
"Stationery". Word will reject any attempt to re-save a stationery file.

I wonder if that's it?

Cheers

" No matter how may docs you open Word remembers the location of each one &
saves your changes to it."

This is where the issue lies Bob. Saved changes are not being updated in the
original location - a new file gets created in the last folder that I've been
using, without any dialogue, and the original file that I think I've just
modified and saved remains unchanged, while the updated one is now sitting in
a different folder.

Re work flow, I'm frequently working on documents (proposals, programme
designs, reports etc) for different clients simultaneously, each stored in
different folders, and copying and pasting sections from each other's files.

I thought I could recall a general pref (from years back) where you could
specify where files get saved to (e.g. Documents folder, last folder used,
etc). Does that still exist?

--
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John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]