LibreOffice file not opening properly

[JBR]

I hope that someone with more expertise than me can help with this strange problem.
I have a file saved in LibreOffice Writer - .odt suffix - which fails to save properly.

It is in six columns and several pages long and has been opened and occasionally modified in the past a few times without any problem.  However, just today the file will not open properly, missing a few paragraphs at one place.
I have tried to correct the omissions and saved it as usual to my hard drive and also to Google Drive for temporary backup, but the same problem reoccurs.  Other files still open correctly.

I have also downloaded the latest version of LibreOffice Writer, but the problem still occurs, so I assume this must be something wrong with my computer.  I don't want to try to change other files of the same type in case they also fail to reopen properly.

Any advice would be gratefully accepted.

[klondike]

Sounds to me like the file has become corrupted probably due to some sort of bug in the software.

You may find something useful in this search...

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=corrupt+odt+file&hl=en

Good luck

[JBR]

Sounds to me like the file has become corrupted probably due to some sort of bug in the software.

You may find something useful in this search...

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=corrupt+odt+file&hl=en

Good luck

Thanks.  I noticed that when I tried to correct missing sections by replacing some of the text, when I looked back there was the missing text plus what I had since added again.

I have to go to the hospital now, but when I'm back I'll have a full read of all this.  Thanks again.

[JBR]

I'd like to try renaming it with the suffix .zip and following that procedure, but will the original .odt file remain?

[klondike]

Just do a copy paste rename the copy and play with that.

[JBR]

Just do a copy paste rename the copy and play with that.

I was planning to restore Microsoft Word back to use and re-do the files using that.  Unfortunately, my old version is no longer working properly and to update that would cost me a lot of money.  I don't really like spending money, but I did find a version for sale (£30) by a third party and was going to shell out for it.

However, again on the grounds of being tight-fisted, today I went back to the LibreOffice file and tried again to make it work properly, as daily restorations of missing sections is getting a bit wearing.
The only way I could get the file to work was to remove the second half of it (which actually related to a different organ) and, lo and behold, the first half remained correct when I re-opened it.  The funny thing was that the repeating fault was in the middle of that first half!
So why, in removing the second (unaffected) half, did that correct the fault occurring in the first half?

Answer (at least in my opinion): the file was too big! 
However, one of the 'experts' who I had been in touch with said that the file could have been much bigger without the problem arising.

[klondike]

If the file is corrupt it is unlikely that word will do any better than libreoffice/freeoffice especially as it is not the default file type used by word

[JBR]

If the file is corrupt it is unlikely that word will do any better than libreoffice/freeoffice especially as it is not the default file type used by word

No, I meant that I would re-make the file in Word.
However, I removed half of the file and it now works reliably.
Since then, a very helpful chap from LibreOffice (I get the impression that he may have created it!) advised me that he is going to make changes to the system to overcome a bug.  In addition, he advised that I should use 'tables' rather than 'columns' for this sort of file.
I thanked him and said that I would do that.  Actually, 'columns' would be preferable for an ongoing text, reading top to bottom and then the next column, etc, etc.  However, in my case, tables might be better for my particular needs with this file, as each column is pretty independent from the other columns.

I'm glad I got LibreOffice.  As the name suggests, it is free to download, whereas MS Word costs a bomb, although I actually made a donation when I first downloaded LibreOffice.  I am also impressed that if there are any problems, as I found out for myself, there are many people online who use it and are happy to help with problems.  It also does everything that the MS option does.  I would certainly recommend this software to others.

[JBR]

Apologies for continuing this, my earlier post, but I have now attempted to repeat the file in question using the 'tables' method.  Having now compared the two methods of creating such a file, I feel that the method I initially used (and have used beforehand), that is the use of 'columns' rather than individual tables.

I mentioned this to 'the wife', and she assures me that 'tables' (in columns) is the better method, but I suppose this is really a personal preference rather than any overriding benefits of the one over the other.
I apologise again, but I thought that if any computer-literate members had a strong preference they might advise me.