word 2002 duplicates documents

[Rrrbt202]

Having a strange problem. Every time I save a word document on my computer (XP Pro) a duplicate of the file is created.
The original will be as such: normaldocument.doc and the duplicate will be normaldocument(1).doc. Since I handle quite a few documents a day and often have embedded photo's in the documents, this is becoming an issue as it taking up double the hard drive space to save documents.
At first I thought it might be a virus, but cannot find any reference to such.
I know I can do a search of the hard drive and eliminate all the copies, but I would really like some ideas why this is happening in the first place.

 

[webrabbit]

Are you doing a "save" or a "save as"?.

 

[Rrrbt202]

Save As. It's a new document each time.

 

[webrabbit]

save as" will always create a new document. If you specify a name you already have, it will automatically add the to it, you cannot overwrite an existing document. This is not a bug, it's a safty feature. If you don't want the old document, you must delete it. You can do that from the save menu, just select the document (one click) and press the Delete key.

 

[cmeagan656]

"save as" will always create a new document. ...you cannot overwrite an existing document...

NOT true. If you do a "save as" and attempt to save the document with the same name as an existing document you will be prompted with "The file xxxx.xxx already exists. Do you want to replace the existing file?" If you say no the "Save As" dialogue box is cancelled. This behaviour is NOT Office specific. It happens with EVERY application that I have ever used.

Cheers.

 

[Rrrbt202]

Sorry folks. New document new name for each document. No two documents have the same name. As an example, the folder looks like this:
Fireside Manor.doc
Fireside Manor(1).doc

Brownstone Hill.doc
Brownstone Hill(1).doc

Heathrow.doc
Heathrow(1).doc

I've only created the original document. The document with the (1) in it is created automatically. By what I don't know.

This just started happening a few days ago when I create a new document. However, if I open a previous document and edit it and then "save" it, a duplicate with the (1) is also created.

 

[etarhan]

Probably it will be easier for us to begin to understand your problem if you decide whether you're doing a "save" or a "save as"?

Good luck,
Engin

 

[Lilliabeth]

Go to Tools > Options > Save tab and see if 'always create a backup copy' is checked.

--Lilliabeth

 

[Rrrbt202]

Etarhan: "Save As": new document each time.

Lilliabeth: excellent tip. Didn't even know that option existed. Unfortunately, the box is not checked.

For now I have deleted all the copies by doing a search for
*(1).doc and deleting all the computer found.

 

[SPV]

Is it definitely Word creating the extra file? Or the OS? You could test this in two ways...

1. Copy a .doc file into the folder using Windows Explorer and see if the extra (1).doc copy is created.

2. While you Save As in Word, use filemon (sysinternals, from Microsoft site) to see what process creates the (1) file and when this happens in relation to the creation of the genuine file.

If it's definitely Word that's doing it, do you have any macro code in your normal.dot? This might be overloading the Save As method.

 

[fumei]

cmeagan656, if I have a document ooen, and use File > SaveAs and do not change the name, Word does NOT give a "The file xxxx.xxx already exists. Do you want to replace the existing file?" message.

Gerry

 

[cmeagan656]

@fumei

You're correct. I guess that I've only ever use "SaveAs" when I'm saving an existing document as another name. If I'm saving an existing document using the same name or a new document I just hit the "Save" button. However, if you use "SaveAs" without changing the name should it not just overwrite the existing file and not create a new one with a (1) in the name?

Cheers.

 

[Rrrbt202]

SPV: I'm checking to see if there are Macro's running on the documents. Thanks for the idea.

 

[fumei]

However, if you use "SaveAs" without changing the name should it not just overwrite the existing file and not create a new one with a (1) in the name?"

Yes. That is exactly what it does. In other words, this is NOT why the OP is having this issue.

Gerry

 

[webrabbit]

I created a small file and saved it as "Doc1". Than I created another file and meant to try to save it as "Doc1". Word changed the save as name to "Doc11". When I changed it back to "Doc1", I got the "already exists" message. BTW. "No" is not an option. You must explicitly cancel the save function.

 

[fumei]

another file "

I am confused, I really am. I have no idea whether this is the same document done as a SaveAs (which I thought was the case), or a completely different document trying to be saved with the same name as an existing document, as the last post seem to state.

Yes, if a different document is done as a SaveAs with the name of an existing (b]different[/b] document...then of course it comes back with an "existing" message.

Gerry

 

[MakeItSo]

*strikes forehead* Now I know what's going on!!

webrabbit: you cannot have doc1 open and try to save another document as doc1 !!!!
Why would you try to do such a foolish thing?
What is it you actually wish to achieve with this procedure?
Perhaps we can help you improve your process by changing its underlying principle.


[navy]"We had to turn off that service to comply with the CDA Bill."[/navy]
- The Bastard Operator From Hell