PSA: File created in Word, was uploaded to Google Drive and file changed

[Lanny]

My wife spent hours, working on a file, in WORD, and she does not have DropBox installed.  She uploaded it to Google Drive. The receiving party told her the file was modified, a lot.  I told my wife that I assume that happened because Google has Google Docs and they probably changed all the Microsoft formatting to Google formatting.

 

She does not have DropBox on her computers, because she is a Gamer.   DD and I both told her that we have never seen DropBox modify a file...

 

My wife is cooking our Breakfast now, and DD is Uploading the file to DropBox...

 

The "bottom line" here is that the WORD file was modified, when uploaded to Google Drive.   DropBox does not modify files.

 

My free DropBox account has saved my rear, several times, and I am religious about using it. I highly recommend DropBox.   :hurray:

[Janie Grace]

Yes, Dropbox is great. So is Box (it's better, actually). Why can't you have Dropbox if you're a gamer?

 

That said, I have uploaded Word files to Google Drive lots of times and have never had an issue. That's weird.

 

ETA: Box is $5 a month, so it makes more sense if you're collaborating frequently.

Edited March 28, 2017 by Janie Grace

[Lanny]

Yes, Dropbox is great. So is Box (it's better, actually). Why can't you have Dropbox if you're a gamer?

 

That said, I have uploaded Word files to Google Drive lots of times and have never had an issue. That's weird.

 

ETA: Box is $5 a month, so it makes more sense if you're collaborating frequently.

 

You can have DropBox on a computer you are using for Gaming, but it periodically scans the files to "Sync" between the local computer and the Cloud.  My wife likes to have as little as possible on her computers, so they are as fast as possible.  I'm not a Gamer, so that doesn't bother me.

 

I have a free Dropbox account, but can see how Box is good if one is collaborating frequently.  

 

They got the file to the recipient OK this morning, via Dropbox.  I think somehow the Formatting got changed, when it was done by Google Drive, but that may have been "operator error" on the other end.  

[chiguirre]

Next time, she could try converting the file to pdf format. In my version of Word, there's an option under file called export, then you select pdf and click the button.

[kewb]

Google Docs changes my word documents all the time. I save them as a PDF before sharing that way.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

I have Dropbox, and I am a gamer. I just make sure Dropbox is closed/logged off when I am not using it.

[Lanny]

I think in this case the file needed to be in .docx format, but the idea of saving files in .pdf is one that we use frequently. I think DD submits her school assignments in .PDF format.

 

Stepson is here now for Lunch. He must have been working close to our home today. He told my wife about WeTransfer.com   I'd never heard of that web site. He said that his wife uses their Free service, to send files to her school/instructors.. With that, one can send files up to 2 GB in size.  However, as my wife and I both immediately commented, we would not use a site like that for anything private/confidential/etc...    This is the URL: https://wetransfer.com/ and you need to click on the Left side of the page to begin. Possibly something to consider using, but only for non-critical-files.  I think with their paid service, one can transfer files up to 20 GB. 

[Tree Frog]

Rabbit trail alert: Can we use a Dropbox acct to share an excel file and all parties able to modify it? We're looking for something my dh can access at work. He can't access Google Drive. I don't know if he can access Dropbox, either, but I'll ask him.

[Twigs]

Next time, she could try converting the file to pdf format. In my version of Word, there's an option under file called export, then you select pdf and click the button.

Thanks for this!

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yeah...was going to say save as a PDF.  PDF is PDF.  It won't get modified.

 

 

[FaithManor]

Word docs not saved as pdf and then thrned into pdf so very bizarre, Harry Potterish things in google drive and even more bizarre when attached to email.

 

Ask our rocket team about that? Or my husband who spent four hours cleaning up a 213 page document so it coukd be uploaded to NASA in time.

 

Not fun when it happens. Dropbox saves lives!! :D

[vonfirmath]

I think in this case the file needed to be in .docx format, but the idea of saving files in .pdf is one that we use frequently. I think DD submits her school assignments in .PDF format.

 

Stepson is here now for Lunch. He must have been working close to our home today. He told my wife about WeTransfer.com   I'd never heard of that web site. He said that his wife uses their Free service, to send files to her school/instructors.. With that, one can send files up to 2 GB in size.  However, as my wife and I both immediately commented, we would not use a site like that for anything private/confidential/etc...    This is the URL: https://wetransfer.com/ and you need to click on the Left side of the page to begin. Possibly something to consider using, but only for non-critical-files.  I think with their paid service, one can transfer files up to 20 GB. 

 

We use something similar to this through work. Called TransferBigFiles.

[Butter]

Any time you open a file in a different program it may change.  Word documents change when you open them in LibreOffice, Google Docs, etc. and vice versa.  It's just the way it works.  If it needs to not be changed at all, always do DropBox or a similar thing or make it a pdf.

[gaillardia]

I am not familiar with DropBox and quite behind on various techie programs, but why can't you select the option for locking the edit while still in Word and before you send it?