AutoRecover problem: "This is not a valid file name."

[jcst...@officeformac.com]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Processor: Intel My Word for Mac program just starting sending error messages when it autosaves all documents (every 3 minutes or so). It does not recognize any file name as valid, no matter if the document has been named previously or is a new document (document1.docx). The error msg is "This is not a valid file name. Try one or more of the following: *Check the path to make sure it was typed correctly. * Select a file from the list of files and folders."

The file names I give it are valid, so perhaps it is not saving to the correct folder? Is there a default AutoRecover folder that I should specify?

[John McGhie]

That error message usually tells the truth: usually the path name is "not"
valid.

Show us the entire path name and document name and we'll be able to tell you
what is wrong with it.

Often, it means that either the path name is too long or contains
unacceptable characters. If you name your hard disk anything other than
"Mac HDD" be careful: you can end up with some applications unable to save
to it.

Letters, numbers, and spaces are fine: any other characters will cause
trouble somewhere, so get out of the habit of allowing them in file names.
Remember that while Windows and Apple file systems are agnostic about letter
case, Unix file systems are case-specific: "AFile" and Afile" are two
different files.

"Too Long" is a very difficult quantity to define: officially there are no
limits on the Apple HFS+ file system. But in NTFS and Unix UFS, there are.
So if you're saving to a Windows file server, be aware that you begin to
stretch the friendship at 225 characters: NTFS has a limit of 226 characters
on any segment of a path (e.g. The file name plus extension, or a folder
name).

Theoretically, you can save a file name + path name + volume name of 32,767
Unicode characters (65,532 bytes) in NTFS, and of unlimited length in Mac
HFS+. In practice, various applications will sign off well before this,
around the 1,024-characters mark. So follow the rule that "shorter is
better".

If you have not applied updates, some applications will attempt to honour
the old Apple file name length of 30 characters. Word is one.

Cheers

On 10/03/10 7:56 PM, in article 59bb4...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,
"jcst...@officeformac.com" <jcst...@officeformac.com> wrote:

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!

--

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word); Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia.
Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410; mailto:jo...@mcghie.name

[wiidskr69]

John McGhie wrote on 03/10/2010 16:47 ET :
> That error message usually tells the truth: usually the path name is

> &quot;not&quot;

> valid.
>
> Show us the entire path name and document name and we'll be able to tell you
> what is wrong with it.
>
> Often, it means that either the path name is too long or contains
> unacceptable characters. If you name your hard disk anything other than

> &quot;Mac HDD&quot; be careful: you can end up with some applications unable

to
> save
> to it.
>
> Letters, numbers, and spaces are fine: any other characters will cause
> trouble somewhere, so get out of the habit of allowing them in file names.
> Remember that while Windows and Apple file systems are agnostic about letter

> case, Unix file systems are case-specific: &quot;AFile&quot; and Afile&quot;
> are two
> different files.
>
> &quot;Too Long&quot; is a very difficult quantity to define: officially there

> are no
> limits on the Apple HFS+ file system. But in NTFS and Unix UFS, there are.
> So if you're saving to a Windows file server, be aware that you begin to
> stretch the friendship at 225 characters: NTFS has a limit of 226 characters
> on any segment of a path (e.g. The file name plus extension, or a folder
> name).
>
> Theoretically, you can save a file name + path name + volume name of 32,767
> Unicode characters (65,532 bytes) in NTFS, and of unlimited length in Mac
> HFS+. In practice, various applications will sign off well before this,

> around the 1,024-characters mark. So follow the rule that &quot;shorter is
> better&quot;.

>
> If you have not applied updates, some applications will attempt to honour
> the old Apple file name length of 30 characters. Word is one.
>
> Cheers
>

> On 10/03/10 7:56 PM, in article ,

> &quot;&quot; wrote:
>
>> Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Processor: Intel My
>> Word for Mac program just starting sending error messages when it autosaves
>> all documents (every 3 minutes or so). It does not recognize any file name
as
>> valid, no matter if the document has been named previously or is a new

>> document (document1.docx). The error msg is &quot;This is not a valid file

>> name.
>> Try one or more of the following: *Check the path to make sure it was typed

>> correctly. * Select a file from the list of files and folders.&quot;

>>
>> The file names I give it are valid, so perhaps it is not saving to the
correct
>> folder? Is there a default AutoRecover folder that I should specify?
>>
>>
>>
> This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
> matters unless you intend to pay!
>
>

> John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word); Consultant Technical Writer,
> McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia.
> Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410; mailto:
>

Thanks for your reply. I was so grateful that I made an account on this forum
to
tell people that YOUR ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. I had named my HD &quot;MAC OSX
HDD&quot; and i changed it to &quot;Mac HDD&quot; and it worked. I was using
the
beta 6 microsoft word for mac 2011. Thanks John

[singhsam...@gmail.com]