PowerArchiver does not save changes in Excel

[tmf2kg]

Hi,
I use PowerArchiver to encrypt and archive an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file that I periodically update.

What I do is I click on the “PAE” file which has the encrypted and zipped Excel file, I am asked for password which I enter, I am then asked for another password with I enter, then I get to access the Excel file.

I add and/or update some rows of Excel data, then I click save.

When I exit Excel, I am prompted by PowerArchiver (PA) if I want it to update the archived file - to which I choose “Yes”. I check the date/time shown on the Excel file in the archived Excel file shown in PowerArchiver which looks OK, i.e. that it has updated the archived file with my updates.

I then close/exit the opened PowerArchiver file - at which time I am asked if I want to save my updates - to which I reply “Yes”.

However, when I go back to check if the updates have been saved, I see that they have not been saved.

This has caused me to use a workaround which takes a lot of steps and time … i.e. deleting the Excel shown in the PowerArchiver folder, then savingthe Excel file and encrypting and archiving it within the folder…… I cannot continue to do this, I will be forced to STOP using PA.

HELP!!!

Thanks and Regards

[spwolf]

this should be fixed in next release, I think you reported it before. We discovered something similar with simply updating file, If I remember correctly, and the issue was that it wasnt functioning properly if you saved file several times (PA would only check first time.

So try editing excel file, save it once only, and then exit PA - does that make it work?

thanks,

[tmf2kg]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply.

However, I tried your suggestion and when I saved the Excel file and then quit Excel.

PA asks me it I want to save updates and I choose YES, but it does not save the updates.

On the other hand I tried a different path which worked. I tried to exit Excel without saving the changes I had made, and when the Excel prompt came asking if I wanted to save the changes I chose YES. Then PA asked me if wanted to update the changes to which I chose YES. It saved the changes. So this might be a good workaround I can use, eventough it is different from best practices I use of first saving the Excel updates before trying to exit.

Regards

[spwolf]

@tmf2kg:

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply.

However, I tried your suggestion and when I saved the Excel file and then quit Excel.

PA asks me it I want to save updates and I choose YES, but it does not save the updates.

On the other hand I tried a different path which worked. I tried to exit Excel without saving the changes I had made, and when the Excel prompt came asking if I wanted to save the changes I chose YES. Then PA asked me if wanted to update the changes to which I chose YES. It saved the changes. So this might be a good workaround I can use, eventough it is different from best practices I use of first saving the Excel updates before trying to exit.

Regards

save it as normal, then when you want to exit, do some “fake” change, such as adding one letter somewhere and then exit?

What is strange is that action itself should be completly the same - it might be that excel itself is saving files differently for whatever reason, we have to investigate that a bit better to see what exactly Excel does.

thanks - if you discover anything else, please let us know - and update the thread to make sure we update it for next release.

[RJWaring]

Hi,

I’ve experienced the exact same thing with PA it seems to be a problem with the Power Archiver updating its archive more than Excel saving as when you open a document from PA and make an amendment to it then save it stores the new version in a temp folder as below.

Now when PA provides you the message "File “abe” was modifiled do you want to update the archive? and you select yes it seems to have difficulties gaining this data.

What I have noticed is when you open the document in question make the changes press the save button Twice! once to bring up the message “archive changed do you want to save” then again and close the document down…

This seems to do the trick.

The temp folder which is only available when you have the encrypted zip open and are working on the document is as follows;

C:\DOCUME~1\User1232\LOCALS~1\Temp_PA560

[spwolf]

It seems to me that excel updates file twice when you hit save (probably something to do with temp file it creates) - and PA catches first update if you hit exit in Excel after saving.

Try this:
1. Edit file in excel
2. Hit save
3. When PA asks you first time, click OK
4. PA will then ask you 2nd time, click OK again.

Does that work? It seems as if you hit only save and exit, PA catches first one and doesnt have time to catch second update of the file.

[spwolf]

ok, so basically, when PA asks you to update, dont update until you actually exit Excel - this means that when Excel updates its file for 2nd time (with proper, modified version), PA will save it.

Maybe it would be good if we could make our update window show in background, so you will see it only when you exit Excel. I will see if that is possible.

[RJWaring]

Hi Spywolf,

Sounds like a solution to me, I have tried this and it works it is on the second save and final exit of excel that the documents updates its archive.

If your good at macros you could always setup excel to save twice and close automatically for you.

Would be nice if PA As you said would show you the progress of updates in the background!

However, if I was a guesing man i would say that this same problem happens with other file types. - will look into it.