HELP! Unreadable content Error / repair log attached

Thank you in advance for reading this!
I have been working on a database, creating links to various source files within the file, which updates daily to provide the most current information.

There are some formulas and conditional formatting in there - no macros of VBA or anything too fancy.

I sent out the file October 30, after I had added more data and links to a new data sheet, and today, Nov 4, I cannot open the file from the server, my email, nor can my coworkers open it without an error.

Here is additional information:
- Sometimes when I open the file, it says 'another user' has the file open and I have to open it read only, even though no one else has it open (I'm certain)
- My coworker received a "catastrophic" event when he tried to open it
- Once I get the Unreadable content error, I click ok, and it opens with the content really messed up on at least one of the tabs (formatting / links)
- The source files are 2003, and I am working in 2007
- I save every time I create a new file, and NO versions in the last month will open without this error
- this is the first time this has happened on this file
- this file originated with me from a blank workbook
- This is the log file from the "REPAIRS" that excel made <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes" ?>
- <recoveryLog xmlns="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/spreadsheetml/2006/main">
<logFileName>error069120_01.xml</logFileName>
<summary>Errors were detected in file '\\sw\xxxxdata\xxxx\IxEx\Cx\Axxxxxxx\Axxxxx_LOB_103013.xlsx'</summary>
- <repairedParts summary="Following is a list of repairs:">
<repairedPart>Repaired Part: /xl/worksheets/sheet2.xml part with XML error. Catastrophic failure Line 2, column 1051188.</repairedPart>
</repairedParts>
</recoveryLog>

don't you have an it dept? as an end user you have no idea what is happening in the background. ask them first

well there you go,this is an excel help forum not "how does my server work","what rules are applied at server level" this is NOT a windows support forum.how can anyone know what is happening. i suggest you get a better tech support and pay what it costs to fix..instead of just saying "why dont you know"
quote" IT department took over 3 months to respond to my last request for help" well this is free you pay for them so who is wrong?
..if you really think this is fixable on a forum that basically supports formulas/functions/vba then perhaps go here
http://www.excelforum.com/commercial-services/
while i'm at it
Your post does not comply with Rule 1 of our Forum RULES. Your post title should accurately and concisely describe your problem, not your anticipated solution.

Use terms appropriate to a Google search. Poor thread titles, like Please Help, Urgent, Need Help, Formula Problem, Code Problem, and Need Advice will be addressed according to the OP's experience in the forum: If you have less than 10 posts, expect (and respond to) a request to change your thread title. If you have 10 or more posts, expect your post to be locked, so you can start a new thread with an appropriate title.

To change a Title on your post, click EDIT then Go Advanced and change your title, if 2 days have passed ask a moderator to do it for you.
btw 16000 posts suggests i'm right you are wrong but i'm open to enlightenment then perhaps post 16001 will be able to answer someone else

Pardon me, but I did not realize this post would incite such a passionate response. I don't believe my title violates anything. The Title does have the word "help" in it, but then i went ahead and used descriptive words in the title to show exactly my problem. So, vague titles are not my problem here.

IMHO, I don't think this has anything to do with the server. This is an error that all of a sudden deleted ALL of my conditional formatting on one worksheet and some random conditional formatting on another worksheet. I thought this was the perfect place to post this since there are so many other users out there that may have the exact same problem and found a way to fix it themselves. This is why I posted it in the "general" category because I didn't feel it met the other topic criteria.

All I'm asking for is help - Just someone to point me in the right direction. I have used this forum once before with much success and many helpful people out there!

Martin, I'm sorry if you think my question is stupid, but since you can see I am a newbie, please try respectfully pointing me in the right direction. if you think it is my server somehow, please expand on that - I don't have any technical knowledge on that and wouldn't know how that could be related to my excel problems. BTW, my server where I am saving the file is different than that of the suppliers / coworkers, and they have problems as well as me.

IT is not under my control, and again, I was hoping for someone who had a similar experience. I read some things on security settings and permissions on excel, and some things on linked files causing problems for excel, but so far, I haven't found anything that helps yet.

Originally Posted by martindwilson

well there you go,this is an excel help forum not "how does my server work","what rules are applied at server level" this is NOT a windows support forum.how can anyone know what is happening. i suggest you get a better tech support and pay what it costs to fix..instead of just saying "why dont you know"
..if you really think this is fixable on a forum that basically supports formulas/functions/vba then perhaps go here
http://www.excelforum.com/commercial-services/
while i'm at it
Your post does not comply with Rule 1 of our Forum RULES. Your post title should accurately and concisely describe your problem, not your anticipated solution.

Use terms appropriate to a Google search. Poor thread titles, like Please Help, Urgent, Need Help, Formula Problem, Code Problem, and Need Advice will be addressed according to the OP's experience in the forum: If you have less than 10 posts, expect (and respond to) a request to change your thread title. If you have 10 or more posts, expect your post to be locked, so you can start a new thread with an appropriate title.

To change a Title on your post, click EDIT then Go Advanced and change your title, if 2 days have passed ask a moderator to do it for you.

(This thread should receive no further responses until this moderation request is fulfilled, as per Forum Rule 7)

its unlikeley that anyone would have the same exact problem..
some basic steps
does original work ok on your pc
if you email the workbook to someone else does it work on theirs?

Sometimes when I open the file, it says 'another user' has the file open and I have to open it read only, even though no one else has it open

generally means there is a permissions problem on the server or some sort of conflict that can only be resolved at server level..