1 Doc Management Recovery ideas11/5/2018 10:52:26 PM

Recovery Experiment Print Scan Convert (2 Apr 25)

Recovery Experiment Print Scan Convert (2 Apr 25)

Introduction (2 May 08)

Questions so far with some Answers (2 Apr 30)

Header Date Format (Y Month DD)

DOCX to DOC answer (2 Apr 30)

EO XL Doc Challenge (2 Apr 25)

Nitro (free) PDF Reader features (2 Apr 25)

Experiments to conduct: (2 Apr 25)

PDF page extraction (2 Apr 25)

Nitro PDF to MS XL on-line (2 Apr 25)

PDF to Excel

MS XL to PDF via Nitro (2 Apr 25)

Create PDFfrom Microsoft Excel

PDF to XL converter (2 Apr 25)

Comparisons (2 Apr 26)

Computerworld good, but I need more (2 Apr 26)

Computerworld Comparison (2 Apr 26)

Document Management Systems (2 May 06)

Introduction (2 May 08)

While thinking about the challenges of recovering a crashed PC, I would like to explore recovery ideas, so that into the future, there’s less hassle managing my various documents. I recognize that I might not solve all these challenges, but would like to try, before bringing back those of my docs I can recover, so that I can manage them better in the future.

I have several sets of challenges:

  1. Recovery of documents now on PDF on the Internet, and stuff I have printed out, which came from PC before the crash. Getting that stuff back into Word and Excel docs.
  2. Access to DOCX and other X formats, which many institutions share, but I could not access even before the crash.[1]
  3. Kira McG got me started on document templates, where after getting some doc setup with all the features I like, I then create a stub doc which I copy when starting a new doc, and not have to go thru the hassle of many adjustments to get my docs the way I want them. I would like to apply that same principle to some standard text chunks to include in many docs.
  4. I am thinking something like /COPY standard of RPG/400 programming, where the shared stuff is in the final shared product, but I just have the one place to edit the doc chunks for all my docs. This would apply to open share copyright give credit type statement, how to get in contact with me for feedback, and explanation why I give full urls in footnotes.
  5. I want to further improve my footnotes which point at other docs.
  6. When they are my other research efforts, I want to point both for me at whatever folder logic they now end up in, and for other people point at where in the shared locations they can find them. Not to the latest version, because it will be replaced in time with a new version, and I don’t want to have to return to other docs to update the link.
  7. Similarly, other sharers of docs go thru periodic evolution of precise link to stuff, so I want to include enough info to search for replacement url when latest url becomes obsolete.
  8. As the volume of documents on my PC mushroom, many cease to logically belong in just one place. For example, my maps directory is relevant to Haiti, Japan, other disasters, and also economy evolution. In the past, I have experimented with excess short cuts, version naming, but generally concluded I want more me-friendly access to the very tools of Windows, in accessing info about my doc collection.

In the past, I amassed many hundreds of documents. As I obtained them, I placed them in folders based on initial thinking what made sense, and tried to maintain an AL DOCS document listing what I had, and where it was. At times new info came in faster than I could keep track, which made it hard to locate, although Google Desktop was sometimes helpful.

Here are some tools I would like to have:

  • Pick a folder. Take a command function key combination. Get a print-out which identifies the folder, lists all the documents which are in there. For each document listing, put the info in a chart = doc name, size, last time updated. The output to print in a format which could instead go into another doc.
  • Identify several folders. Do the same thing. The list now also has what folders each of those docs are in. Provision to sort those lines, by last date updated, or alpha name, or other criteria.

Questions so far with some Answers (2 Apr 30)

Q: Cost of Free: When we download something for free, there is an ethical obligation to thank the source. Are there also hidden costs? How secure is our data, when we are using a public service to convert it?

  1. Sometimes there is an addition to our document, which is not easy to remove.[2]

Q: I do not yet have a scanner. When I have seen the scanned results of other people with scanners, it is always in PDF format. Is this mandatory, or just their preference?

Q: In the course of business and personal activities, we get Word, Excel, other files we want to convert to PDF.

  1. Nitro Free[3] is already on my PC, which I use to get from Word to PDF. I do not yet know from XL, or other form types.
  2. There may be other options.

Q: We get PDF in the course of business, and personal activities. How copy to Word, Excel, etc.

  1. Nitro Pro (paid upgrade) can copy PDF to Word, and sounds like it can also copy PDF images to Excel.
  2. PDF to Excel free on-line converter exists at this on-line site.[4]
  3. PDF to Excel free converter can be downloaded here.[5] It does not seem to come with HELP as rich as Nitro.
  4. Paul Devine says we can do anything with PAID Adobe, that there are many solutions, but they all want money to do the good stuff.
  5. There may be other options.

Q. Is there some PC Magazine article with pros & cons comparing the alternative solutions?

Q: Where can we find Nitro Q+A?

  1. See many links in this and other Al Mac docs
  2. Visit Nitro Forum.[6]

Q: Can co-workers also get Nitro Pro, with a site discount.

  1. There’s volume licensing discounts available.[7]
  2. They allow one person to have this on two computers, at one price.[8]

I am not keen on using credit card on Internet, due to security risk issues.

Q: Can I buy Nitro Pro via check in snail mail, or other means?

I posted the following to the forum:

I have been using Nitro Reader (free version), am interested in getting Nitro Pro or other upgrade (I want to convert from PDF to Excel Word etc.) but I am not keen on using credit card on Internet, due to security risk issues. How can I buy Nitro Pro via check in snail mail, or other means? I am Alister Wm Macintyre

Someone might have already asked your question. Do any of these match?

  1. Distributing free Niro PDF Reader freeAnswered
  2. Conversion from PDF to EXCEL (2007) doesn't work in most casesAnswered
  3. Nitro Professional and Converting a PDF to Excel Issue
  4. nitro reader free version 64 bit works one day but not next
  5. Does Nitro PDF Reader (free) install Nalpeiron or any other license software?

Title for my question: Buy by snail mail check.[9]

Answer:

Sascha Beaumont, an employee of Nitro, replied to Buy by snail mail check, a question about Nitro.

Hi Alister,
Online sales are processed by our partner Cleverbridge, who are based in Germany. However if you go through the purchase process, you can select "Wire transfer" as the payment option and then arrange a transfer from your bank.
Go look at this reply

More Nitro forum Q+A useful tips.

Alex Lunnon, an employee of Nitro, replied to How do I save a Web page without losing the layout?, a question about Nitro.

Hi There,
Alister and R you can try and use our free online conversion service at PDF Download this will ad hear to the CSS layouts that Webpages use and provide a better output.
Cheers,
Alex
Go look at this reply

Header Date Format (Y Month DD)

In the table of contents, the headings end with a date. This is the last date that I keyed into a section of text, to show how recently I have worked on that.

DOCX to DOC answer (2 May 08)

See the Nitro forum thread which I launched to seek clarification on which products do which services, and where do I see pros & cons of each?[10]

One of my comments was as follows:

In addition to the above, I am on Win XP with Office 2003.
Various people send me stuff in DOCX or Excel-X which I cannot read, so I ask them to resend in lower version, which I can read.
Similarly, when I send to co-workers an Excel from XP Office 2003, many cannot read, because they are on a lower version than what I have, so there's experimentation, what lower level can be read by whoever. And of course, before this exploration, the error message clueless human readers take us down some wild goose chases until we know what the real problem is.
So I'd like to be able to go thru
DOCx to DOC
and other conversions, without hassling people who do not have a good understanding of what this problem is in the first place.
Could well be, this kind of service is outside what Nitro does.

A Nitro person responded:

Hi Alister, the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack will do just this - let you open Office 2007/2010 format documents in Office 2003. Simply download this from

Locating and learning how to use DOCX conversion (2 May 08)

This was downloaded May 3, thanks to Justin from PC Quest net. Where did it end up, how do I use it?

Locating where conversion ended up:(2 May 08)

Google Desktop / right click / Options / Bottom = Browse Time Line, Pick Date when this came on board. There’s a risk G-D came on board after this, which might make it more difficult to locate.

11:51:10amCCleaner.lnk - Desktop\PC Aid\CCleaner\CCleaner.lnk

11:51:10am -

11:39:06amDownload: Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Form.. - - 1cached

11:38:40amDownload: Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Form.. - - 1cached

11:37:49amMSN.com - - 1cached

11:37:06amWindows Update.lnk - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Windows Update.lnk

11:36:14amsualog.txt - C:\Program Files\Secunia\PSI\sualog.txt - 4cached

11:26:52amy.xls - Desktop\Work\KE Top\2012 KE\EOM Gen Led\y.xls - 2cached

There might not be enough info here to figure it out. Maybe I need to wait until I have an actual DOCX file to access, to see if the process went to an A-Ok conclusion.

EO XL Doc Challenge (2 Apr 25)

Use this example to illustrate my idea, or the first experiment path.

I had been working on a project for the day job, in recent 2012 months, documenting some end fiscal and system support functions, using an Excel format dictated somewhat by management requests, and somewhat by the nature of the material involved. As I got pieces of the project completed, and updated, I printed out the Excels involved. Most are several pages, but width only one strip. A handful of them are wider than one strip.

Other examples = word documents for work associated, personal projects.

Then I had computer crash and it all gone, unless any co-workers to whom I had sent so-far ingredients, still have in their e-mail, and can fwd back to me.[11]

Let’s suppose those print outs went thru a scanner into a PDF. Then I use NITRO to convert from PDF to Excel, then with cut & paste the different pages, I re-assemble.

Nitro (free) PDF Reader features (2 Apr 25)

NITRO[12] is a resource which I have been using to convert between Word documents and PDF format. In theory it can convert between 300 different formats. I have not yet tried this with Excel. I have placed links to documentation (to Nitro and other stuff) in:

  • Desktop
  • PC Aid
  • How 2

However, apparently for some functions, I may need the paid version of Nitro.[13]

Experiments to conduct: (2 Apr 25)

  1. Since the crash, via co-workers I got a PDF, which had obviously originated from an Excel, which I named Manitowoc 2002 2007 and which I placed in: (folder organization structure):
  2. Desktop
  3. Work (work in progress many threads)
  4. KE Top (also short-cut on desk top)
  5. 2012 KE (also short-cut on desk top)
  6. Projects 2012 KE
  7. Manitowoc History
  8. See if I can use Nitro to convert this PDF to an Excel.[14] If I cannot, then I need to ask around … do I need the paid Nitro, or is there another software product which will do what I am looking for? If this experiment successful, tell people: co-workers; social media pals, about the capability I now know I can do.
  9. Via Google Doc there are options to convert between formats. Check out what’s available there, which I maybe can use, to get from PDF to Word, and from scanned to Excel.
  10. Take a handful of the printed Excels to Alphagraphics.[15] Ask if they can scan directly into Excel. If not, get scanned into PDF, noting pricing to do this. Then see if I can reconstruct original Excels from this sampling.
  11. Ask PC Quest[16] regarding pricing on a scanner. Same question, what kind of format flexibility exists with whatever is scanned in.
  12. In the short term, for one project, I expect Alphagraphics solution to be the low cost way to go, but in the long term, having a scanner, may be worth considering.

Next trip to Office Depot[17] I also need to pick up some more file folders. I have too much paper volume outside of such organization. I also probably ought to put a box lid to left of company PC monitor, to collect those work project papers.

PDF page extraction (2 Apr 25)

Create / Convert section of Nitro has 3 options:

  • Create from file (Ctrl+N) Files to PDF
  • Convert to Text (Ctrl+Shift+T) Doc to plain Text
  • Extract Images (Ctrl+Shift+E) All images from PDF to whatever

I used the 3rd option on the Manitowoc 2002 2007 PDF.

I got 3 MS Office Doc Imagings

  • Header
  • Page 2 = 2002
  • Page 3 = 2007

None of these Nitro or Excel., but Microsoft Imaging. For future reference, I placed them in folder:

  1. Projects 2012 KE
  2. Manitowoc History
  3. Man PDF via Nitro

Nitro Pro (upgrade) is apparently needed to get PDF into Word, to edit or combine files.

14 day free trial for Nitro Pro.[18]

Nitro PDF to MS XL on-line (2 Apr 25)

From Nitro Help (product family)

PDF to Excel

The most accurate PDF-to-Excel converter

Utilizing the same industry-leading PDF-to-Excel conversion technology as Nitro Pro, PDF to Excel is a free online service,[19] allowing you to reuse PDF content by converting it to XLS format, retaining tables and formatting in a fully-editable spreadsheet that can be opened in Microsoft Excel.

MS XL to PDF via Nitro (2 Apr 25)

From Nitro Help (preferences)

Create PDFfrom Microsoft Excel

  • Convert links: Converts all active web links to active hyperlinks in the PDF file
  • Create bookmark for each sheet: If set, a bookmark with the name of each sheet will be added to the PDFfile
  • Resize page to fit content: PDF page size will be resized so that all the content is visible on one page
  • Include all sheets: All sheets will be included in the conversion to PDF

PDF to XL converter (2 Apr 25)

Apr 25 I downloaded this other (free how long?) trial version PDF to XL converter.[20]

I tried it out on same Manitowoc recent PDF with 2002 and 2007 content, which looked to me which it had originated in an Excel, or a Word chart.

Browse for folder x 2

  1. Input … drill down to where it is
  2. Output … same drill down exercise
  3. Nitro has option to put output in same place as input, but that is not here in this free trial deal.

Trial version only does the first page, which is just title info, not helpful. The demo is not helping me enough for the moment.

For future reference, I would have placed results in folder:

  1. Projects 2012 KE
  2. Manitowoc History
  3. Man PDF via XL conv

Comparisons (2 Apr 26)

Regarding a post I made on Nitro Forum:[21]

Sascha Beaumont, an employee of Nitro, replied to References, an idea about Nitro.

Hi Alister,
We keep a list of all articles and magazine reviews on our press page (About Nitro > Press)[22] and highlight any exceptional reviews on our blog and email newsletter. In addition, we have a fairly active forum here where we can answer individual questions :)
Computerworld compared Nitro against Adobe and others in one of the most comprehensive articles that looks at the strengths (and weaknesses) of each product overall. [23]
Nitro Pro has a 14-day unrestricted trial, so you can test out the functionality yourself with no problems. After 14-days some restrictions are put in place, such as only the first three pages of a document will be converted to Word and a demo watermark is added when editing a PDF. Hope that helps!
Go look at this reply

Computerworld good, but I need more (2 Apr 26)

Thanks for this wonderful feedback.

I read the Computerworld Comparison. It does a great job of walking us thru the editing features of four competing products, painting a picture of nice features, some areas which may see improvements in later editions. However, while editing contents of a PDF is something I am interested in being able to do, it so happens that is not the need which most recently led me to consider getting such a product.

  1. I am recovering from a PC crash. I have access to PDF versions of several hundred documents I originally created in Word. I want to be able to copy from PDF to Word.
  2. I am recovering from a PC crash. Before the crash I had developed a few score documents in Excel for my day job. I printed them out for reference while working on the project. They are now gone from the crashed and recovering PC. It is my hope to take them to some photo copy shop to be scanned into something, to then be delivered to me via e-mail, CD, or download. Then get back to where I was with them, before the PC crash.
  3. During my day job, I often receive PDF from co-workers, which originated with auditors, customers, vendors, which are lists of invoices, parts, other stuff, where they are asking me to add some missing info. It is obvious to me that this stuff originated with some Excel or chart in Word. I would like to be able to convert back to such format. I am more familiar with copy-paste in that format, when getting at the info they are looking for.
  4. My day job includes access to an IBM AS/400. I often extract reports which were originally green bar, and get the info into an Excel, for delivery to auditors, and other personnel. This is via Operations Navigator (Ops Nav) from green bar to text format, then I use Microsoft Wizard to import to Excel. Some of these reports are larger than the 10-25 meg ceiling on sending via e-mail, so we have to chop them into fractions which can be delivered, for someone to try to reassemble on the other end. The whole process is rather cumbersome, and our options are limited due to sensitivity regarding confidential contents. I am interested in short cuts. This is not a major priority, because I have become used to the current tedious process.
  5. My employer is not going to pay for nice solutions. I decide whether or not to pay for something, which will help me do my job with less hassle.

During my PC crash recovery, I re-installed the free Nitro PDF Reader, re-familiarized myself with some of the how to. Somewhere in there, I saw that with your paid software, there was the capability of PDF to Word, in addition to the Word to PDF which is in the free Reader, and approx 300 different kinds of other document formats, although at present my only interest is Word and Excel, maybe some diagrams and images later. I have in the pat managed to import some maps into Word, which magnified the document size immensely, then PDF version of that much more efficiently spaced.