Subproject follow up question

[KatiefromAurora]

I wrote the question below, and had a few follow-up questions. The questions
were never answered because my post was pushed down. Can someone help me
with this? My follow-up questions appear at the bottom of this thread.

I work with a team of people and we help manage a plan in Microsoft Project
2003. The plan is huge, so it has been broken into several subprojects.
Once in awhile, a few of the subproject plans will not open. When we go to
open them, an error pops up that reads "project not found", or wording
similar to that. If we try to select the subproject within the main plan, we
get the same error. We have had to rebuild a few of these subprojects. Is
there a reason why this keeps happening? Our links within the subprojects
seem correct. Could it have something to do with any changes made to the
main plan? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.

KatiefromArurora,
Linked files in Project are rather fragile and subject to corruption
unless set up and maintained with rigorous discipline. First of all, all
the files should ideally be in a single folder on a single PC. Second,
do not move the files around. Third, do not save off linked files for
backup. By not following the above, your linked file structure is
subject to bloat and eventual corruption.

Simply making changes to individual files or to the master file should
not cause any problems. But, if you make changes to a subproject through
the master, I recommend you then also open that subproject individually
and use Save As to the same filename and then save the master. That
helps limit file bloat and preserves the integrity of the link structure.

Finally, if you are working with a large team and a huge Project file,
you might want to consider switching to Project Server. It is
specifically set up for enterprise projects.

Hope this helps.

John
Project MVP

I have a few more questions on this topic.

We are not changing anything in the master, but sometimes formatting changes
are made (i.e. headings, margins). Would those changes corrupt the file?

In John's response it is mentioned to save everything in a single
folder on a single PC. Everything is in a single folder, but it is on a
shared corporate directory. Is that ok?

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up our
organization's files daily.

Thanks again for any help.

 

[John]

I wrote the question below, and had a few follow-up questions. The questions
were never answered because my post was pushed down. Can someone help me
with this? My follow-up questions appear at the bottom of this thread.


KatiefromArurora,
Linked files in Project are rather fragile and subject to corruption
unless set up and maintained with rigorous discipline. First of all, all
the files should ideally be in a single folder on a single PC. Second,
do not move the files around. Third, do not save off linked files for
backup. By not following the above, your linked file structure is
subject to bloat and eventual corruption.

Simply making changes to individual files or to the master file should
not cause any problems. But, if you make changes to a subproject through
the master, I recommend you then also open that subproject individually
and use Save As to the same filename and then save the master. That
helps limit file bloat and preserves the integrity of the link structure.

Finally, if you are working with a large team and a huge Project file,
you might want to consider switching to Project Server. It is
specifically set up for enterprise projects.

Hope this helps.

John
Project MVP

KatiefromAurora,
Sorry if I didn't respond to a followup post. On a daily basis I do
check threads where I have responded but if I don't see any followup
from the poster within a week, I assume the question was answered
adequately or the poster simply gave up (e.g. maybe didn't like the
answer).

Anyway, see my comments in line regarding your current questions.

We are not changing anything in the master, but sometimes formatting changes
are made (i.e. headings, margins). Would those changes corrupt the file?

[John] No, routine formatting changes in either the master or
subprojects will not cause corruption. And I'll assume you are aware
that formatting is NOT carried forward between the master and
subprojects (i.e. formatting is independent).

In John's response it is mentioned to save everything in a single
folder on a single PC. Everything is in a single folder, but it is on a
shared corporate directory. Is that ok?

[John] It can work but generally it is not the best configuration for
linked files - too many "fingers" in the pie so to speak. It worked for
us at the company where I worked several years ago but the required file
management discipline is pretty high, and server configuration also
plays into the equation. If at all possible I'd put your whole setup on
a single local hard drive. If that just isn't in the cards, then I think
you should really consider switching to Project Server. If interested
you can post your questions to our sister newsgroup,
microsoft.public.project.server.

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up our
organization's files daily.

[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

Another problem that can occur is when individual users decide they want
to backup their file, which is a subproject in a master. Here's where
some of the file management discipline comes into play. Don't allow the
users to backup live linked project files.

Not sure if this is helpful, but hopefully it gives some clarification.

John
Project MVP

 

[KatiefromAurora]

Thanks for the quick reply, John! We have a few part-timers so it's hard to
get everyone together to discuss this issue. That's why it took so long for
me to reply. I sent what you responded out to the team. If anyone has
anything to add or any follow-up questions, I'll try to post them quickly.

I wrote the question below, and had a few follow-up questions. The questions
were never answered because my post was pushed down. Can someone help me
with this? My follow-up questions appear at the bottom of this thread.


KatiefromArurora,
Linked files in Project are rather fragile and subject to corruption
unless set up and maintained with rigorous discipline. First of all, all
the files should ideally be in a single folder on a single PC. Second,
do not move the files around. Third, do not save off linked files for
backup. By not following the above, your linked file structure is
subject to bloat and eventual corruption.

Simply making changes to individual files or to the master file should
not cause any problems. But, if you make changes to a subproject through
the master, I recommend you then also open that subproject individually
and use Save As to the same filename and then save the master. That
helps limit file bloat and preserves the integrity of the link structure.

Finally, if you are working with a large team and a huge Project file,
you might want to consider switching to Project Server. It is
specifically set up for enterprise projects.

Hope this helps.

John
Project MVP

KatiefromAurora,
Sorry if I didn't respond to a followup post. On a daily basis I do
check threads where I have responded but if I don't see any followup
from the poster within a week, I assume the question was answered
adequately or the poster simply gave up (e.g. maybe didn't like the
answer).

Anyway, see my comments in line regarding your current questions.

We are not changing anything in the master, but sometimes formatting changes
are made (i.e. headings, margins). Would those changes corrupt the file?

[John] No, routine formatting changes in either the master or
subprojects will not cause corruption. And I'll assume you are aware
that formatting is NOT carried forward between the master and
subprojects (i.e. formatting is independent).

In John's response it is mentioned to save everything in a single
folder on a single PC. Everything is in a single folder, but it is on a
shared corporate directory. Is that ok?

[John] It can work but generally it is not the best configuration for
linked files - too many "fingers" in the pie so to speak. It worked for
us at the company where I worked several years ago but the required file
management discipline is pretty high, and server configuration also
plays into the equation. If at all possible I'd put your whole setup on
a single local hard drive. If that just isn't in the cards, then I think
you should really consider switching to Project Server. If interested
you can post your questions to our sister newsgroup,
microsoft.public.project.server.

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up our
organization's files daily.

[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

Another problem that can occur is when individual users decide they want
to backup their file, which is a subproject in a master. Here's where
some of the file management discipline comes into play. Don't allow the
users to backup live linked project files.

Not sure if this is helpful, but hopefully it gives some clarification.

John
Project MVP

Thanks again for any help.

 

[Melissa H]

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up our
organization's files daily.

[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

John
Project MVP

We are getting lots of duplicate links between sub projects. Is this also a
symptom of backing up the files ?
thanks

 

[Rob Schneider]

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up our
organization's files daily.
[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

John
Project MVP

We are getting lots of duplicate links between sub projects. Is this also a
symptom of backing up the files ?
thanks

What do you mean "duplicate" links. You mean that the master file has
been edited (by someone or something) to add in more linked subprojects?
Are the subproject files being edited by somone or something? Is the
master file being edited by someone or something?

In other words, for example, you opened the master file today and there
was one line to each subproject file, and now today there are two links?
Did the file get edited or changed? Did the file time/date stamp
change? In any event, Project won't let you (or presumably anyone else)
insert a subproject more than once.

 

[John]

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files
for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up
our
organization's files daily.
[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

John
Project MVP

We are getting lots of duplicate links between sub projects. Is this also a
symptom of backing up the files ?
thanks[/QUOTE]

Melissa,
Very likely. Problems can also occur if both the master and subproject
files are not saved after editing even though only one of the files was
changed. Project stores link information for both the source and
destination files and if that is not preserved or updated during editing
corruption may eventually occur. That's why I stressed the idea of
rigorous file management discipline when working with linked files.

John
Project MVP

 

[Rob Schneider]

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files
for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up
our
organization's files daily.
[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

John
Project MVP

We are getting lots of duplicate links between sub projects. Is this also a
symptom of backing up the files ?
thanks

Melissa,
Very likely. Problems can also occur if both the master and subproject
files are not saved after editing even though only one of the files was
changed. Project stores link information for both the source and
destination files and if that is not preserved or updated during editing
corruption may eventually occur. That's why I stressed the idea of
rigorous file management discipline when working with linked files.

John
Project MVP[/QUOTE]

I've evolved to a system that (knock on wood) works great for me.

1. keep all the MPP files in a SharePoint library. Usually it's a
dedicated library for the team called "MPP Files". This allows for a
growing collection of versions. managed automagically by SharePoint.
It's inevitable that I have to revert to previous versions as I make
many mistakes! We secure the library for write to allow only those who
know how to drive Project. If you don't know how to drive project you
are not allowed to write to this library.

Benefits: SP backed up. SP Secure. Versioning automatic. Available
to others to look at the files if they want.

2. Use the tool Colligo Collaborator to synchronise all the files in
SharePoint to the local computer.

3. Only and always open the Project MPP files from the local store
(created by Colligo). This stops Project from getting confused about
the master and submaster files getting moved around, renamed. As far as
Project is concerned, the files are in the same place all the time.

Benefits: don't have think about SharePoint. Don't have to sync.
Don't have to worry versions. Each project can have it's own versioned
Global.mpt. Don't have to (I think) worry about corruption as we aren't
doing anything that contributes to that possibility.

 

[Melissa H]

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files
for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up
our
organization's files daily.
[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

John
Project MVP

We are getting lots of duplicate links between sub projects. Is this also a
symptom of backing up the files ?
thanks

Melissa,
Very likely. Problems can also occur if both the master and subproject
files are not saved after editing even though only one of the files was
changed. Project stores link information for both the source and
destination files and if that is not preserved or updated during editing
corruption may eventually occur. That's why I stressed the idea of
rigorous file management discipline when working with linked files.

John
Project MVP
[/QUOTE]
Thanks John.
I should have said it was the milestones tasks that are linked between the
projects that are getting duplicated. We use them to effectively baseline
all the projects by baselining the master project. It is the "grey" external
links that are being repeated.

I always save all files when I work in the master project. Occassionally
other staff open the sub projects and update them. Do I also need to open
each sub project file separately and re save it after working on the master
project?
I can't keep the files on a local hard disk due to company policy. If I
have share created on the file server so the path is less than 3 directories
deep, do you think will that help ?
Thanks so much for your help,
Melissa H

 

[Melissa H]

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files
for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up
our
organization's files daily.
[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

John
Project MVP
We are getting lots of duplicate links between sub projects. Is this also a
symptom of backing up the files ?
thanks

Melissa,
Very likely. Problems can also occur if both the master and subproject
files are not saved after editing even though only one of the files was
changed. Project stores link information for both the source and
destination files and if that is not preserved or updated during editing
corruption may eventually occur. That's why I stressed the idea of
rigorous file management discipline when working with linked files.

John
Project MVP

I've evolved to a system that (knock on wood) works great for me.

1. keep all the MPP files in a SharePoint library. Usually it's a
dedicated library for the team called "MPP Files". This allows for a
growing collection of versions. managed automagically by SharePoint.
It's inevitable that I have to revert to previous versions as I make
many mistakes! We secure the library for write to allow only those who
know how to drive Project. If you don't know how to drive project you
are not allowed to write to this library.

Benefits: SP backed up. SP Secure. Versioning automatic. Available
to others to look at the files if they want.

2. Use the tool Colligo Collaborator to synchronise all the files in
SharePoint to the local computer.

3. Only and always open the Project MPP files from the local store
(created by Colligo). This stops Project from getting confused about
the master and submaster files getting moved around, renamed. As far as
Project is concerned, the files are in the same place all the time.

Benefits: don't have think about SharePoint. Don't have to sync.
Don't have to worry versions. Each project can have it's own versioned
Global.mpt. Don't have to (I think) worry about corruption as we aren't
doing anything that contributes to that possibility.

Rob,
This sounds like a neat solution. Would it still work without Colligo ? I
don't mind a bit more work but want to be certain the files are stable.
Thank you kindly
Melissa H

 

[Rob Schneider]

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files
for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up
our
organization's files daily.
[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

John
Project MVP
We are getting lots of duplicate links between sub projects. Is this also a
symptom of backing up the files ?
thanks

Melissa,
Very likely. Problems can also occur if both the master and subproject
files are not saved after editing even though only one of the files was
changed. Project stores link information for both the source and
destination files and if that is not preserved or updated during editing
corruption may eventually occur. That's why I stressed the idea of
rigorous file management discipline when working with linked files.

John
Project MVP

Thanks John.
I should have said it was the milestones tasks that are linked between the
projects that are getting duplicated. We use them to effectively baseline
all the projects by baselining the master project. It is the "grey" external
links that are being repeated.

I always save all files when I work in the master project. Occassionally
other staff open the sub projects and update them. Do I also need to open
each sub project file separately and re save it after working on the master
project?
I can't keep the files on a local hard disk due to company policy. If I
have share created on the file server so the path is less than 3 directories
deep, do you think will that help ?
Thanks so much for your help,
Melissa H

Melisa

Are you saying that you have more than one "grey" external task lines in
the master? Or is one "grey" and one is black (normal colour?)

I think what Project "likes" to see is that from it's perspective the
full path link to the included files is always the same all the time. It
probably does not matter if it is "local" or "on the file server".
However, if on the file server it's likely that people could have
different names for the same exact file, e.g.

Person 1: h:\home\team\mpp\pro_a\a.mpp
Person 2: \\servername\sharename\home\team\mpp\proj_a\a.mpp

I doubt the depth of the number of folders makes any difference up to a)
there probably is some system limit (128 characters? 255 characters?).
There also is a practical limit that if the paths get too long they
become impossible to see in Project; especially the list of linked files
when you looked at the Shared Resource files. For this reason we try to
keep the paths short... just to keep eash.

From Project's perspective, it may (I don't know for sure) see h: and
\\servername\sharename differently and thus think it's a different and
then do whatver it does to get confused about this ... which is what is
thought to lead eventually to file corruption.

I try to alleviate the risk about file corruption on master and sub
master files to make sure that every user "sees" the full path exactly
the same. Often we will all agree to use the name mapped drive latter.
I also make sure that I also have a dedicated short cut icon on my
desktop to launch Project for each individual project ... and in that
icon make the "start in" folder to be the location where all the files
are kept using the agreed naming convention (usually a mapped drive
lettter). That way, I' expecting (not sure Project actually does hit
but anecdotal evidence suggests it does) that Project looks in the
"current" directory for all the file it needs, including the shared
resource file, global.mpt (which does work this way). I think if it
finds the file in the current directory it does not bother looking at
the path and thus it avoids risk of doing whatever it does to get
confused leading to corruption. But ... all I can say this approach
works for me (knock on wood). It's all black art and voodoo. Not
documented anywhere that I know of about what leads to file corruption
or how Project actually works (source code is secret). I've gone one
step further an store the files in SharePoint and STILL use the same
current directory (by loading from a specific file folder) and not
loading from SharePoint. But using SharePoint one gets automatic
versioning which comes in extremely useful. See other post how I do that.

 

[Rob Schneider]

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files
for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up
our
organization's files daily.
[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

John
Project MVP
We are getting lots of duplicate links between sub projects. Is this also a
symptom of backing up the files ?
thanks
Melissa,
Very likely. Problems can also occur if both the master and subproject
files are not saved after editing even though only one of the files was
changed. Project stores link information for both the source and
destination files and if that is not preserved or updated during editing
corruption may eventually occur. That's why I stressed the idea of
rigorous file management discipline when working with linked files.

John
Project MVP

I've evolved to a system that (knock on wood) works great for me.

1. keep all the MPP files in a SharePoint library. Usually it's a
dedicated library for the team called "MPP Files". This allows for a
growing collection of versions. managed automagically by SharePoint.
It's inevitable that I have to revert to previous versions as I make
many mistakes! We secure the library for write to allow only those who
know how to drive Project. If you don't know how to drive project you
are not allowed to write to this library.

Benefits: SP backed up. SP Secure. Versioning automatic. Available
to others to look at the files if they want.

2. Use the tool Colligo Collaborator to synchronise all the files in
SharePoint to the local computer.

3. Only and always open the Project MPP files from the local store
(created by Colligo). This stops Project from getting confused about
the master and submaster files getting moved around, renamed. As far as
Project is concerned, the files are in the same place all the time.

Benefits: don't have think about SharePoint. Don't have to sync.
Don't have to worry versions. Each project can have it's own versioned
Global.mpt. Don't have to (I think) worry about corruption as we aren't
doing anything that contributes to that possibility.

Rob,
This sounds like a neat solution. Would it still work without Colligo ? I
don't mind a bit more work but want to be certain the files are stable.
Thank you kindly
Melissa H

Yes. Just Drag an Drop the files from SharePoint into the local folder.
I did that at first when I conceived of this approach, but it a) gets
to be a pain and b) my colleagues are not a committed to this, e.g. they
can't be bothered. A small investment in Colligo (about $100 as I
recall) saves me oodles (that's a new technical term) and reduces a lot
of risks with benefits exceeding the $100.

 

[Melissa H]

Also in John's response, it is mentioned to not save off linked files
for
back
up. Can I get clarification on this? What does that mean? IT backs up
our
organization's files daily.
[John] Well this is probably what is really killing you. Backing up
linked files essentially creates duplicate linking structures and that
can definitely lead to corruption. Again this is probably server and
backup method dependent because our IT department also backuped up our
files on a regular basis and we didn't have any problems, but then that
was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Why it worked for us
I do not know.

John
Project MVP
We are getting lots of duplicate links between sub projects. Is this also a
symptom of backing up the files ?
thanks
Melissa,
Very likely. Problems can also occur if both the master and subproject
files are not saved after editing even though only one of the files was
changed. Project stores link information for both the source and
destination files and if that is not preserved or updated during editing
corruption may eventually occur. That's why I stressed the idea of
rigorous file management discipline when working with linked files.

John
Project MVP

Thanks John.
I should have said it was the milestones tasks that are linked between the
projects that are getting duplicated. We use them to effectively baseline
all the projects by baselining the master project. It is the "grey" external
links that are being repeated.

I always save all files when I work in the master project. Occassionally
other staff open the sub projects and update them. Do I also need to open
each sub project file separately and re save it after working on the master
project?
I can't keep the files on a local hard disk due to company policy. If I
have share created on the file server so the path is less than 3 directories
deep, do you think will that help ?
Thanks so much for your help,
Melissa H

Melisa

Are you saying that you have more than one "grey" external task lines in
the master? Or is one "grey" and one is black (normal colour?)

I think what Project "likes" to see is that from it's perspective the
full path link to the included files is always the same all the time. It
probably does not matter if it is "local" or "on the file server".
However, if on the file server it's likely that people could have
different names for the same exact file, e.g.

Person 1: h:\home\team\mpp\pro_a\a.mpp
Person 2: \\servername\sharename\home\team\mpp\proj_a\a.mpp

I doubt the depth of the number of folders makes any difference up to a)
there probably is some system limit (128 characters? 255 characters?).
There also is a practical limit that if the paths get too long they
become impossible to see in Project; especially the list of linked files
when you looked at the Shared Resource files. For this reason we try to
keep the paths short... just to keep eash.

From Project's perspective, it may (I don't know for sure) see h: and
\\servername\sharename differently and thus think it's a different and
then do whatver it does to get confused about this ... which is what is
thought to lead eventually to file corruption.

I try to alleviate the risk about file corruption on master and sub
master files to make sure that every user "sees" the full path exactly
the same. Often we will all agree to use the name mapped drive latter.
I also make sure that I also have a dedicated short cut icon on my
desktop to launch Project for each individual project ... and in that
icon make the "start in" folder to be the location where all the files
are kept using the agreed naming convention (usually a mapped drive
lettter). That way, I' expecting (not sure Project actually does hit
but anecdotal evidence suggests it does) that Project looks in the
"current" directory for all the file it needs, including the shared
resource file, global.mpt (which does work this way). I think if it
finds the file in the current directory it does not bother looking at
the path and thus it avoids risk of doing whatever it does to get
confused leading to corruption. But ... all I can say this approach
works for me (knock on wood). It's all black art and voodoo. Not
documented anywhere that I know of about what leads to file corruption
or how Project actually works (source code is secret). I've gone one
step further an store the files in SharePoint and STILL use the same
current directory (by loading from a specific file folder) and not
loading from SharePoint. But using SharePoint one gets automatic
versioning which comes in extremely useful. See other post how I do that.

Hi John,
We have 1 black or normal task and 5 or 6 external grey task lines.
Especially in the sub projects. Unfortunately I have been "backing up" our
project file directory every week to an archive directory. Ironically I was
trying to guard against instability
We will put a common drive mapping for everyone and stop those backups. If
that doesn't stablise the files I'll look at getting access to sharepoint
since it is in the organisation.
Should I just delete those backup files ? I don't want to open them since
it seems to do something with the links to the original files.

Thanks so much for your help,
Melissa H