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Original poster

URGENT - how to retrieve lost file on computer?

25 replies

TheSylviaGame · 01/10/2006 21:30

DP has spent the weekend writing a report for a client (deadline tomorrow at noon) He has just opened up the file after a break for dinner and everything is gone. A completely blank page!! He's absolutely f**d basically as he won't be able to write it all over again in time. He has a back up copy only from Friday when he was in the office so that won't have anything from this weekend. He's walking around the garden trying to calm down. Needless to say this is a v.important file and 'the computer ate my homework' won't wash with client. Don't know any techies in rl so thought I would try here. If anyone can save DPs life I will be in your debt forever!

OP posts:
pepperpots · 01/10/2006 21:39

What programme was he using? ie m/soft word? did he save it at any point this evening?

Original poster
TheSylviaGame · 01/10/2006 21:44

Yes, ms word. He saved and closed right before starting dd's bath this evening. Everything seemed normal.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheSylviaGame · 01/10/2006 21:58

bumping because dp is close to tears

OP posts:
pepperpots · 01/10/2006 22:10

is there any chance he was using windows xp?

pepperpots · 01/10/2006 22:12

bump

wartywarthog · 01/10/2006 22:12

could he have saved it under a different name or in a different folder? has he looked in 'recent documents'? check the recycle bin. do a search.

moaningpaper · 01/10/2006 22:14

Do File > look through the last few files

Do a search on the hard drive for ANY files changed today and check through them all

UnquietDad · 01/10/2006 22:14

Try the Temporary Files? The Recycle Bin? a search for all documents created in the last 24 hours? he may have it stored under a different name by mistake.

UnquietDad · 01/10/2006 22:15

that should be documents created OR AMENDED in last 24 hours of course, as mp correclty says.

StrawberryFULLMoonOWOWOWWWWWWW · 01/10/2006 22:17

try 'my computer' then go into 'hp pavillion' and the 'owner/or his name' documents..this hapend when my set up became corrupt recently, everything erased from my main file, but was backed up in hp pavillion..good luck!

Original poster
TheSylviaGame · 01/10/2006 22:18

Yes to windows xp

The problem is that the document (correct filename etc...) is there in my documents, it's just that there is nothing there but a blank page.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheSylviaGame · 01/10/2006 22:21

Moaningpaperm - Just did a search and found 3 different documents with the right filename - one is a big file called Autorecovery save of... and then the other two are html documents? Too frightened to open anything incase we corrupt something.

OP posts:
StrawberryFULLMoonOWOWOWWWWWWW · 01/10/2006 22:24

auto recovery sounds like what you need??!!

UnquietDad · 01/10/2006 22:25

stuff about autorecovery files
here

explains it better than I could!

hub2dee · 01/10/2006 22:28

sylvia - make a copy of any autorecovered files: call them something else and you can then fudge around with those safe in the knowledge that the originals will still be there IYSWIM.

Original poster
TheSylviaGame · 01/10/2006 22:40

okay, just opened up auto recovery file but it's an old version - so doesn't contain any of this weekends work.

Systematically working through all your suggestions. Oh God this horrible!

OP posts:
UnquietDad · 01/10/2006 22:43

Some more advice here which many help.

UnquietDad · 01/10/2006 22:45

And something here which seems even closer to your problem.

Original poster
TheSylviaGame · 01/10/2006 23:05

Followed up everything here but to no avail.

Dp is going to talk to IS desk first thing tomorrow to see what they can do. Generally not looking too hopeful though. I just feel awful for him (and trying to avoid any lectures on importance of back-ups for the time being)

Thanks to everyone who tried to help - I knew I could count on you!

OP posts:
shebnem · 01/10/2006 23:26

hi,
i would suggest; next time when you writing an important document do 'save' it often.
sorry for your lost of document.
i hope there is still chance to recover it.
try to open all the recent documents on the computer, you can find a copy of it somewhere hidden.
good luck.

moaningpaper · 02/10/2006 09:22

you could try re-naming the html files so they end with .doc and open them in word

make copies first, just in case

pepperpots · 02/10/2006 13:32

Did you manage to get it back?
Hope everything went ok

Original poster
TheSylviaGame · 02/10/2006 15:41

Thanks for asking about us!

Well, as I kind of suspected, IS couldn't help at all, so dp basically resigned himself to the fact that the report is gone.

The good news is that the Client was fairly understanding but could still only give him an extension till noon tommorrow. He's going to have to work round the clock to pull it off, but it can be done.

I'm trying to get him to be really positive about everything - i.e he should learn from this and make backup copies of important documents, and that he now has a chance to make the report even better than before...but writing everything from scratch must be a bit of a killer.

He's still wandering around saying 'but I just don't understand what happened?' Guess, we'll never know.

OP posts:
pepperpots · 02/10/2006 15:47

Is there no way it is just in a hidden file? were IS no help at all?

shebnem · 02/10/2006 17:33

sometimes opening the files with notepad helps too, with word you may not see some info, but with notepad you can i guess. try to open the recent files with notepad.

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