Please HELP to recover lost Word file

[jesse007]

Hi, I was typing an important word document and saved it on my flash drive using my university computer. I have lost my flash drive. Is there any way I can recover that word file, which was only saved on the flash drive, from the college server or that particular computer using a data recovery. Will the college server still have a backup of my word file even though I never saved it on the computer and saved it only on my flash drive.

[jesse007]

Hi, I was typing an important word document and saved it on my flash drive using my university computer. I have lost my flash drive. Is there any way I can recover that word file, which was only saved on the flash drive, from the college server or that particular computer using a data recovery. Will the college server still have a backup of my word file even though I never saved it on the computer and saved it only on my flash drive.

[classicsoftware]

Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif forums.....

I think you are SOL, but your college IT help desk is where you start.

[Rick]

There may be a timed Backup on the Hard drive of the system you did the accusal work on

BUT If that system has been used in the mean time
Your hopes of recovering it are almost nill

The timed backups are little more than Temp files and are cleared after a save
If someone else has used the same system and passed the time backup
Then your file has most likely been over written

[Heartborne]

If the file was never saved on the university computer to begin with, it doesn't exist, period, regardless of timed backup. If the document was auto-saved (a big IF) it might exist on the network drive associated with your student account.

But then we get into how your university runs their computer labs. At my university, all of the students log into the domain using their own unique user account and have a small amount of storage on a network server to which they can save documents. That stuff will stay there indefinitely, but anything saved to the local hard drive will be gone the following day since they image the machines every night.

[Rick]

If the file was never saved on the university computer to begin with, it doesn't exist, period, regardless of timed backup. If the document was auto-saved (a big IF) it might exist on the network drive associated with your student account.


Is this a WORD default option or just an assumption ?


One of the Main reasons I have been using WordPerfect for so many Years
Is it allows ME to control things like timed backups

http://home.wi.rr.com/nasons/wp_settings.gif

It's Just a matter of checking the program options

But then we are talking about Word here and knowing MS this option is buried so deep that even the IT department can't find it.
or worse case scenario It doesn't exist in Word


If it does there is still a chance the files can be found and recovered

[Heartborne]

It is not a default option, no. That's why I figure it's a big IF.

Word does save temporary files of documents if the program closes unexpectedly, but I've never known it to do timed backups. It's more of a "I think you might be able to do that in word" type of a thing.

[FTT]

By default Word2000 has:
Allow background saves
Save Auto recover info every (10 minutes)

But the problem is, where does it get saved? The removable disk?

In Tools/Options there is a tab for File Locations. I think this is the key here if it was saved to a hard disk other than the flash drive.

[Rick]

Thanks FTT

Then all jesse007 needs to do is contact the system administrator and or look in the Tools/Options / tab for File Locations
Of the computer she was using and MAYBE she can recover the doc.
Or some of it.


I think by default it would be the local drive the program is started from.

The Flash drive would not be a reasonable drive location because of the drive letter change depending on when it was connected

[Rick]

BTW..

This little feature has saved Both my Daughters a lot of work

Nothing will tick off a collage student more than having a laptop crash /quit or shutdown in the middle of a paper Before it is saved..

OPS.
Dad I didn't see that LOW Battery warning !!
Or those worthless touch pads that highlight then delete have a page all at once for NO reason

[jesse007]

Thanx everybody for your replies...lemme give some more details...please answer the questions. I need your help

I found out that the backup option was not turned on in the computer station I was using.
The AutoSave option(saves files in .asd format) and the allow background saves option were turned on. The allow background saves is of no use.

ABout recovering the .asd (Autosave) files, I came to know two things by Googling
1) .asd files are saved on volatile RAM memory and cannot be recovered using data recovery tools (if word is turned off properly) be it from the C:\ drive or my college network drive


2) Also know that the college computer's C:\ drive is write-protected so in that case even though the default location for .asd files is the C:\ drive, in anyway it wont be written there and if it is written on the college Network drive along with my other .temp files, it will still be irrecoverable as my college has a policy of cleaning/wiping out temp files every night which they say is beyond recovery.

Thanx anyways guys, I have already started my paper again. May be this time it might be even better.

P.S. if you could still confirm some of the above info, then maybe I dont have to go to the college help desk to confirm. I ALSO WANT TO CONFIRM WHETHER THE FIRST PART OF MY STATEMENT 2) IS RIGHT OR NOT

THANX A LOT :):)

[Paul Komski]

AutoRecovery is only invoked after a system crash.

If a drive is write-protected it is write protected.

The background save option will only come into play once a file has been saved in some location. Right clicking in any drive location and choosing New > Word Document ensures this whereas simply opening Word doesn't do so until a first save of a new document has been made; once it has an "identity somwhere other than RAM" a number of options can come into play.

For the future I highly recommend learning that CTRL+S invokes a Save Prompt if the document has never been saved as a file and it saves the current status of a currently open document which has a specific location on a drive somewhere. CTRL+S (how long does it take) works in a wide variety of applications.

[classicsoftware]

I recommend you e-mail all files to your e-mail account as well as saving on a flash drive. If you have personal storage space, send it there as well....

[Paul Komski]

I recommend you e-mail all files to your e-mail account as well as saving on a flash drive.A really good idea and I have known this (particularly with GMail on the Web) save people's bacon when a hard drive has crashed. One location is never enough for important data of any sort.

[DigitalNapalm]

You're boned.

[FTT]

Now there's some words of wisdom.. 2 of them even...

I agree with the email thing however. I've begun doing this with 2 email accounts bouncing copies of files, photos etc between the two lately. Works GREAT! :p In days of old with small user account limits this was not as feasible. Nowadays it is common to be allowed a gig or several per account.