Can I access the previous version of a saved file?

[Guest]

I overwrote an excel file by mistake, using the save as command to an
incorrect file. Is there any way to recover the previous file before I
"saved as" over it?

 

[Biff]

Hi!

I'm using Excel 10 (XP)......WinXP.......

If I have an existing file and open it, make some changes, then do a SAVE AS
and give it a different name, the newly "saved as" file is a completely
*NEW* file and the original is still in tact with the previous file name.

Try looking for the previous file name.

Biff

 

[Jerry W. Lewis]

Not unless you have a backup copy. Excel does not keep previous versions.

Jerry

 

[Biff]

Mine does!

And they're not backup files: *.xlk

Biff

 

[Guest]

Biff,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, what I somehow managed to do was to
"save as" over an existing file name. It is the prior version of this "saved
as" file that I would love to find -- the one that existed before I "saved
as" into that same file name. I suspect that Jerry Lewis may be right on
this, though I wish he wasn't!

JCC

 

[Biff]

Oh, I see!

You "saved as" the same file name. Yeah, I you're sol unless you created
backups.

Biff

 

[Gord Dibben]

JCC

If you had file A open and "Saved as" file B, file A is not over-written.

It will still be on your computer in its original form. Do a search for it.

Biff

*.xlk files are backup files.

These are created when you set it up in File>Save As>Tools>General
Options>Save Options "Always create a backup".

This backup is created when you save the file, not when you "Save as" another
name.


Gord Dibben Excel MVP

 

[Biff]

Biff

*.xlk files are backup files.

These are created when you set it up in File>Save As>Tools>General
Options>Save Options "Always create a backup".

This backup is created when you save the file, not when you "Save as"
another
name.
Yes, I know. That's what I meant in my reply to Jerry. The original file is
not a *.xlk backup.

Biff

 

[Guest]

Are you saying that you have found a way to configure Excel to automatically
create backup files for all edited files? If so, how have you accomplished
this, and in what version of Excel?

Excel is documented to create backups for a specific file if you
specifically ask Excel to do it
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/141451
also Help for "Save a backup copy of a workbook"
but my experience with this feature in Excel 2000 and Excel 2003 is that it
only applies to the specific workbook that you requested creation of backups
for.

Jerry

 

[Peo Sjoblom]

I think what Biff meant and what it sounded as when the OP originally posted
is that he had the file open and did a file>save as and used another name,
that way the original file (that was open when the save was done)will still
be there. However it seems that the OP saved an excel file with another name
and that other file was overwritten, thus it's not possible to salvage that
other file

 

[Biff]

Jerry, Peo explained it nicely!

Biff

I think what Biff meant and what it sounded as when the OP originally
posted
is that he had the file open and did a file>save as and used another name,
that way the original file (that was open when the save was done)will
still
be there. However it seems that the OP saved an excel file with another
name
and that other file was overwritten, thus it's not possible to salvage
that
other file

--

Regards,

Peo Sjoblom