Recovering a File HELP!!!!

[techjunkie]

I am helping a friend. He was typing a paper, and when he started to print
the "fatal error" came up and shut down. Now the paper is there, but all that
is left is four lines. Any Suggestions?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

What kind of typewriter is it?

 

[Bill Sharpe]

I am helping a friend. He was typing a paper, and when he started to print
the "fatal error" came up and shut down. Now the paper is there, but all that
is left is four lines. Any Suggestions?

Typing a paper?
Using what program?

Bill

 

[Big Al]

And after you answer all their questions: What shutdown? the PC or
the program and where are the 4 lines, on the printed paper or in the
document?

Remember, we are not there to see all this. We really don't mind
helping......

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I am helping a friend. He was typing a paper, and when he started to print
the "fatal error" came up and shut down. Now the paper is there, but all that
is left is four lines. Any Suggestions?

It's extremely difficult to offer you any help, since you've told us
next to nothing about the problem--not even the name of the program he
was using.

However, I'll hazard a guess that after having written the first four
lines, he saved the file, and never saved it again since. When the
program crashed, he lost everything he had written since that initial
save operation.

If that guess is correct, he's out of luck, and has lost everything
else. For the future, he needs to learn to save often.

 

[moonbug]

What if the program used on that typewriter was Word?
doesn't Word create a sort of *work file of the open document?
would not the the lines following the first four be present in the *Work file?
is it possible to open a work file?

for lack of terminology Work file refers to the temp file created by word for each opened
document.
usually marked hidden and they disappear when you close the Document.

kind of like typing on a carbon paper. they both leave the typewriter when done.

I'm just curious as to how word treats the temp file / work file.
depending on version and program option preferences I'm assuming lost lines
could exist in there and the program would notice it's existence and offer to update or replace
or repair or something ????


mike






| On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:24:01 -0700, techjunkie
|
| > I am helping a friend. He was typing a paper, and when he started to print
| > the "fatal error" came up and shut down. Now the paper is there, but all that
| > is left is four lines. Any Suggestions?
|
|
|
| It's extremely difficult to offer you any help, since you've told us
| next to nothing about the problem--not even the name of the program he
| was using.
|
| However, I'll hazard a guess that after having written the first four
| lines, he saved the file, and never saved it again since. When the
| program crashed, he lost everything he had written since that initial
| save operation.
|
| If that guess is correct, he's out of luck, and has lost everything
| else. For the future, he needs to learn to save often.
|
|
| --
| Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
| Please Reply to the Newsgroup

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

What if the program used on that typewriter was Word?
doesn't Word create a sort of *work file of the open document?
would not the the lines following the first four be present in the *Work file?
is it possible to open a work file?

Many word processing programs let you optionally create "timed backup"
files (that's WordPerfect's terminology; I don't know what others call
it), and yes, these can be opened if the application doesn't close
normally. I'm not a Microsoft Word user myself, so can't be sure, but
I assume that Word has this capability. Assuming that Word can do
this, I also assume that it's optional; I don't know whether it's the
default or has to be turned on.

But not all programs have this capability; as I pointed out in my
reply below, it's very difficult to offer focused help, since
techjunkie hasn't even told us what program his friend was using.

 

[Bill Sharpe]

But not all programs have this capability; as I pointed out in my
reply below, it's very difficult to offer focused help, since
techjunkie hasn't even told us what program his friend was using.

....and apparently he's not going to. At least not soon.

Bill