Windows 7: Recover unsaved document.

Hey guys,

I had a document I was working on and for one reason or another, my computer was restarted unwillingly. Anyway, once my computer had restarted and I opened MS office word 2010 I noticed the recovery panel contained my document along with several others (thankyou MS), however without thinking I clicked on the down arrow and accidentally chose 'don't save'.

The file was sent to the recycle bin after this point and given a computer generated filename starting with 'wr' and I restored the item, although when I restored the file I was not able to determine where its new location might be.

Check Word Options > Save > Autorecover File Location

This will show you where the files were restored to.

I did get instructions to look there earlier. Although, the file had been closed from 'recover unsaved document' in word when I'd clicked 'don't save'; which then sent it to the recycle bin, then I restored the document from the recycle bin. It appears windows automatically creates a randomly generated name for the unsaved document once it goes to the recycle bin, so it would not have been sent back to autorecover unsaved document, instead it has been sent somewhere else.

I just can't work out where.

Have you tried doing a search from START and in the Search Programs and Files box, type a word or phrase from within your document - possibly the title etc.. ?

Didn't think of that. I did try some key words, but no success.

By title, I think you mean the name of the document windows randomly generated, but I can only remember the 'wr' and that didn't work.

I'm still hopeful, but I read here because what I restored was a data file not a system file, surely windows 7 and MS office 2010 are more advanced than their predecessors? If a file couldn't be restored, I would find it a little strange that the option was given and that Windows 7 search can't find key words in the document.

I wish Windows 7 recorded the screen with video, then I could post rewatch the video and post it online.

You could try searching for something you know was in the body of the document - not file name.

And I would take the Search suggestion one step further --- to do an Advanced Search of your whole system, not just the indexed locations (so, when you're on the Advanced Search screen, be sure to check the box that says: "Include non-indexed, hidden and system files." You can search a number of different ways - by date, if you remember the date of the file, by key words, title, file extension, etc. etc.