Missing Story

[Silverbullet]

Last night when I was working on a 5500-6000 word story I accidently hit a key in the far lower left of the keyboard. I lost the whole damned story. It was gone,zippo. Not a trace of it anywhere. I had saved many times so I thought that those would still be available. Wrong. there isn't a shred of the story at all.

The key I hit was one of two: the Alt Key (don't think it was that one) and one with a flag on it (my choice for the culprit) I sent Kotik a PM and he told me that thee was no way a single key stroke could wipe out a story unless someone had tinkered with the key changing it. That is a definite possibity. Who? I have no idea. How, blank there too. Kotik advised me to do a complete drive search. Problem is. I haven't the faintest idea of how to do that. I would also like to know how in hell I can correct that key so it doesn't wipe out any more stories. Needless to say I am not going to re write that story. I doubt if I can find it anywhere. It is not in the recycle bin. Gone to where all good stories go,, in this case to Hell and gone.

any advice, explanations, suggestins on how to correct that key. anything at all would be welcome.

I am Computer illeterate.

SB

[Entilzha]

If you have deleted a story accidentally and it was saved before you can still recover it with the right software. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_recovery, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovery_software

[Cogito]

Oh dear, you're having a rough time of it this week. What software were you using to edit the story?

[Silverbullet]

Cogito, I wasn't editing I was still writing on the story. That is what has surprised me. The total loss of everything related to the story. All gone. I had saved many times so I thought that at least those saves wouould still be there. Nope. Nothing. The hell of it is the damned thing is still listed in that folder but when I click on it I don't get a thing. Nada.

What I really want is to fix that damned key. I don't know how in hell it got that way but it is a menace.

SB

[Cogito]

I very much doubt there is anything wrong with "that damned key". Since you say the file is still visible, I suspect what happened is that you saved an empty file over the top of your working document.

What program were you using to enter/edit/whatever-you-want-to-call-it the document?

Have you opened the file again and confirmed it really is empty? Make sure it isn't something as simple as a blank page inserted at the front (ctrl+enter would insert a page break) - try to scroll down to see if the story is just hidden out of sight.

When you edit a story, do you keep any backup copies or do you just save one copy of the story in a single file? If you always save into the same file I'd encourage you to get in the habit of keeping old copies of the story in separate files. For example, one easy way to do this is create a folder (you might call it 'backup') and just drag a copy of your file into there after you finish each session of working on a story.

[Silverbullet]

Cogito, Thank you, however, I was NOT saving anything. I was typing along writing the story when I hit tis key and BAM, gone. I lloked and the thing still seemed to be there but when I tried to save, it disappeared. Nothing left. since I was writing I go along creating the story in my mind and put it down. My hands are not as good as they used to be and I occasionaly hit the wrong key. Sometimes way off. Did this time too and paid for it. So, yes it is in that Damned Key.

Story wasn't that great and I would probably have finished it and then erased it as I have done with many other stories. More earased than kept.


Odd thing too happened. I thought the story might be in the recycle bin. Opened it and looked.That story was not but another I had deleted and wanted to look at again was. I highlighted it and hit restore. Usully just the story I highlight and hit restore is returned to my story folder, only that one. This time every damned story I have ever deleted popped up in that folder. I have spent the day deleting them by hand. good Times

thanks again, Cogito

SB

[Kotik]

sounds to me as somehow you managed to to hit CTRL and the A key simultaneously, which selects all text, whatever key you hit next will substitute the whole selection. If that was by any chance the space key, you'll end up with an empty document.

[Silverbullet]

Kotik, that sounds plausible. Is there ay way of retrieving the document or is it gone forever?

I have been going back in my mind over what happened. I remember loooking up at the page and noticed something. There were two lines (which I had just been typing) but everything above that was gone. I tried scrolling up and there was nothing to scroll up. The scroll bar would only go just past the two lines ad stop. Could not go any further. I was stuck. Couldn't see the document except those two lines. When I tried to save the two lines went bye bye too. I had to close the document so I could start trying to find out what had happened and if I could salvage things. I found out that all was lost.

That hitting the control and A key simutanelously (sp) sounds reasonable. My hands are at times waving around like a flag in a breeze. I will try to hit the Control and a then the space bar to see if I lose a document, later.

Thanks for your input. You too Cogito.

SB

[Cogito]

If you can advise what program you were using when you entered the story, and whether you had saved it to disk before the problem happened, and whether you saved it to disk afterwards, and whether you still kept the program open since then, there is an outside chance that the story could be found either on disk or in the edit history buffer of the program.

Failing that all I can suggest is that you get into the habit of saving your document to disk regularly when you are entering/changing it, and that after making any big changes you put a copy of the file somewhere safe as a backup. You could do this just by saving a copy of the file with a new name, for example by copying it to a directory called 'backup'. If you do the copy using Windows Explorer, Windows will helpfully give it a unique name so you can keep multiple versions of the backup, and I recommend doing that.

It's also a very good idea to make sure that the machine as a whole is backed up. For example, if you keep all your documents under "My Documents" then just copying "My Documents" to a memopry stick or DVD drive would give you a quick backup in case the machine catches fire, blows up or whatever.

[Silverbullet]

Cogito, I am using Windows Explorer. and wordpad. I write and save on wordpad. It also saves to works. However, what changes in word changes at the same time on works. What disappears on word also disapears on works. so backing up on works doesn't do squat. BTW, when I have finished a story I go through it to check for mispellings and then run it through works spell checker. I usually then have 99 percent of the mispellings. It is damned hard to get all of them with just one eye so using spell checker is a godsend.

I have checked this morning and there isn't a trace of the story anywhere. so I am now going to do some experimenting. I will try combinations of keys to see if I can duplicate what happened. If so I can attempt to correct the problem. One thing with this machine if one does something one is stuck with it. Can't get to the undo. NEVER, NEVER, buy a dell with vista unless you have nerves of steel.

SB

[Cogito]

When you say "it also saves to works" I suspect you mean that the file you saved in wordpad can also be opened using Works. In that case there's only one file and it's that file you need to back up, for example by putting a copy somewhere. If you only have a single copy of each story it is very easy for it to get wiped out. You have found out for yourself just how easy it is to trash it. I can't undo that, but I'm trying to avoid it happening to you again.

[Silverbullet]

Cogito, buddy, I was experimenting this morning. I discovered something. Kotik was right in a way: I must have hit Ctrl - A at the same time. However, when I do that normaly the text gets highlighted in blue. That did not happen. Also, the text remains so the next thing I do is copy the story and then I can put it into a PM or e-mail. In this case other than the two lines everything above those lines had been wiped. I tried to save those line (remembering last night, all night in bed) I got a mesage that I could not do it because the story was already open. I still don't know what that meant or where it came from. I didled around trying things and then, what the hell, maybe the story is open twice so on the bottom I found the story, cliked on it and clicked on close. I have done this several times before and I can go back and open the story later. This time since I had hit ctrl - A when I hit close everything asocciated with the story was cleaned off. so that part is explained.

What is not explained is what happened in the first place, where did the story go, that part which was above those two lines which I could not access by scrolling up. The scroll bar was at the top and All I could do was scroll the two lines to the very top. The rest was gone. I must have hit some other keys.

This is starting to be fun. I love puzzles. So I have a great one to solve.

I do thank you all for your input and experience. Been a great help to me. I know you, cogito, are very busy so to take thet time to post here must have cost you.

SB