10-10-2011, 10:08 PM

My sister has a Macbook Pro, running snow leopard and Office for Mac 2011. I don't know much about Microsoft Office (I don't use it), so I'm hoping someone might have some insight into a strange problem.

She has been working on this paper in Word for about a week - editing it, saving it, reopening etc... the next day she went to open the file, but it was no where to be found. It wasn't listed in the recent files, it wasn't in her folder on her hard drive. She swears she didn't accidentally delete the file and that her computer didn't crash. We checked her trash - all the other files she had sent to the trash were still there, but not this word document. She did a search on her Mac, looking for any trace of this file, but nothing showed up.

When she called Apple, they said it was a Microsoft problem. When she called Microsoft, they just said "Yes... her file was gone"... with no further explanation as to why, or if there was a possible recovery she could try.

She doesn't have Time Machine set up, and didn't do a back up of her computer - hard lesson to learn, I know.

I'm just really confused as to what would have caused this. Has anyone had experience with Microsoft Office, or any programs just deleting files? If the file became corrupt, there would still be some trace of it on the hard drive right? Any recovery ideas? It might be too late now, but would still love any insight into this problem.

Thanks

10-10-2011, 10:26 PM

I can't explain why the file disappeared either. Researching the bugs of MS Office 2011, disappearing files is not one of them. I can only surmise that the file was somehow deleted.

Anyway, to prevent that in the future tell your sister to open the Word preferences, click on "Save" and place a check in the box that states "Always Make a Backup". That will prevent file loss in the future. Also tell her to turn on automatic file backup and set it to every 10 minutes or so. Those are two different options - don't confuse them as they are separate.

10-11-2011, 12:55 PM

Thanks... yes, those options are definitely checked now, haha. It's a hard lesson to learn, but it happens.

Any recovery options anyone knows about?

10-11-2011, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by Annalog

Thanks... yes, those options are definitely checked now, haha. It's a hard lesson to learn, but it happens.

Any recovery options anyone knows about?

Its possible, and can be expensive.

It's referred to as data carving, and it is not 100% foolproof fro reasons to complex to get into.

You can go to this site, but be warned, data carving is not for the faint hearted, and requires above average computer knowledge/skill to perform. While there are "automatic programs" that can possibly get your data, PLEASE BACK YOUR DATA UP!!!!


Basically this is a use at your own risk disclaimer. Good luck.

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