Very Depressed

[Horserider]

Tonight, while trying to transfer my files from one user account to another via flash drive I managed to delete the most recent version of both my first finished novel and my current work in progress. Now I can't find any way to get them back. I lost two weeks worth of editing off Andra and 10,000 words off my WIP.

Earlier this week I somehow managed to delete the ending to Black Diamond, my second novel.

If anyone knows ANY way to get them back I would love you for all eternity. If not... I could definitely use some cheering up right now. :cry:

[Whitedresswind]

aww, I'm so sorry. DO you have a goback or rollback on your computer? Not sure how they got deleted, so I don't know.

It will be okay! Its happened to me alot, but they havn't been novels

[Kaitlyn]

Oh no!!!! I'm not sure, I'll ask my dad when he gets up. But can you call customer service of one of the products and ask if you can retrieve them back?

[gaited07]

I agree with the re-set to an earlier date. Also you might want to check you trash bin.
Could you have moved the file to a different location? Do a search of all files.

[lisakaye]

Try going back to a restoer point on your computer prior to moving the files. It may work. Good luck. I always back up on an external drive before I move any files. I ,ost over 500 pictures last year when my cpu fried. I've learned my lessson. You can get an external drive at any computer store.

[Horserider]

If I explain exactly what I did, I think that might help. I wanted to move my folder from it's current user account to my new one. But I couldn't figure out how to do that. So, I decided to use the method that I always use when moving my folder from the laptop to the desktop: cut/paste it to a flashdrive. So I do this, but apparently one of the folders was corrupted (a very unimportant folder than I couldn't care less about. I don't even know how it got on there) because the transfer kept freezing up. So I hit cancel and figured that everything would be put back. Eventually I managed to get the whole folder to cut/paste to the flashdrive and moved it to my new account.

It didn't take me long to realize that quite a few of the files HAD been transferred in the first two attempts and I had just deleted them off my flashdrive figuring everything would be fine.

I have checked EVERYWHERE. Recently changed, the trash bin, everywhere.

Oh by the way, this is a vista laptop.

[Petra]

Sorry to tell you, but restoring will only get your software back. As far as deleted files if you deleted them from your flash drive they are gone for ever. Not sure how did you manage to delete them off of your PC. It had to ask you if you are sure you want to delete all those files.
Are you sure you didn't misplace them?
If searching for them doesn't help and they are not in a trash bin, they are gone. :(
When you work on something you don't want to loose it is really good to do back ups. Even if you don't mess up, your hard drive can crash at any time. It doesn't matter if it's new or not.
I'm sorry for your loss. There are places you could send your HD to to have it recovered bot they are very expensive.

[Horserider]

I agree with the re-set to an earlier date. Also you might want to check you trash bin.
Could you have moved the file to a different location? Do a search of all files.

I looked up "restore computer to earlier date" on help. Unfortunately, that doesn't restore personal files. I did check the trash bin. In fact, I had another stupid moment and cleared it out. But I'm 75% sure it wasn't in there since I checked over everything that was. And I did do a search of all files. I only found shortcuts that led to nowhere. :(

[pandorasmom]

I was gonna suggest the same thing gaited did. You can usually find that in the control panel, but not sure if it would help.
Sorry to hear it got erased!! Hugs :grouphug:

[Petra]

If I explain exactly what I did, I think that might help. I wanted to move my folder from it's current user account to my new one. But I couldn't figure out how to do that. So, I decided to use the method that I always use when moving my folder from the laptop to the desktop: cut/paste it to a flashdrive. So I do this, but apparently one of the folders was corrupted (a very unimportant folder than I couldn't care less about. I don't even know how it got on there) because the transfer kept freezing up. So I hit cancel and figured that everything would be put back. Eventually I managed to get the whole folder to cut/paste to the flashdrive and moved it to my new account.

It didn't take me long to realize that quite a few of the files HAD been transferred in the first two attempts and I had just deleted them off my flashdrive figuring everything would be fine.

I have checked EVERYWHERE. Recently changed, the trash bin, everywhere.

Oh by the way, this is a vista laptop.

I'm so sorry, you did loose it. :(
It happened to me before too, I was about to pull my hair out. If you're writing novels you really should do periodic back ups. The best is to buy external HD and back it up after every few pages or back it up to a CD or DVD. It really is worth it.

[Pinky]

Technically, if you delete data it is never truely gone from your hard-drive, and it can be retrived (unless you smash it with a hammer...).
Take the laptop to a computer shop and explain to them what's happened. I'm not sure about retrieval of files that were moved though.

Deleting/'losing' data isn't as permanent as lots of people think :).
Hope you can get it back!

[Horserider]

Pinky, I love my writing, but I don't think my mom would think it's worth spending money to get it back.

[zoel_222]

I'm sorry :(

Did you do a search for it?

I can't even count how many times that's happened to me because of computer crashes. Over the course of my life I've lost 4 novels, each had like 600 pages. The last time it happened was last year and I got so sick of it I haven't written anything since.

[Miracle Whip]

Time to start using a typewriter. Do you print out hard copies?

[Horserider]

Time to start using a typewriter. Do you print out hard copies?

I can't afford to print out a 300 page novel after each edit. ;) Nor will my mom let me.

[Whitedresswind]

If you have rollback (not sure what vista has) you CAN retrieve your files from an ealier date. I have done it several times.

[FatSpottedAppy]

I am so sorry.. are you sure a system restore wont do the trick? that's how I get my deleted files.

[Horserider]

I am so sorry.. are you sure a system restore wont do the trick? that's how I get my deleted files.

Yeah I searched for "restore computer to an earlier date" on help and it said you can't restore personal files. So unless there's another way... :) Thanks for the suggestions though everyone.

[FatSpottedAppy]

That's really odd. I am pretty sure I'd restored deleted files before.. But good luck, I hope there's some solution.

[cloedoll]

I don't know if this will work but try a system restore. Go to the start menu, all programs, accessories, system tools and then system restore. It's self explanatory from there, just set the date to last week, a few days ago or whatever. I HOPE that works for you! :)

eta--nevermind, I just read that that won't work. :( I'm sorry! :(

[Miracle Whip]

I guess my thoughts are that if you are writing 300 page novels then you need to find a publisher. I do some freelance magazine writing and I cannot even IMAGINE being able to write 300 pages about anything. If you are that serious about writing I think its time to look into a better computer - you will need more memory when you go to college won't you? Isn't there something called memory sticks you can add? Honest, if you are that serious you need to also become serious about saving your work, and learning as much as you can about the computers you use, because they are tools of the trade.

How long does it take you to write 300 pages might I ask? When I said print it out I was thinking maybe 4 - 5 pages each time you work on it. Can you use the computers at school and save it on a floppy disk...? I realize a computer lab isn't a fun place to write, but it might be more productive in terms of keeping your work safe.

I would not call this a hobby. It is a potential career and should be treated as such.

[Horserider]

I guess my thoughts are that if you are writing 300 page novels then you need to find a publisher. I do some freelance magazine writing and I cannot even IMAGINE being able to write 300 pages about anything. If you are that serious about writing I think its time to look into a better computer - you will need more memory when you go to college won't you? Isn't there something called memory sticks you can add? Honest, if you are that serious you need to also become serious about saving your work, and learning as much as you can about the computers you use, because they are tools of the trade.

How long does it take you to write 300 pages might I ask? When I said print it out I was thinking maybe 4 - 5 pages each time you work on it. Can you use the computers at school and save it on a floppy disk...? I realize a computer lab isn't a fun place to write, but it might be more productive in terms of keeping your work safe.

I would not call this a hobby. It is a potential career and should be treated as such.

*raises eyebrows* It is a potential career. But the likelihood of this being my only career is very, very long. I'm still going to need a real job. And I am looking for a publisher. Well, actually, I will be looking for an agent. When Andra is ready. It took me two months to write 350 pages. But the time varies greatly. Some days I can write 3,000 words and others I can't write at all.

As for looking into a better computer, I'm just thankful for having a laptop at all. Even if it isn't mine. I'm thankful I have a desktop computer at all. The memory's fine. Stories actually don't take up that much space. The computers at school doesn't take floppy's. Neither does the desktop or the laptop. I'm trying to get one of those little cards to save stuff on instead of a flashdrive, but they're like $50. I'm hoping to get my own laptop when I go off to college. But I'll be lucky if I do.

And 4-5 pages over two months is still 300 pages. If my mom only buys ink and paper once a month and I can only print out 50 pages on one cartridge of ink (we REALLY need a new printer) then it would take me 6 months to get it all printed out. And if I do four edits, that's...2 years before I have all four edits printed out. ;)

P.S. I'm back to writing. I couldn't stay away for long. But it's going to take twice as long to rewrite this whole middle portion that had deleted.

[Petra]

Printing out hard copies comes really expensive; I totally agree with that. Don't you have a CD or DVD burner on your computer??? Text files are really not that large - you could fit a lot on a CD and even more on DVD. It's much faster than trying to print it too. (And easier to store.) Even external hard drives are not that expensive these days. You can look for one on ebay - my boss just got one to back up her pictures. (I kept scaring her she will loose them all if she doesn't back them up; she finally gave in) I think it was about $80 together with shipping and she has 120GB of storage on it.
I have everything backed up from my computer. And some stuff I have backed up twice - on the external HD and on CDs ...just in case.
I really feel for you that you have lost it all.

BTW not sure what retrieval of files cost over there - as someone suggested it's not really gone until it is overwritten, however my sister’s friend had that done for $3K.