HELP! I Deleted My Document!

One of the most frustrating things in the world is when you accidentally deleting a document. Rather it be an essay that is due the next day, a presentation with the deadline the next day, or the last chapter of the next classic novel, the loss of file can be catastrophic. You tell yourself over and over: I should have saved the file. If you accidentally delete your document is it lost forever? Can you recover the file? Will I have to start from the beginning? The good news is that by using a few techniques, you might find out that you should put that heart attack on hold!

Places to Look for Deleted File

• Recycling Bin- This one seems kind of obvious, but the most basic form of recovery would be to find the file here and restore it to its original location.
• System Restore- Inside of Windows is a utility that will allow you to restore your computer back to a previous time frame. While it may not be the most current, up-to-date version of the file, it can be very useful.
• Cloud- If you have ever saved the file onto a cloud such as Dropbox, Skydrive, or Google Drive, you will be able to use that version of the file. Also, emails sent with the file as attachments.
• Auto-Saves- Probably one of the most useful features of Microsoft Word is the autosave. Autosave can solve issues such as power outages, system crashes, and accidental deletions. Files will be stored in a special location on your computer (which you can set to your liking) in order to retrieve the auto-save versions of the file. The file format will be different and usually saved as an .asd file. Once you reload Microsoft Office, it will automatically search for auto-save files.
• Keylogging- Keylogging software are all over the web now and can be downloaded for pretty cheap. What they do, is create a log of your keystrokes, so that in the event of accidental deletion, a log of your most recent keystrokes can be accessed and pasted back into your document. It is not the most practical approach, but can indeed, be a lifesaver.

When All Else Fails
When all else fails, and none of the aforementioned solutions seem to help, your best bet would be to contact a computer repair company. From there, they will be able to offer more serious soltions such as full system recoveries. While it may be more costly than the steps above, it could be the difference between getting the file back, or losing it forever.