Parts of saved text documents missing.

[Bambiagain]

I have some big text documents, created over the last year or so, that I haven't actually looked at for a while until just now. There were four documents, which actually comprised two documents which I saved under their original names and then after renaming, under the new names. All in the same folder in Word 2010. I also backed up all these documents to a data stick. The documents were about 80,000 - 90,000 words long. I now find that they are only about 60,000 words - all of them. I have not deleted any part of them, and the same has happened on the data stick as on my computer. This is a disaster! Does anyone have any ideas what might have happened, how I can avoid it happening again (given that the next document I have created is even longer) and if there is any chance of me, with zero technical ability, of recovering the lost text?

[Old_Geezer]

Weird. Normally I'd conclude that a file that is shorter than expected had suffered from the disk failing at some point and losing stuff; but to have happened to all your files, well that takes some explanation. Sure you didn't rename & saved after some awful fate had already occured to your files ? The fact that they are on different drives too doesn't make things more obvious.

Makes me wonder if whatever you are reading them with isn't the item with a problem. Have you tried viewing them with a number of different viewer applications ?

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe they contain an invisible control character which turns the text file viewer off. Try gettting an application that will read the disk instead and see if the file continues after the point where your viewer stops showing words.

[Bambiagain]

All in Word - I don't know of any other way to look at them. I know for certain that they were fine after I saved the renamed files and I haven't had any need to look at the older versions since I did that.

[Old_Geezer]

If you have no other text editor try Notepad. It comes with windows. Might give a clue.

[Bambiagain]

What sort of application could read the disk? Whenver I ty to open the files on the computer, or the ones on the stick, they just default to Word. I'm definitely floundering here!

[Bambiagain]

I've got Wordpad, but it displays gobbledegook when I try to look at Word files!

[Old_Geezer]

Rather than click on the data file you want to open the application first and then choose 'open' from its menu. Notepad is ok as a text editor application. Probably in start/ programs / accessories.

Not used a disk reader for a while so unsure what to recommend there, but try Notepad for now and see if it shows more than Word did.

[whiskeryron]

Sorry if this is a silly question but after you saved them did you re-read to see that the docs were all intact ? I ask this because I have noticed lately that when I type something on my keyboard to Answerbank I always have to re-read the article before clicking Submit because there always seem to be letters or even words missing.

WR.

[Bambiagain]

Thanks OG. Have done as suggested, but still can't find Notepad. Don't know whether this computer being German has any bearing on that fact!

[Old_Geezer]

http://www.textpad.com/download/
You can try Textpad for evaluation. This might be a good time.

You an do a search for a disk editor or reader http://www.google.co.....0.0...1c.wGqed9-wF40 As mentioned I haven't used one for a while so not really in a position to recommend one. Besides I suspect it might be a little advanced for you to make use of one, but I mention it for completeness.

Failing that maybe someone else can suggest a better way to tackle this.

[Bambiagain]

Wiskeryron - I know the files were intact when saved. They are books that I have loaded onto the Amazon Kindle site and the books that exist are entire. But some time since I downloaded them the last two thirds or so of each has disappeared. Foolishly I didn't make a hardcopy (which I have now of number 3, which is going on Amazon soon) so the only evidence exists on Kindle - and I don't even own one!

OG - I am trying your suggestions, but so far with no success. Thanks for your help.

[Bambiagain]

Make that the last third has disappeared. I seem to have about two thirds of each left.