View Full Version : I just lost a scene
Either I'm going a bit strange in my old age or I've lost a scene I wrote a couple of nights ago. It's not in the main document, the backups or the copy I email to myself. It's just...gone. The other work I saved on the same night is still there, but this entire scene has vanished. :Shrug:
Anyone else had this happen to them or is it just me going mad?
Not me, and if that's what's happened then I sympathise. Maybe you can write it again, it'll still be relatively fresh in your mind.
SPMiller
11-20-2010, 05:19 PM
Is it possible you opened and worked with a different file for the duration of that scene? Probably not, but worth asking.
I'm more annoyed by how strange this is. It wasn't a huge chunk of work and I can redo it, but it's pissing me off that this doesn't make sense. I wrote it so where the hell is it? :rant:
Is it possible you opened and worked with a different file for the duration of that scene? Probably not, but worth asking.
I did wonder that and have checked an older copy. Not in there, either.
thothguard51
11-20-2010, 05:33 PM
I have had this happen in the past, way too much.
Never did find them or figure out what happened. More than likely when I was closing out I did not pay attention to what I was doing and saved in a new file or just X out.
Have you tried the search feature, using file extension type and date?
This is partially why I now work in the clouds, from by drop box files and I have not had a single mishap. I still back up once a week to my various devices, sometimes daily if I did a lot of work.
Sorry to hear about the loss, never fun losing ones work...
SPMiller
11-20-2010, 05:40 PM
Generally speaking, writes to secondary storage are queued by your OS and will happen at some point before shutdown, but they're not guaranteed to go through at any particular time. There are a few failure cases that could contribute to failed writes, such as a hardware crash ("reset") or yanking out a flash drive from its USB port without first explicitly unmounting it.
I have had this happen in the past, way too much.
Never did find them or figure out what happened. More than likely when I was closing out I did not pay attention to what I was doing and saved in a new file or just X out.
Have you tried the search feature, using file extension type and date?
I've had a search and checked the copy I was working on at the time. It's as it should be - apart from the missing scene. My autosave is set for every couple of minutes, but even so, this scene now appears to be in the Twilight Zone. Either that or I've done something really stupid.
ETA: OK. Now I'm even more annoyed. The document isn't as it should be. The changes I made to two other scenes haven't saved.
Bollocks.
Tirjasdyn
11-20-2010, 09:03 PM
This is why I write in yWriter. I have my scenes layed out and back ups when opening, closing and every five minutes. And if I still happen to lose a scene my notes are still there.
That and I never ever ever work off a Usb, sd card or external drive. Save then copy to backup media.
Margarita Skies
11-20-2010, 09:05 PM
I've had a search and checked the copy I was working on at the time. It's as it should be - apart from the missing scene. My autosave is set for every couple of minutes, but even so, this scene now appears to be in the Twilight Zone. Either that or I've done something really stupid.
ETA: OK. Now I'm even more annoyed. The document isn't as it should be. The changes I made to two other scenes haven't saved.
Bollocks.
But you can fix it, right?
This happened to me before, I once selected a chunk of text and overwrote it when I started typing again. don't know how it happened, but it did. fortunately I realised what had happened, and saved all my edits to a new file, then undid until I got the text back.
Something else that also happened once, is that I saved my backup from my flash drive over my original, instead of the other way round. I now create a new file every day, and never overwrite anything.
Matera the Mad
11-21-2010, 07:51 AM
I. Never. Write. In. Word. All I lose are single words and random punctuation. Dunno where it goes! :ROFL:
I have had some problems at work, where I have to use Word because the stuff I need to edit is already in Word :(
Nickie
11-21-2010, 11:41 AM
What I know from years using various computers and more than one program, is that there can be trouble when you write on two or more pc's and your Word is different (2003, 2007, ...) I sometimes wrote pieces on my laptop, which had a newer Word version, and then I could not read it on my other pc. The problem was solved when the pc crashed and I solely work on the laptop.
Which makes me think of something that might give an explanation. I don't know about you, but I find that typing on a laptop is a lot more difficult than on a normal keyboard. Every time I do this my fingers involuntarily touch keys I don't need. Perhaps you hit the 'delay button by accident?
Nickie
But you can fix it, right?
Doesn't look like there's anything to fix. It's all just gone. :cry:
I can rewrite it. Just annoying that there's no obvious reason for it.
Manuel Royal
11-21-2010, 05:29 PM
As a last resort, I'd try doing a search of the whole hard drive, looking for a character string that you know should be in the missing part. Can't hurt. (I've occasionally saved a file to entirely the wrong directory, with no memory of doing so.)
As a last resort, I'd try doing a search of the whole hard drive, looking for a character string that you know should be in the missing part.
Yep, tried that. No joy. I figure I either made some complete cock up or I've gone mad. :D
Margarita Skies
11-21-2010, 08:32 PM
I. Never. Write. In. Word. All I lose are single words and random punctuation. Dunno where it goes! :ROFL:
I have had some problems at work, where I have to use Word because the stuff I need to edit is already in Word :(
What's the best program to write in to keep that from happening? That hasn't happened to me since I've used Word 2007, but recommend another program, please. :)
Margarita Skies
11-21-2010, 08:35 PM
Doesn't look like there's anything to fix. It's all just gone. :cry:
I can rewrite it. Just annoying that there's no obvious reason for it.
If that's your only choice go ahead and rewrite. From my experience, when you lose something, or something you wrote is there, but unusable, like some of the projects I am rewriting right now, usually the new version turns out much better than the old. I didn't lose the story I am currently rewriting. It just became unusable because I made the mistake of publishing it POD, but I am glad that happened because I love the new version of the first book of that series better than the original. Try it and you'll see what I mean. :) Don't despair. I am here to support you. We all are. :D
Margarita Skies
11-22-2010, 01:14 AM
Just in case you have deleted it by mistake, you can try downloading a recovery software from here
http://www.piriform.com/recuva
That's true, but you also have to be aware, Seun, that the longer it's been since the file has been deleted, the less chances you have to recover it, so if you're going to do this, do it as soon as possible.
kurzon
11-22-2010, 01:44 AM
Either I'm going a bit strange in my old age or I've lost a scene I wrote a couple of nights ago. It's not in the main document, the backups or the copy I email to myself. It's just...gone. The other work I saved on the same night is still there, but this entire scene has vanished.
Anyone else had this happen to them or is it just me going mad?
Any chance you launched the document from email, and worked on the launched version? That's the most common reason I've encountered for people losing edits altogether, since saves of an email-launched version generally go in a mysterious temp folder and are difficult to re-locate.
I found four paragraphs missing from a work I'm finalising, and so far as I can tell they went missing because I accidentally deleted them :(
Glad I caught the gap, though!
LunaFancy
11-22-2010, 01:49 AM
The same thing happened to me last week. I lost an entire days work. The save function in word just didn't work for some reason.
I didn't realise til the next day when I opened the doc and it appeared that it had not been touched at all the day before.
I'm anal about backups too (something about losing a chunk of PhD the day before presentation) and had backed up to usb as well as having autosave going and hitting the save button manually (I mentioned anal right?)
I hope your rewrite is smoother than mine, it took me well into the night to get it done because I was certain everything sucked in comparison the the original effort.
It was a truly horrible experience - Luckily I bought a new laptop two days before, after the old one crashed three times in half an hour, and only had to wait another day for it to arrive!
Just in case you have deleted it by mistake, you can try downloading a recovery software from here
http://www.piriform.com/recuva
Could be worth a go. I have cleanup software from the same site. The joke's on me if that wiped it permanently. :ROFL:
Any chance you launched the document from email, and worked on the launched version?
That would explain it, but it was definitely the original version.
Terie
11-22-2010, 04:31 PM
That would explain it, but it was definitely the original version.
If this is a possibility, have you checked your temp folders? You might find the version there. Windows systems have several temp folders, so check them all.
If this is a possibility, have you checked your temp folders? You might find the version there. Windows systems have several temp folders, so check them all.
I did have a look the other day, but it could be worth me checking again. I was so annoyed, I may have missed it. I'll have another look tonight.
Terie
11-22-2010, 06:12 PM
I did have a look the other day, but it could be worth me checking again. I was so annoyed, I may have missed it. I'll have another look tonight.
Also, look for files with a similar but not exact name, such as starting with a ~ and/or ending with .tmp. Also for files of a similar size.
If this is a possibility, have you checked your temp folders? You might find the version there. Windows systems have several temp folders, so check them all.
To ask a question that will make you all laugh at me, how do I do a search for temp folders? My last computer had a search option (which would then open up the little dog) in Start menu. This one doesn't have that. It has a search box at the bottom of the start menu, but nothing that suggests I can look for temp folders.
When you open up a folder, like the C drive, don't you have a search feature at the right upper corner?
Thanks. Tried it, but no joy. I'm 30% done with this recuva thing. Will let you know how it goes.
Terie
11-23-2010, 01:23 AM
To ask a question that will make you all laugh at me, how do I do a search for temp folders? My last computer had a search option (which would then open up the little dog) in Start menu. This one doesn't have that. It has a search box at the bottom of the start menu, but nothing that suggests I can look for temp folders.
You can search for folder by opening Windows Explorer. (Er...if you're on a Windows machine, that is. If you're not, someone else might be able to help.)
The search used to be pretty intuitive, but with Vista, they did a damn good job of hiding it. I don't know about Win7. But once you open Windows Explorer and click 'Search' in the toolbar, you can (hopefully) find out how to search. PM me if you're on Windowns and need more help. If I know what version of Windows you're on, and if it's not Win7, I'll be able to provide step-by-step instructions.
Looks like I have to admit defeat. The recuva software did find older versions but they either couldn't be opened or didn't have the missing work. Searching for them didn't find anything, either. Oh well. I've got my autosave set for every minute, two backups, a copy saved on a memory stick and the copy I email to myself after each day's work.
Thanks for all your help, people. :)
Margarita Skies
11-23-2010, 05:35 PM
To ask a question that will make you all laugh at me, how do I do a search for temp folders? My last computer had a search option (which would then open up the little dog) in Start menu. This one doesn't have that. It has a search box at the bottom of the start menu, but nothing that suggests I can look for temp folders.
Open your personal folder, the one you see with your name on it when you open the start menu, and inside your folder, type 'temp' where it says 'serach' and it will display all your temporary files. Screenshots coming up in just a minute... Watch out for them. I'll be right back.
Margarita Skies
11-23-2010, 05:44 PM
Step One: access your personal folder by clicking on the start menu:
http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j360/christinamonday/screenshotoneforseun.png
Margarita Skies
11-23-2010, 05:46 PM
Step 2: Double click on My Computer to access all your folders:
http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j360/christinamonday/screenshotforseun3.png
Margarita Skies
11-23-2010, 05:48 PM
Step 3: Double Click On Temp to access your temporary files:
http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j360/christinamonday/screenshotforseun4.png
Margarita Skies
11-23-2010, 05:50 PM
Step 4: Look for any files with your WIP's name on it or any word-processor files in your temp folder. I have none, just a file that I don't know what the heck it is, and that's because everyday, when I finish using my computer, before I put it to sleep, I clean out the unnecessary folders with CCleaner.
http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j360/christinamonday/screenshotforseun6.png
Magali, you're a star (and yes, I don't know anything about computers, in case you hadn't noticed :D). I'll have a look at this later. It's not what I tried last night so it might work. I'll buy you a pint if it does.
No temp folders to look at. Looks like the cleanup stuff has got rid of them. Worth a go, though. :)
Margarita Skies
11-23-2010, 11:13 PM
No temp folders to look at. Looks like the cleanup stuff has got rid of them. Worth a go, though. :)
That's why, I humbly suggest you get Mozy or Dropbox, and while Mozy gives you the option to schedule your backups to as often as you want them backed up, Dropbox backs up your files all the time as long as you're connected to the internet. I had Dropbox, but I switched back to Mozy because I was thinking of getting an extra computer and using Dropbox to apply changes to my files from another computer, but I couldn't get an extra computer so I went back to Mozy because it's basically the same person with two different names. :ROFL: They give you 2 GB free and if you need unlimited space, you pay only $4.95 a month for Mozy, but I don't know how much you pay for unlimited storage in Dropbox.
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