Lost Database

[PhilD]

I was copying a Works Database file from a floppy disk to my hard drive overwriting an older version. Before the copy was complete I got a message to say the disk was not formatted. I clicked on cancel, but now the original file has disappeared from my hard drive. The latest file is still on the floppy, but I cannot open it. Is there any way of recovering the original. I am on Windows ME

[moonacre]

There is a chance that you can recover the file on your hard drive - depending to an extent on how full the drive is and how much you've used the PC since the incident.

Generally, when a file is deleted in Windows, all that happens is that a tiny part of the filedirectory is altered making the file invisible to the file system so allowing the space to become available again. The actual data is still there. In time this space will be overwritten with new data hence the comment about spare space and whether the PC has been used much..

First thing to try is an "undelete" utility. You will find a number of programs (shareware) on sites such as http://www.nonags.com. Follow the instructions and you may find that either of the files on the hard and floppy are recoverable. If this fails then you may also find a utility which can repair a corrupted Works database file (which may be what you have on the floppy - here's a link to get you started: http://www.btinternet.com/~kevin.james1/WorksFAQ.h
tm . Alternatively you may find that you can open the file in Wordpad and recover the data that way to reimport into Works. Hope this helps.