The Official Computer Tech Support Thread

NSW · 06-06-2012, 06:17 PM

Yeah, it is an old fax document. However I no longer have the fax software (because let's face it, who faxes anymore?). And I can't find a viewer online, but I may be looking in the wrong place. I did read something about turning it into a tif file so it can be opened with a normal picture viewer, but I couldn't figure out how to do that either.

Trollheart · 06-12-2012, 02:14 PM

The one document I use to compile my journal has been corrupted, it would seem, and I can't find a way to recover it. A previous version is current to about the end of last month, but this still means I'm after losing almost two weeks of work!

It appears the file got overwritten somehow, as shown below:

Comment: This file is overwritten with "C:\Windows\SERVIC~2\NetworkService\AppData\Local\ Microsoft\Media Player\Art Cache\LocalMLS\{1CCE9F31-32B3-4BA3-BF43-384189807D8E}.jpg"

If anyone can help me recover the file I would be eternally grateful. It's originally an Open Office (ODT) word processor file.

This is NOT a good start to my week!

Mrd00d · 06-12-2012, 02:29 PM

Shoot Trollheart, that stinks. I hope someone knows how to help...

Stephen · 06-12-2012, 06:08 PM

Did you try Googling that message? Seems odd that a file could be overwritten by another unless there was some file system error. Are you having any other file system weirdness?

Trollheart · 06-12-2012, 06:55 PM

I tried. It's too specific, and if I take out the path and leave it more generic I just get information on how to overwrite a jpg with another jpg.

Just one of these fecking file corruption things I guess: they sometimes happen. Just typical that of all the files it should happen with, it would have to be this one!

Luckily I haven't been too active writing over the last week or so, with the result that I think I may have lost only four or five reviews, so it could have been worse. At least I have a backup, even if it doesn't come right up to date.

Bloody annoying though: guess I'll have to be more careful of backing up in future. You'd think after thirty-odd years with a computer I'd have learned that by now!

GuitarBizarre · 06-12-2012, 07:36 PM

Not that I can really help here, but why is this in suggestions and feedback?

Trollheart · 06-12-2012, 08:10 PM

Because I didn't know where else to put it, and was looking for suggestions that might help me sort the problem.

One. More. Time!

Freebase Dali · 06-12-2012, 08:15 PM

If the file was overwritten, you will never be able to recover it. Not even the Department of Defense can recover the original file once overwritten. (Which is, incidentally, the reason there's a DoD standard for security-wiping hard-drives that involves multiple overwrites to remove data)
If the file was simply deleted, and no new data was written to the same clusters on the hard-drive, then it is easily recoverable. There are a lot of paid programs or services you can use to do this reliably, assuming the space where the original data resided on the hard-drive was not overwritten with new data (which is very likely, considering that when you "delete" something, it is not actually erased, but simply tagged as "overwritable" in a sense, whereupon new data is free to be stored in that area, if you're unlucky)

So, if you're sure the data has been overwritten, it's lost.
If you think it may have only been deleted, then you have a chance.
9 times out of 10, a corrupted file means a portion of it has been overwritten for whatever reason, so that portion can never be recovered, thus rendering the file as a whole, irrecoverable. Short answer.

Freebase Dali · 06-12-2012, 08:21 PM

Also, Trollheart, your thread has been merged into the Computer Tech Support Thread.
A re-direct has been left in the original forum for a week, for convenience, should you not see this.

Trollheart · 06-13-2012, 04:10 AM

Thx Dali. I did look but could find no appropriate place to put this.

As you can see from the message quoted, the file does appear to have been overwritten by some jpg lodged in Media Player, so I think I'm stuffed. Guess I'll just have to try to remember all the good parts about what I had written, and try to recreate them.

Thanks anyway,
TH

06-06-2012, 06:17 PM	#1161 (permalink)
NSW Bigger and Better Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Texas girl living in the UK Posts: 2,596	Yeah, it is an old fax document. However I no longer have the fax software (because let's face it, who faxes anymore?). And I can't find a viewer online, but I may be looking in the wrong place. I did read something about turning it into a tif file so it can be opened with a normal picture viewer, but I couldn't figure out how to do that either. __________________ Hi.

06-12-2012, 02:14 PM	#1162 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	EMERGENCY! Can anyone help with undeleting files? The one document I use to compile my journal has been corrupted, it would seem, and I can't find a way to recover it. A previous version is current to about the end of last month, but this still means I'm after losing almost two weeks of work! It appears the file got overwritten somehow, as shown below: Comment: This file is overwritten with "C:\Windows\SERVIC~2\NetworkService\AppData\Local\ Microsoft\Media Player\Art Cache\LocalMLS\{1CCE9F31-32B3-4BA3-BF43-384189807D8E}.jpg" If anyone can help me recover the file I would be eternally grateful. It's originally an Open Office (ODT) word processor file. This is NOT a good start to my week! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-12-2012, 02:29 PM	#1163 (permalink)
Mrd00d Stoned and Jammin' Out Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Northern California; Eugene, OR; mobile Posts: 1,602	Shoot Trollheart, that stinks. I hope someone knows how to help... __________________ Mrd00d's Last.fm

06-12-2012, 06:55 PM	#1165 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	I tried. It's too specific, and if I take out the path and leave it more generic I just get information on how to overwrite a jpg with another jpg. Just one of these fecking file corruption things I guess: they sometimes happen. Just typical that of all the files it should happen with, it would have to be this one! Luckily I haven't been too active writing over the last week or so, with the result that I think I may have lost only four or five reviews, so it could have been worse. At least I have a backup, even if it doesn't come right up to date. Bloody annoying though: guess I'll have to be more careful of backing up in future. You'd think after thirty-odd years with a computer I'd have learned that by now! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-12-2012, 08:10 PM	#1167 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Because I didn't know where else to put it, and was looking for suggestions that might help me sort the problem. One. More. Time! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-12-2012, 06:08 PM	#1164 (permalink)
Stephen I sleep in your hat Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Melbourne, Vic. Aus. Posts: 1,847	Did you try Googling that message? Seems odd that a file could be overwritten by another unless there was some file system error. Are you having any other file system weirdness?

06-12-2012, 08:15 PM	#1168 (permalink)
Freebase Dali Partying on the inside Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 5,584	If the file was overwritten, you will never be able to recover it. Not even the Department of Defense can recover the original file once overwritten. (Which is, incidentally, the reason there's a DoD standard for security-wiping hard-drives that involves multiple overwrites to remove data) If the file was simply deleted, and no new data was written to the same clusters on the hard-drive, then it is easily recoverable. There are a lot of paid programs or services you can use to do this reliably, assuming the space where the original data resided on the hard-drive was not overwritten with new data (which is very likely, considering that when you "delete" something, it is not actually erased, but simply tagged as "overwritable" in a sense, whereupon new data is free to be stored in that area, if you're unlucky) So, if you're sure the data has been overwritten, it's lost. If you think it may have only been deleted, then you have a chance. 9 times out of 10, a corrupted file means a portion of it has been overwritten for whatever reason, so that portion can never be recovered, thus rendering the file as a whole, irrecoverable. Short answer.

06-12-2012, 08:21 PM	#1169 (permalink)
Freebase Dali Partying on the inside Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 5,584	Also, Trollheart, your thread has been merged into the Computer Tech Support Thread. A re-direct has been left in the original forum for a week, for convenience, should you not see this.

06-13-2012, 04:10 AM	#1170 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Thx Dali. I did look but could find no appropriate place to put this. As you can see from the message quoted, the file does appear to have been overwritten by some jpg lodged in Media Player, so I think I'm stuffed. Guess I'll just have to try to remember all the good parts about what I had written, and try to recreate them. Thanks anyway, TH __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018