# Can my document be rescued? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2002, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792 "2002-12-10T17:25:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/1 "2002-12-10T17:25:17Z")
I have a document, created in word 97 and saved on a floppy disk that will not open. The disk is fairly new (I bought it in July, I think) and nothing else on the disk seems damaged. I haven’t done anything odd to the disk or the document in question, so I’m not sure why it won’t open; I’ve tried it on more than one computer and gotten the same error message, so I’m sure it’s a disk problem. When I try to open it I get the following error message: > [@](#): > > Microsoft Word > Word cannot open the document. > Try one or more of the following: > \*On the file menu click Open to open the document. > \*Make sure the document has a DOC extention (a:\High Stakes.doc) I tried both suggestions, and neither works. I’ve also tried opening it in Notepad, Wordpad and Mircosoft Works without sucess. Any suggestions of what else I can try? ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/2 "2002-12-10T17:27:34Z")
Hello, I just had this problem at work with an Excel file and 3 hours of PFMEA work — lost. I had to ask IS to help me. They bought software that sorted out the bug. I believe they looked on the internet for it and it cost around $90. Good luck. Sorry I couldn’t help you any further. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/3 "2002-12-10T17:29:22Z")
Longshot: Have you tried running a ScanDisk® on the floppy? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/4 "2002-12-10T17:33:19Z")
Can you copy the file to your hard disk? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/5 "2002-12-10T17:38:03Z")
I’ll try scandisk, if I can. I was going to mention that I can’t copy it, though, since that’s probably significant :smack: ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/6 "2002-12-10T17:42:01Z")
Well, that was unexpected… ScanDisk deleted the document. \ I guess I don’t need any more help. ---
**Author:** ![mattgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@mattgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattgg)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/7 "2002-12-10T19:24:24Z")
> [@](#): > > ScanDisk deleted the document. Look for a file with the .CHK extension and a timestamp around the time you ran scandisk, either on the floppy or on your hard disk. By default, scandisk creates these .CHK files to salvage chunks of damaged files which it finds while scanning. If you do find a .CHK file you may still be out of luck because it may not contain the entire lost file, but you may be able to scrape together some stuff if the data in the file is mostly text. ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/8 "2002-12-10T20:02:40Z")
do you have the folder options set to view hidden files?? check the size of the disk… if there is nothing on the disk, but the used space seems high for a blank disk, there may be a hidden file… this happened to me a few weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/9 "2002-12-10T22:50:08Z")
If you cannot copy it then the problem is the OS cannot read it. If you say it was “deleted” the sectors probably still have the info there and it can be recovered with special tools. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/10 "2002-12-11T07:08:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > \*\*If you cannot copy it then the problem is the OS cannot read it. If you say it was “deleted” the sectors probably still have the info there and it can be recovered with special tools. \*\* Sectors where, on the disk or the HD? And what sorts of tools? It seems like a lost cause, but fortunately the part of the document that I didn’t back up is only a couple of pages, so I can probably re-create it from memory if the document is as gone as it seems. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/11 "2002-12-24T20:43:09Z")
Thanks a lot for your suggestions everyone, I was finally able to get it back 🙂 I was wrong, though, the part that wasn’t backed up was four pages long, so I’m glad that your help worked. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/12 "2002-12-24T23:48:43Z")
& how did you get it back? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/13 "2002-12-25T04:36:34Z")
It was in one of the hidden .TMP files. I was able to open it using notepad. I didn’t think that would work, or I would have tried it a week ago…glad it did, though! ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-document-be-rescued/141792/14 "2002-12-25T05:14:34Z")
When that happens, it usually means your file is corrupted, maybe caused by a bad sector or a Word bug (this happens). So it is a very good idea to have another copy somewhere.