# Please help. Can I recover unsaved word 07 file onlu saved on USB drive now lost



## AB_4u (May 24, 2008)

Hi everybody,
(Am a new member in Tech Support Guy)
I have scant knowledge of how .tmp, .asd and temporary .doc files are created when word is opened.
I HAD A USB DRIVE AND SAVED A WORD DOCUMENT AND WORKED ON IT ONLY FROM THE USB DRIVE.
I HAVE LOST THE USB DRIVE THE ONLY PLACE WHERE I STORED THE WORD 2007 FILE, I want to know if there is a way the Unsaved word file (unsaved on my PC and saved and opened only from jump drive) can be recovered

Important facts I want to know
1) Are .tmp, .asd and temporary .doc files stored in RAM and in what cases (or always)?
a) If they are, are they lost forever beyond recovery when word is closed normally or they can be recovered with a data recover software. (I ask this because I have an idea that RAM is volatile memory)
b) If they are not, where else they are stored and can they be still recovered from those places keeping in mind that my word document was closed normally and was unsaved on the pc anytime?
2) If the .tmp, .asd or temporary .doc files are indeed capable of being recovered as in my situation with most probably a data recovery tool, can they be opened in Word 2007 or they will be junk files by then and of no use?

Please help guys. Even if I am not able to recover my file by any means and the related files are lost, I would still liketo know this info above as it might be of some help to me in future.
(TRIED GOOGLING A LOT BUT EVERY BODY HAD DIFFERENT ANSWERS, SO DECIDED TO JOIN THIS FORUM)


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## peterh40 (Apr 15, 2007)

Load up Word, click on the menu select Word Options, click on the Save and note the location for the AutoRecovery information and the default file location. If there are any documents to find, you will find them there. 
There is no way to recover documents from RAM, older versions of office used tmp files but they disappear and soon as you close Word so if you cannot find it in the obvious location, then the document is gone.


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## AB_4u (May 24, 2008)

Hi Peter:

So is it always that temp and asd files of word 2007 documents are stored in RAM and if they are not, then where else are they stored and when?

The other thing is that is it true that if word is closed normally (and / or windows is shut down) these files are deleted from the RAM or wherever they are stored on the Hard drive and if they are, can they be recovered in anyway or they are deleted beyond recovery?

I had been working on the file on a network drive too. So is it possible that .asd files of my document might have been backed up. I mean can they be?


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## peterh40 (Apr 15, 2007)

No,files are not stored in ram, but whatever you type in, is stored in ram while you are working on a document and when you close a document, it is lost. Nothing in ram is stored unless the user actually saves the document to a .doc file.

Any backups could be stored on the same drive where the original document was stored, so its possible it could been on the network drive too. But you said earlier that you ONLY stored it on the USB device and no where else so it seems whatever you have saved is gone forever. I would retype it in again rather than wasting time trying to recover it.

Have you done a file search on your hard disk. If its not there then you will have lost it.


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## AB_4u (May 24, 2008)

Hi Peter:
Thanx for giving your replies.
I have already started retyping my document as I took your advice of not wasting my time on trying to recover anything. But I would definitely like to know what are these temp files especially ones created by applications all about?
What is swapping of temp files and what are pointers to temp files?
If you could tell me more about them or send me some good links to study, that would be really interesting.

Now back to some details of my past problem. Yes I had been working on a document, never saved it on my hard drive or the network drive, but only to my USB drive, did copy paste some stuff from other word documents onto it but never printed it.
Now some websites say that though word files create temporary files and asd files they are always created in RAM and gone immediately once the computer is turned off for some time, unless you save them on your hard drive(as you said too) and if there is anything on the hard drive, they are just pointers(?).

Some other sites say that word files do create temp files and asd files and these files are initially created on RAM but then swapped(?) between the hard drive and the RAM and thus finally created on the hard drive and saved there as well?

Some even say that under some circumstances files may also be saved on RAM if computer is not powered off.

These facts are quite puzzling and never give the actual answer, if only you coud answer me this question, I could understand this whole issue of temp files properly.
I also request to send me some good explanative links on temp files please.

Other facts I would like to know as well...
1) are temp files created if we copy paste text from one document to another and again are they stored on RAm or hard drive...


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## peterh40 (Apr 15, 2007)

1. Documents are stored in memory when opening a new document or when creating a fresh document.
Temp files may be created depending on many factors: size of document, availability of free ram, what changes are made to the document, when regular saves are done by the application in the background (if enabled).

See this article for a better explination:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=211632&
http://www.amset.info/tips/office-recovery.asp


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