WD98: Unable to Recover Lost Document (187351)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition
This article was previously published under Q187351

SYMPTOMS

Word may be unable to automatically recover your document after Word shut down unexpectedly.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when any of the following conditions are true:
  • An AutoRecover file has not been created yet.

    By default, an AutoRecover file will not be saved until ten minutes after you start work on it. After ten minutes, the AutoRecover file is created. If a failure shuts down Word prematurely, Word will use the AutoRecover file to recover the document. -or-

  • An AutoRecover file is deleted after the document has been saved.

    A new AutoRecover file is not created until after the next AutoRecover duration (by default: ten minutes after you start work on it). -or-

  • The document was closed and changes were not saved.

    Once a document has been closed, the AutoRecover file is deleted. There is no way to recover the document once the file has been closed and changes were not saved.

WORKAROUND

To change the AutoRecover Save duration, follow these steps:
  1. On the Tools menu, click Preferences, and then click the Save tab.
  2. In the "Save AutoRecover Info Every" box, change the number to the desired time interval between AutoRecover saves, and click OK.
NOTE: AutoRecover is not a substitute for saving your document. When you use AutoRecover, Word creates a temporary file to recover your document if Word shuts down unexpectedly. You must still save your document in order to retain your changes.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

180871 WD98: How to Recover Text from Any File

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/4/2002
Keywords:kbinfo KB187351
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.