a 286 computer with 2 excel files some somewhere

Hi David

If you have been using the computer chances are very slim.

Norton Utilities had a program called "Disk Editor" or "DE" with which you could search for words in the disk sectors as opposed to files. I have retrieved some data that way.

As suggested try comparing the file size.

Try changing the color of the font.

See if your data is moved to a different location on the same sheet.

Try if the file is saved in a different format (Ex: Tab Seperated Format). In such a case the extension may not be .XLS

How sure are you that the PCs hard disk has not devoloped bad sectors.

Not sure if the version of Excel you're using has this, but currently, Excel can Hide and Unhide workbooks within a file. Do a search within Excel Help do figure out how to do that.

How do the size of the files compare to a blank workbook? If they are the same (or within a few bytes), chances are there is not data to be found. Keep in mind 1 byte is 1 character.

Excellent observation! the spaces where the values were on the spread sheet when I open the file, are Black... the Names of the files are still there! the rest of the excel sheet are white blanks! sorry I did not mentioned that before

issa

You can probably find some shareware that can read your entire disk. If a file is lost, it isn't necessarily off the hard drive, it just gets marked by the system as free space. If nothing has used it as free space yet, at least some of your data could still be there.

That sort of thing used to be a common problem in Office; people would save blank files over the old one. Most people learned to do Save As rather than Save. If that's what you did, and you have no backup utility on the computer, it's gone.

I too have experience but pooter always do as instructed...now where did I leave that fortune cookie calculator?

Sorry to here of your blink of the files.....they are as mentioned, still on your system.

Most times, all you need to do is pull up the MS search engine and type the file name you last saved it as. There are three different search tools in windows programs.

My other quaestion is, I am really amazed you are still only using a "286" CPU. So with this in mind, you only use this system as a simple word machine? if you would like to upgrade that machine, I would be willing to offer you an upgrade.

Maximo

thanks Maximo,

No, I am not still using a 286, but these files were so important to me that until I found CR4 forums I had no clues on how to even try to get them back. Mind you, without degrading my country, that in Haiti, we are somehow limited.In fact it was an American girl that programmed it on Dbase! I kept asking on Sunday's if someone would know some-who? that might.... so I kept my files along with my 286 in a long coma in my living room. I have so many found memories, like programing for my fiancee at that time ,that i am very nostalgic about it.

But ill keep in mind that you can be contacted for and upgrade job. I am sure that there are not so many around now, but i kind of look at it as if once I owned THE machine of its time! After all we go to heaven only with good memories=)

Issa

Here's another forum you can try, a bit more specialized than CR4.

http://forums.techguy.org/

HI GARTTH,

thanks for the tip! it's sure is what I was looking for . On vote i would suggest CR4 to add on their vote ratings, the choice of a "bull eye" option

Issa

Hi Issa

Your file should be there.

Your absolute first step should be to make a copy of your disk. That includes boot sectors, fat tables, directory data, data space and "empty space". That should be done as a backup

The how depend on what you have. I suspect you to have a MFM or RLL disk. (big ones with dual ribbon connection control & data)

In that case you could connect with a newer machine through a lap-link or RS232 cable.

It would be helpful if you can inform us on what you have.

(old and new machine). With that knowledge we would be able to give you step by step instructions.

I and i suppose a few more do not discard machines and it is quite possible to have the best software available for you.

In the meantime DON'T load new or any program or data on the 286.

NOTE the data you are looking for is most probably in "free space" on the disk - but it might be perfectly indexed in the FAT table.

Dear all,

I sincerely thank you for your overwhelming support. Now It's my turn to act. So I have taken an appointment with a technician that will read your advices, and act upon them. I promess you to keep you posted. Its now thrilling to find out were are those files and whom was the closest to the solution( for the bull's eye vote ) It really turned out into a fun project. Keep the suggestions coming! Thanks again to all of you!

David

I was a DBase programer years ago and have my work still in the basement. Many of my older programs are still in use by some businesses as they found it too expensive to have the applications rewritten into something newer. I still service them and if you have your older programs I could assist you in the applications. As for the lost excell programs you have comments that will help you listed above.

I have found a good practice to do a "save as" with incrementing version numbers to prevent overwriting or deleting a good deal of work while editing. Good luck in your recovery.

Ric

Dear Guest,

As Hendrik said, the first step is to make a copy of the hard drive. This, even though I am not knowledgeable in the field is sound advice! As to the Dbase programming, I thank you for your support in advance because I have spent a lot of time and a great deal of money sitting aside of the programmer telling her what to do. I am going to find out today if she is still in Haiti. She should be the person I should address first.But without making projections, since there is no way today to translate those Dbase programs into a compatible recent base of programming, are they still compatible or readable by those eventual recent languages? I mean can i keep on improving the program with something else than Dbase and link it up to some other recent programs like excel for example?

thanks Guest.

Issa

Get the NORTON tools hardrive recovery/ file recovery tools for the operating sytem you are using on the 286? If its 286 you will probably have windows 3.x on it or even dos 5.0 ? You might be able to get these from friends who have old versions around or from the company website (symantec / norton virus disk recovery systems) . You 'mght' get LUCKY and get some version of it back. Usually the names are altered so you have to be ready to recognize what it is and then rename it to what you want.

There are other tools that might be more readily available . DON'T WRITE TO THE DISK .. run it from a floppy or you will very likely overwrite anything left on the disk that could've been recovered.

AGAIN: Don't install anything to the hardisk. RUn it from Floppy disk. The older versiions ran from those floppies many times. Check ebay or google Norton Tools for Dos or win 3.x . etc.

There are companies that can recover data also for you but you will pay $$ .

Issa,

Excel, Word and these office programs have an auto save option. I would advise you auto save your files every 5 - 10 minutes to avoid this in the future. If your lights are as bad on your side of the island as they are on this side you need it.

Hmmmm, 286... The time frame is about right. These wouldn't be records on political rivals or activists, would they?

hi vermin.

Berkeley in California, Columbia University in NY.. and La Sorbonne in Paris.

happened in 1968, May if I remember exactly.The 286 would have been on CIA hands Hi tech, development stage at that time. No there is no conspiracy I don't hold files on Jane Fonda.=) No the time frame is no right!

issa, the conspirator

keep trying, I will let you know perhaps what theses files contained. It may let Alfred Hitchcock look pale.