OpenOffice text document, text showing as ######

[fudbucket]

Not my first time using Open Office but not that far from it. I have used it before but don't have much need for text documents with what I do, so I've not used it much. However, when I have used it, it has seemed to be like a pretty standard text creating system and as thus I have been treating it like one. I write my text, save it and the next time I open it the text is all there save for me. However, this time it was different. I opened the document that I had been working on for two days and instead of opening, a box popped up asking me to register. Thinking this could do no harm I registered. Next it asked me what type of text I wanted to create with a drop down box of options. I didn't understand any of the options but I chose one anyway. The document, that was all nicely saved yesterday then showed as five pages of #####################. I closed it and reopened it choosing another of the drop down box options. Five pages of ############### again. I have now tried every single option on that drop down box and five pages of ################## is all I can get.

Can anyone help me please?

[RoryOF]

Your file has been damaged, perhaps because of over hasty close down of the computer before internal housekeeping was complete.

As soon as possible do the following:

Download Recuva or PhotoRec (only one needed) and let it do an indepth recovery of deleted files on your computer. You may get a file containing some or all of your data (or not). Do this as a first priority; other use of the computer may overwrite any existing but deleted files and prevent their recovery. There is no guarantee that you will recover anything useful.

Do the above soonest!

Most likely there is nothing usable in your corrupt file, but if you upload it someone will have a look.

[fudbucket]

Thanks, but you haven't exactly filled me with hope here. I have downloaded Recuva, a quick scan of the desktop (wich is where the file is) has come up with nothing, trying a deep scan now but that looks like it will take some time.
What do you mean upload it? Do you mean copy and paste into this box?

[RoryOF]

The upload tab is below the Submit button on the FullEditor or PostReply screens. It is possible that there may be a temporary file or a backup file (if that option was enabled) in the directories pointed to by /Tools /Options /OpenOffice : Paths, Temporary files and Backups. The temporary files will have arbitrary names such as sedyth.dth - rename these to type .odt and see if they contain your data. Similarly, rename any backup file.

[fudbucket]

I couldn't find anything similar to the name you suggested. I think I've attached the file correctly, if I have here it is.

[floris v]

It's a damaged archive, Windows can't open it as a zip file. It's very unlikely that you can recover anything from it.

[RoryOF]

I got nothing from it. The archive is damaged.

[fudbucket]

OK thanks for trying.

[John_Ha]

For others searching See [Tutorial] How to find and un-delete Writer temporary files for instructions on how to identify and un-delete the temporary files Writer wrote while you were editing the file, and then deleted. You should be able to recover your file as it was when you last opened it or as it was when last saved with AutoRecovery. You may also find previous versions of the file in the folder it is located but which have since been deleted.