Vista - Windows Mail - How to recover lost file?

I opened up an excel file from an email in Windows Mail and made some changes in it, but forgot to download the file. I did save the file while making changes to it, but just couldn't locate it the next day. Can anyone help and let me know how to retrive the file....I spent 3 hours massaging the data in the file...!! Thanks a million for helping.

If you save an Excel file without specifying a target folder, it saves it in the system32 folder. Unfortunately that is a very big folder but if you know the name of the file, you might be able to find it. Type SYTEM32 into the start/search filed. That will get you to that folder.

Thank you very much for helping. I typed SYTEM32 at Start/Search but got nothing. I do have the file name and could locate it. I did not open it for fear that it's not the latest update....I right clicked to check "Properties" and the date/time shows that it's indeed not the latest update. I wonder where the file has gone as I am 100% sure that I clicked "save file". Would greately appreciate your help again.

Sorry, I found SYSTEM32 but couldn't find the file I want.....

When you found the file that was not the latest update, did you look in Properties > Location what the path to file file is? Maybe at the same location you will find the other, more recent files.

Unless you made a special effort to change the directory to
which such a file is saved, it will be saved to Temporary Internet
Files, with a filename consisting of seemingly random characters.
Windows periodically cleans out the TIF directory.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/VanderMolen


"fhkn014" <guest@xxxxxx-email.com> wrote in message news:b94248a8e11b3858f9eb180297af1683@xxxxxx-gateway.com...

Thank you both very much for offering your help. I finally managed to find the path and located the file....unfortunately, it was over-written as I clicked open the original file in Windows Mail by mistake before locating the updated one !! Just bad luck ;-(

It has happened to me a few times. Some consolation to know I am not the only
absent-minded user who has done this. These temporary directories were easy
to locate in 2000, a little tricker in XP but in Vista Microsoft took extra
care to make them inaccessible for all practical purposes.

Now my question: WHY THE @!&&*#$! DOES MICROSOFT DO THIS?
Why aren't we asked where we wish to save the first time we click Save?

To punish absent-mindedness?

Or to show who is boss and that if we keep complaining about their shoddy
products, they will do worse things to us?

"fhkn014" wrote:

The file is probably located in a folder somewhere in
C:\Users\(youraccount)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
Files\

"\AppData" is normally hidden
"\Temporary Internet Files" is normally a hidden protected Operating System
file

You'll have to remove the checkmark (if they're hidden) in Windows Explorer:
Organize - Folder & Search Options - View

Next time click on "Save As..."



--
Windows 7 Ultimate
http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview
http://download.live.com/wlmail


"Absentminded" <Absentminded@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:6AFA01DF-F0B9-4A2F-9835-29835ED08461@newsgroup