Retrieving Lost Windows Documents

• 1). Don't panic. If your program, such as Notepad or WordPad, is still open, press Control-Z several times. It's often possible to delete text without knowing it by accidentally selecting the text, then typing something over it. Control-Z is the Windows default shortcut to undo changes to a document.
  
  
• 2). Try a desktop search engine, such as Google Desktop, Windows Desktop Search or Yahoo! Desktop Search. If you have one of these programs already installed, your chances of finding the file are greatly increased, since they routinely index and save files.
  
  
• 3). Install a document recovery program, such as Restoration, Recuva, or Undeleter. Many of these programs can be downloaded for free. Try at least a couple of different programs to see if they'll work.
  
  
• 4). Reinstall a disk image, if you have a program such as Acronis True Image, Symantec Ghost or Paragon Drive Backup. These programs allow you to clone a copy of your computer's hard drive, store it externally, and use it to recover lost documents or programs in case something happens to your hard drive.