How could this be?

[Kentucky Kache]

I'm working on a manuscript for a book about a treasure hunt. I have it on my desktop and two different floppies. I have discovered that the last chapter I had written is missing. I haven't erased anything, yet it's missing from my desktop and both floppies. Does anyone have any idea of what could have happened? I'm stumped.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Lasivian]

I'm working on a manuscript for a book about a treasure hunt. I have it on my desktop and two different floppies. I have discovered that the last chapter I had written is missing. I haven't erased anything, yet it's missing from my desktop and both floppies. Does anyone have any idea of what could have happened? I'm stumped.

Egad, how could you still be using floppy disks??

There isn't much I can seriously recommend without knowing more details.

Was the chapter in it's own file? part of the file you are editing? What OS? What editor?

Etc.

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Okay, this is not about what I'm using, but what happened.

Everything was on one page.

Windows XP, wordpad.

 

[Monty]

I can't tell you what happened but it has happened to me also. Now as soon as I get through writing a chapter I save it, back it up and print out a hard copy manuscript just in case. Monty

 

[Kentucky Kache]

I can't tell you what happened but it has happened to me also. Now as soon as I get through writing a chapter I save it, back it up and print out a hard copy manuscript just in case. Monty

My problem is, I change things so much it wouldn't do any good to print it out.
Never satisfied. But I thought three separate places would be enough. Bad on me. I have another version of the chapter, but I'll have to do it over.
But how can something disappear from three separate places?

 

[NaturalJWL]

It's part of the mystery surrounding the hunt !

 

[Kentucky Kache]

It's part of the mystery surrounding the hunt !

I guess so. It is a true story of a hunt I've been on for a long time.

 

[RGINN]

KentuckyKache if you get the book wrote let us know, and I'll sure buy it. I enjoy readin about treasure thru the long winters up here.

 

[Kentucky Kache]

KentuckyKache if you get the book wrote let us know, and I'll sure buy it. I enjoy readin about treasure thru the long winters up here.

Will do.

If things keep disappearing it might be a while.

 

[Lasivian]

Nothing you can do if it was wordpad and one file.

If you were using MS Word it would save every so often automatically.

If you had saved it to multiple files you could go back and check one of those, saving to the same file just overwrites your previous file which can never be salvaged.

FYI, for critical things ALWAYS save your work to a new file, just put the date/time in the filename "Story - 10-12-09 124pm.txt", it's an instant backup. If you screw up one file it does not affect the old ones.

Sorry I have no better news.

And FYI floppies are horribly unreliable, get a cheap USB thumbdrive for 10$ it's bombproof by comparison.

 

[Kentucky Kache]

I know they overwrite, and I had them saved to separate files, with separate names. That's whats got me scratching my head. Parts of three separate files all vanished at the same time and the same parts. I have older drafts in other files, so I'll just have to rethink what I had. Bummer.

I know I need a USB drive, but my computer has a floppy drive and I have a bunch of floppies from days past, so I use what I got. I've never had any problem with them before, nothing like this.

 

[Lasivian]

I know I need a USB drive, but my computer has a floppy drive and I have a bunch of floppies from days past, so I use what I got. I've never had any problem with them before, nothing like this.

I said the same thing till I accidentally sat on a floppy and lost 500$ because of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Techn...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00116ZG7O
2Gigs of storage for 8$ including shipping, decent brand name.

 

[Kentucky Kache]

I know I need a USB drive, but my computer has a floppy drive and I have a bunch of floppies from days past, so I use what I got. I've never had any problem with them before, nothing like this.

I said the same thing till I accidentally sat on a floppy and lost 500$ because of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Techn...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00116ZG7O
2Gigs of storage for 8$ including shipping, decent brand name.

My Radio Shack has them. I'll have to get a couple of 'em. Thanks.

 

[Smee]

If you must use something to write, and don't want to spend a bunch of money on M$ Office's Word, try Open Office by Sun (The folks who make Java). Does a great job, can be setup to automatically backup . . . and is free.

www.openoffice.org

 

[Kentucky Kache]

If you must use something to write, and don't want to spend a bunch of money on M$ Office's Word, try Open Office by Sun (The folks who make Java). Does a great job, can be setup to automatically backup . . . and is free.

www.openoffice.org

I have an office program on disk, but I've never had any problems with wordpad, and it's easy and simple to use, so I use it.

 

[Monty]

I've got about 3 books going. Not about treasure hunting though. Just can't seem to get back in the groove. I put a chapter from one of them on the forum about 3 years ago just to see if it was worth it. I got a lot of positive feedback and wrote about 4 more chapters before I ran out of steam. May never finish it, but then there's the one about the Oklahoma Dixie Mafia I started and now one about the Shark Pit by request. Maybe I can put them all in a book of short stories or maybe my wife will after I am gone? Writing is always what I wanted to do after I retired but I found out it is work too! Monty

 

[Timberwolf]

Kache,

If the file you are missing was written to your hard drive and floppies, and hasn't been written over...I have some software that will allow you to recover your files.
Email me or PM me, if I can be of help.

TW

 

[Kentucky Kache]

I've got about 3 books going. Not about treasure hunting thouigh. Just can't seem to get back in the groove. I put a chapter from one of them on the forum about 3 years ago just to see if it was worth it. I got a lot of positive feedback and wrote about 4 more chapters before I ran out of steam. May never finish it, but then there's the one about the Oklahoma Dixie Mafia I started and now one about the Shark Pit by request. Maybe I can put them all in a book of short stories or maybe my wife will after I am gone? Writing is always what I wanted to do after I retired but I found out it is work too! Monty

Anyone who thinks writing isn't work has obviously never written anything but letters. I know what you mean about running out of steam. If I had finished everything I started, I probably would be making a living at it. Or at least I would have a nice collection of rejection slips.

This treasure story is one I've been working on for a long time, pretty much as it happened. Its a true story (for the most part), so it has more flavor of an historical novel than a total work of fiction. At this point I need to get out and have more adventures so I'll have more to write about. I've done a ton and a half of research, and just a little more to go before trying to gain permission to hunt the place. I'm debating on whether to stay true to facts, or just try to write a good story. I guess that will be determined by the landowner's answer, and whether or not I find anything.

 

[Seamuss]

I put myself in the shoes of the guy burying the treasure. The last chapter and last thing I want from you is, for you to find the treasure. End of book and chapter.

Oh, I'm sorry, your telling the story. The treasure had been found already. Or has it?

I do hope you find your treasure(the last chapter).

 

[Kentucky Kache]

I put myself in the shoes of the guy burying the treasure. The last chapter and last thing I want from you is, for you to find the treasure. End of book and chapter.

Oh, I'm sorry, your telling the story. The treasure had been found already. Or has it?

I do hope you find your treasure(the last chapter).

No treasure yet. This is 1st person, as the events actually happened to me. I'm talking about how I found the story, and then the landmarks, etc. If I decide to go with total fiction I might go with 3rd person, because I'll need to tell things from several different viewpoints. Yes, that last chapter when the gold is uncovered...that's the one I'm looking forward to.