Restoring Auto-Recovery Files

• 1). Open your word processor.
  
  
• 2). Click the "File" menu and select "Open." This will open a new window showing your computer's document folder.
  
  
• 3). Click on the "File Type" dropdown list and select "All Files." This will show you every single file in your document folder.
  
  
• 4). Scroll the list of files in the document folder until you find the missing document. It will end in an ".asd" extension; even though standard documents are usually labeled with a ".doc" extension, Microsoft's website indicates that ".asd" is used for auto-recovery documents.
  
  
• 5). Double-click on the ".asd" files you want to recover. The document will not be immediately viewable; close word and restart your computer.
  
  
• 6). Open your word processor again. This time, the "Task Pane" will appear on the left-hand side of the screen, giving you the option to open the recovered ".asd" file and then resave it by selecting "File" and "Save As."
  
  

Restoring Files Still in the Recycle Bin

• 1). Double-click on the Windows XP "Recycle Bin," as recommended by Microsoft as the easiest way to access the Recycle Bin.
  
  
• 2). Click "Details," located on the "View" menu in the Recycle Bin.
  
  
• 3). Click "Arrange Icons by," also located on the "View" menu.
  
  
• 4). Click to select "Type" from the list of icon arrangement options. This will group similar files, clumping all the Recycle Bin documents together for easier identification.
  
  
• 5). Scroll the files until you locate the document you want to recover. Right-click on the document and select "Restore" to recover the file for future use.