Can I retrieve unsaved documents?

English
#1

I’ve been using Libre Writer for a couple of weeks. Everything is great except, there have been a few lockups and crashes. I try to remember to save docs as I create but there have been two or three times now that there were unsaved docs in progress. Can I get those back, and how?

BTW, upon opening Writer again, it was say that there were unsaved docs, do I wish to recover? I would click yes, it would, supposedly, recover them and put check marks by each file name. Upon opening a, supposedly, recovered unsaved doc, the doc is blank, no text. On all of them I tried.

version 7.5.0.3
x86_64

#8

Don’t save docs if that means you save Word documents. Storing your work in the native file format of the application you are using is the best way to store everything (including things that may not be supported by foreign file formats) minimize the risk of crashing, getting the best results when restoring crashed documents together with best possible performance. Use Open Document Text (odt) when working with LO Writer. Use docx when working with Word. When conversion is necessary, always keep your working copy in the native file format.

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#10

Thanks for that tip. Yes, I do save it in .odt, I just used the word “doc” by habit.

I actually have wondered about this, as it seems that I have seen that I could save in .doc file format.

I am not going to use both LO and Word; I am going to settle on one.

#12

No matter which kind of file generating application you use, always save your precious work in its native file format and export snapshots from this master file in foreign file formats when needed. And of course you use a backup application which stores all your files to some external drive, don’t you?

#13

I pay Google a monthly fee for storage. I also paid Degoo, a file storage company, an increased one-time, lifetime fee for online storage. I also periodically store all files (word processing and spreadsheets) to a portable hard drive. Are you suggesting a perpetual (all the time) storage to a hard drive? I use a laptop to write with, not sure that would be practical. Unless it could be beamed over via wifi. Or I could get in the habit of downloading to a portable hard drive each night or week or whatever. That is a good idea about having an up-to-date hard copy. Not sure what the best method is. I guess a benefit of cloud storage is that a fire at your premises wouldn’t destroy your files.

#15

Well, I do not trust google farther than I can throw my laptop. I can still access files created in the year 2002 when I started using Linux. Without permanent internet access, an old fashioned backup program writing to an external hard disk works just as well as in the golden age of personal computing. However, yes, synching to a “cloud drive” (someone else’s hard disk) is a valid backup strategy.

#2

If the document was ever saved, it is possible to recover a previous version by using “salvage utilities” which scan your filesystem for deleted files. These utilities are third-party ones you download from the internet (you didn’t mention your OS). Result is not guaranteed as it depends on the usage ratio of your disk and your activity.

If the document was not saved to disk at least once, your chances depend totally on LO. Saving recovery information occurs at some “breakpoints” during an editing session. So, if the computer crashed just before a checkpoint, you recover the state of the previous checkpoint, which might be the initial state, i.e. a blank document.

#3

What is “LO?”

Can I configure Libre Writer to “autosave” docs after x-amount of time? I didn’t find it in help.

My OS is Windows 11 Home.

#4

LO = LibreOffice
Automatic autosave: Tools>Options, Load/Save>General
You can also tick Always create backup copy so that the existing file has its name changed when saving your document.

#5

You can configure LibreOffice (LO for short) to save auto recovery information regularly, but it’s your responsibility to really save the document regularly. In fact, you shouldn’t even want to let any software save your work for you. Just imagine that you accidentally press Ctrl+ A and press a key, so your entire document gets erased, and that LO decides to save your document just at that moment. You will lose all of your work.

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#6

Do you know if Microsoft Word is any “better” such that the scenario you described could not occur?

#7

No application is better than any other in this domain. You can’t replace a backup discipline with a dumb software (not knowing your ultimate goal). Apps are just tools. The user holding/using the tool is to blame. Define your procedure and stick to it.

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#9

No kidding, I often take photos of docs with my phone at various stages, since my docs are really important to me. (I am a writer.) In case something happens. I also email myself copies on a regular basis and those emails are on the cloud. I have all kinds of backups but I am trying to make it better.

I just went in to my new-to-me LO Writer and looks like the auto-save was not set up by default. So, I guess those docs that were not yet saved are gone. When I had those crashes, I recreated them quickly best I could just from memory but there is no way I could get all of it back from memory.

I also like LO and hope to get comfortable, it looks like a great program. I like Word, too, but LO is a better deal, lol.

#11

If you’re new to Writer, learn styles (all of them!) before acquiring bad habits. Try to forget everything you know from Word (this is the most difficult part). Read the Writer Guide to get an idea about the power of styles.

#14

You really should look at this page and consider a proper strategy, Preventing data disaster - The Document Foundation Wiki

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