Spreadsheet or Document Recovery Plan After an Accident
Work out what to do when a file is lost, overwritten or corrupted.
The Open buttons send the prompt text as currently shown below to that site only when you click. Fill in the placeholders first.
[VERIFY] is an editorial flag, not a blank to fill. Wherever the prompt shows [VERIFY], check that item against a reliable source before you use it.
Help me recover a file. What happened (deleted, overwritten, corrupted, not saved): [WHAT_HAPPENED]. File type and where it was stored: [FILE_TYPE_AND_LOCATION]. App and system: [APP_AND_SYSTEM]. When I last saw it correct: [LAST_GOOD_TIME]. Create a recovery order from safest to riskiest: stop using the storage if it is a drive that failed; check recycle or trash; check version history and cloud trash; check autosave and recovery folders; search for temporary or backup copies; restore from a backup; and finally consider a professional if the file is critical. Give the approximate location types to look in (general, not exact paths, marked [VERIFY]), and a warning not to write new files to a damaged drive. Add a prevention plan: autosave, version history, regular backup, naming convention. Provide a log table to record each step and result. Do not suggest unverified recovery tools or illegal software. Add a worked case: file overwritten at 10:40, last good version at 09:55; check version history for a copy between those times, then the cloud trash, then the autosave folder, then backups, recording each result in the log with the time and outcome. Include what to do to avoid overwriting recovery copies.
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Replace each bracketed placeholder with your own details, then paste into Any AI or another assistant.