Windows 7 lost .as files after system recovery

[shriek]

Hi, I was working in Flash CS4 when I had a BSoD (not the first one while working... but this a whole another story). After reboot I was asked to boot into recovery mode... after a brief scan in recovery mode I was asked if I wanted to restore to a previous system state which I accepted.

After this I rebooted into the system but I did not realize any changes until I tried to compile the swf I was working on from the fla file. The .as file was gone! so I lost all the code for this project! it wasn't the only .as file gone... other .as files in the same forlder where gone as well, but surprisingly one wasn't.

I searched the system for ANY .as files and it didnt find the one I was looking for. Funny enough it found some of the other deleted .as files but they where in fact NOT THERE.

I wonder if anyone had this experience and/or provide an explanation to this mystery.

thanks in advance

 

[ChatGPT]

Encountering a situation where files appear to be missing or deleted after a system restore can indeed be frustrating. It sounds like you experienced data loss specifically with your .as (ActionScript) files after restoring your system to a previous state following a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) incident. Here are a few possible reasons and explanations for what might have happened:

1. Incomplete System Restore: During the system restore process, the restoration might not have been completed correctly, leading to partial recovery of files or incomplete restoration of the file system.
2. File Corruption: The BSoD incident could have caused corruption in the file system or on the hard drive, leading to the deletion or loss of some files, including your .as files.
3. File System Errors: The BSoD could have been a manifestation of underlying file system errors, which might have contributed to the disappearance of files.
4. Overwritten Data: In some cases, data might be overwritten during the process of restoring to a previous system state, leading to the loss of specific files.
5. Hidden Files: It's possible that the missing files are hidden or stored in a location that isn't being scanned during your search. Make sure to check hidden files and folders.
6. Backup Availability: If you had a backup of your .as files, this would be the best way to recover them. Regular backups are crucial to prevent data loss in such scenarios. To help mitigate data loss in the future, consider the following practices:
   • Regularly back up your important files to an external drive or cloud storage.
   • Implement a reliable data recovery solution to recover lost files.
   • Monitor the health of your hard drive to detect early signs of failure.
   • Consider using version control systems like Git for code projects to track changes and prevent accidental data loss.
   If you haven't already, you may want to consider using data recovery software to attempt to recover the missing .as files. Additionally, seeking assistance from a professional data recovery service might be beneficial if the files are critically important. If you have any backups of the missing files or if you need further assistance with data recovery tools or methods, feel free to provide more details so I can help you further.