Try opening the file using Word Pad.

I tried the search after I saw your post and that didn't work either.

I had been working on this file for several days and yes I saved it regularly so I wouldn't lose anything I changed.

BellaBoo I don't think I hav Word Pad

I did find Word Pad didn't know I had it but it didn't work either. Thanks anyway.

Double check that it has the dot and wps after the filename

like
sample.wps
not sample

Maybe it got saved as a general file.

MS Works and MS Word probably act in a similar fashion. Whenever you open a MS Word document, it creates a work file. Let's say for example your original file name is Sample.doc. When the file is opened in MS Word, it creates a file named something like this ~$ample.doc. This document is created in the same directory as the original document. See if you can find a document with a name like above. Once you find it, try to open it up in MS Works. If it'll open up, you should be right back to where you left off. If it doesn't open, delete the file and open up your original. You'll be back to the last point you saved the document.

I hope this helps.

When you say directory do you mean the My Documents file that my file is in or is there another place to see this directory?

Try this - it worked for me when I had a file open using MS Word.

1. Open a window showing a directory other than the directory the file is in.
2. Open another window showing the directory the file is in.
3. Right click on the file and select 'copy' from the menu.
4. Move to the first window, right click, and select 'paste'

This should make a file of the original name in the new directory.

If you don't know how to make directories or use them, and if your original file (that you can't open) is in My Documents, then here's some more info.

From My Documents, select File/new/folder. This makes a folder called 'New Folder' and you can leave that name or change it, but you can use this folder for step 1 above.

I think the method from mytwopals would also work.

Yes, the My Documents folder is probably the place the original file is located. Directory is the old term for folder. Sorry. I should have used the newer term.

My bad too, I also interchange the two terms. :oops:

I made a copy of it because this worked one other time but not this time. It still wouldn't let me open it. It doesn't matter where the file is it has to be opened by Word and it won't let it open. I sent it to my daughter and it didn't open there either.

I actually have two versions of the file that I saved before this happened. One is without pics and one is with pics so i have two and it locked both of them up. the one without pics will attach to the email but still wouldn't open and the other one just says oops something is wrong won't attach!
I am out of patience with it. I don't know what caused it and I would like to be able to problem solve this issue in the future but I am beginning to think it is a lost cause.