How do I recover old versions of a Microsoft Word file?

Question

My friend was working on a Microsoft Word file and made some changes in it. Suddenly Word crashed and closed. When he opens it again there was no data in the file and only one line in the header:

CreatedBy - XXXXX

(where "XXXXX" is the computer name)

After that he shut down the system. What are the possible ways to recover lost data from this Word file?

The system is Windows XP, Office 2000.

Answer 1

Closed Without Saving

1. Start Microsoft Office and click on the "File" tab. Select "Recent" in the left pane.
2. Click "Recover Unsaved Documents" on the lower right side of the window. The Unsaved Files folder opens.
3. Select the file you want to restore and click "Open." The document opens with a Recovered Unsaved File bar across the top.
4. Click the "Save As" button and save the file with a new name in a safe location, such as your desktop or Documents folder.

Other Versions of the File

1. Open the Word file that you saved and now want to restore to its previous condition.
2. Click on the "File" tab and and select "Info."
3. Select the version you want to open in the Versions list. Click the "Restore" button when the file opens.

Answer 2

Do you know if the word 'auto-save' feature had a chance to run? (detailed: here)

If so, you might find the file in the same directory with a ~ at the start of the filename.

Next option would be a Data Recovery Software solution seeing if it can recover the file prior to the work/corruption.