after a power fail i cannot get in z: it says not restored therefore i have lost my spreadsheets

Luke Thompson 0 Reputation points
2026-10-14T09:18:26.9366667+00:00

after a power fail i cannot get in z: it says its not restored

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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  1. DaveM121 939.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-14T09:52:55.44+00:00

    1

    Please provide a screenshot of that error you see indicated when you try to access your files.

    2

    Right click your Start Button and open Disk Management.

    Expand the bottom pane in Disk Management.

    Please provide a screenshot of that window showing all drives in the bottom pane.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-14T09:18:42.1733333+00:00

    A power failure can leave Excel files unavailable if the drive was not restored correctly, and the workbook may also be damaged. Try these steps in order:

    1. Check whether the files still exist on the PC.
      • In File Explorer, search for *.xlsx or *.xls.
      • If the files are found, open them directly instead of using old shortcuts.
    2. If a workbook is found but will not open normally, use Excel repair.
      • In Excel, go to File > Open > Browse.
      • Select the workbook.
      • Select the arrow next to Open > Open and Repair.
    3. If Excel opens the workbook but it looks corrupted, try recovering the last saved version.
      • In Excel, go to File > Open.
      • Double-click the workbook name.
      • Select Yes to reopen it.
      • This reverts the workbook to the last saved version, so newer unsaved changes are discarded.
    4. If the file was open during the outage, check AutoRecover.
      • In Excel, go to File > Options > Save.
      • Confirm Save AutoRecover information every x minutes is enabled.
      • Confirm Keep the last autorecovered version if I close without saving is enabled.
      • After a crash, Document Recovery may appear the next time Excel starts.
    5. If the file was stored on removable or unstable storage, move it to a local disk before trying recovery.
      • If a disk error or network error prevents opening the workbook, copy or move it from that location to a local hard drive first, then try Open and Repair again.
    6. To reduce future loss after outages, lower the AutoRecover interval.
      • In File > Options > Save, set the minutes value to 5 or 10.
      • That limits how much recent work can be lost if power fails again.

    If the Z: drive itself is still showing as not restored, old desktop shortcuts may no longer point to the real files. Searching the PC for the workbook names or for *.xlsx is the fastest way to confirm whether the spreadsheets are still present.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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