Microsoft Word stores documents in a temporary folder so that they can
be recuperated.
I am not asking about the temp folder...there is a place where such
files are stored with a different file extension (something like
*.asd).

Where are these files located and what is their file extension?

Thanks!

Hi pootz,

The files to which you refer are called "AutoRecover" files and, as
you suggested, have an extension of ".asd".

Microsoft Word looks for these files in two locations: the TEMP folder
as specified by your TEMP environment, and also in the AutoRecover
Files path.

To find the TEMP folder, in Microsoft Word click "About Microsoft
Word" on the "Help" menu, then click "System Info", then on the "Tree"
tab click to expand the "Software Environment" folder, then click to
select "Environment Variables" and look for the "TEMP" entry.

To find the AutoRecover Files path, in Microsoft Word click "Options"
on the "Tools" menu, then click on the "File Locations" tab.

When older versions of Word recover a document from a previous session
using an .asd file, they enable macros in the document and do not
display a macro warning message. This is a security risk, and
instructions are available to download and install security updates to
fix this:

For Word 97:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/Q272/7/51.asp&NoWebContent=1

For Word 2000:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/Q274/2/28.asp&NoWebContent=1

If you are hoping to use .asd files to recover a lost Word document,
you should note that they are normally deleted when Word is closed.
More information is provided here:

"How can I make Word back up my document automatically"
http://home.zebra.net/~sbarnhill/SaveOptions.htm
(scroll to "Set AutoRecover Info" about two-thirds of the way down)

The folder used for AutoRecover files can be changed by following the
procedure described here:

"Baarns: Microsoft Word General Frequently Asked Questions"
http://archive.baarns.com/word/faq/wmf.asp
(see the question "Can I modify the location of my Autosave files?")

I trust this provides the information you require.


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Regards,
eiffel-ga

I asked a simple question and received an extensive answer...way to go :)