How to restore unsaved browser entries

[Reto]

More than one time I experienced loss of data because I didn't follow my own best practises:

1. Make sure that you there is a temporary copy of larger texts which are written in a web form.

2. If you test Javascript in a browser (e.g. while developping in TiddlyWiki) make sure that you save before you test.

3. Make sure that you don't build any endless loops.

I learned a way to restore data from browser memory when I lost larger texts in web forms (accidentally clicked "Reset" instead of "Submit" or similar) or when stupid me programmed loops that never finished. These is a way:

1. Don't move: anything you do (stopping or starting programs, etc.) will possibly overwrite the part of the RAM the data resides in.

2. Start HxD[1], a Freeware Hex Editor and Disk Editor (which you should have installed previously to minimize the risk of losing the data in RAM).

3. Open the RAM and search for your data by using a keyword which was used in the text or code.

4. If you are lucky (I was the times I had to use it!) you can identify the lines with your text or code

5. Copy and paste the lines to your prefered text editor

6. Find and replace the decoded special characters

Maybe not worth the work in every case but I hate to write text or code two times ;-).

[1] http://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd/