Retrieve Deleted Pages

[Aandi Inston]

Yes, in theory they can be retrieved. If you want to reclaim space,
use SAVE AS, not just SAVE.

Aandi Inston

[Rebecca Wolfe]

In Acrobat 5 several pages were deleted from a document but the file size is the same as it was before the pages were deleted. Does that mean the pages are still there? Is their a way to retrieve them?

[Rebecca Wolfe]

I need to know if anyone knows how to retrieve the docs. I had a user delete pages from about 200 documents using SAVE instead of SAVE AS. I see the file size is the same as the full file but it is only about half of the docs.

[Aandi Inston]

You want to recover the lost pages? This may be possible. I just want
to be sure before starting to give instructions, as it is rather
involved.

Aandi Inston

[Rebecca Wolfe]

[Rebecca Wolfe]

Yes, please. That is exactly what I need.

[Aandi Inston]

Ok, the essential thing you need is a suitable editor, that won't
damage the binary parts of the PDF. Sometimes you can use Word, and
it's worth using that as a first attempt. Save from Word in TXT
format, of course.

1. Make a copy of the original file. Work on a NEW copy each time,
because you are sure to break it.

2. Open the file in an editor, and look for lines containing %%EOF
(exactly in that format).

3. How many are there? An unedited file will contain one, or two.
Each time it is edited, more is added to the end, after the %%EOF.

4. To remove the last edit: find the LAST BUT ONE %%EOF in the file,
go to the next line after it, and delete everything from there to the
end of the file. You have now removed one editing session.

5. Save the file as a text file, but call it something.PDF. Be sure
not to overwrite your good file!

6. Try Acrobat, see what you get.

Aandi Inston