Cannot find a file, maybe is erased...ANY way to recover it?

[Info]

Hello!

Currently I'm working on a library computer.
This is my problem!
I have downloaded a word file (that is my own) from my draft folder in e-mail. That file had to be edited.
When I was saving it, I cannot remember whether I chose ''view'' or ''save'' option, because I might have thought I will only read it trough and not start working immidiately.
Yet, I obviously have (hours went by), and I've finished the editing.
It is possibly the file is only, as I mentioned, tempor. file in mozilla's 'downloads'.
At one moment, I saved the changes, and saved the file, although I don't know where, closed it, and went for the book. After I came back to the desk, I couldn't find the file anywhere.
When I downloaded the file again, same 'downloads' window appeared, and there is the old file that I worked in, in the bottom of the list, but now it won't open again.

Is there any possible way to find somewhere my lost file? To recover it?
I know this may sound unserious, but there are hours of work in it.
I also hope I won't be annoying with this kind of problem and question, but this is important to me, as a lot of work is done in that doc.

I know there must be some folder somewhere, where this type of files is stored, but I cannot find it.
This is w xp library comp, just for info.
I would appreciate some advice...
Thanks

[DaveLembke]

I'd use the Windows XP Search function:

Click on Start
Click on Search
Click on For Files and Folders
Select "All files and Folders" on the left options column.
Enter the file name of your document followed by wildcard file extension type so your_document_name.* where you replace your_document_name here with the actual name of the document name.
The drive to search should be C: , however it can be D: or any other drive letter if not a normal default windows installation on the library computer.
Click on Search and wait for results to be found.

Any files of yours found that match should be saved to a thumb drive to retrieve them.

If nothing is found and nothing is in the recycle bin, its likely long gone, however you can inquire with the library as to if they have this system connected to a server that has shadowcopy enabled to recover your lost file as a last resort, but I am not aware of any libraries that save user data like this due to privacy policy. Corporations use shadowcopy to protect users from accidental deletion of files if enabled and implemented correctly.

Most libraries that I have been in had well configured systems in which their user profile for the general public using the computers was set to delete data discarding changes and documents that were added/saved by a user on logoff or shutdown, so that nothing can be planted on the systems to clutter or allow a hacker to invade users privacy by planting a profile exploit if there was one.

*If this computer was your own computer, you would be able to run undelete software and attempt to recover a file that is tagged as deleted to undelete it. That is as long as new data had not already overwritten the location on the hard drive where this file use to be located destroying its recovery. If the location on the hard drive where this data is located was not overwritten partially or completely, you can generally get the data/file back. BUT given this is not your computer you are very limited in recovery methods.

[Geek-9pm]

This is in the CH search
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000342.htm
The above is an important reference.  It has at least six software tools mentioned.

Do you know part of the content? How important was nit? It just might still be on a mail server in the trash.