Hi Greg, The original files can't have changed to become aliases, but if you accidently dragged the aliases on top of the originals (thinking you were dragging to the CD), then it could be possible to overwrite the originals with the aliases (but I assume you would have been prompted to confirm this action, as with any other file replacement).
To search for the originals, you can use Spotlight (top-right of the screen, magnifying glass: enter the file names or words and phrases from the reports: e.g., students' names). You can also just use the standard Finder 'Find...' command if you prefer to search specifically for filename, modification date, file type, etc. James.
