First, sorry for my ignorance. I am by no means tech savy. I use Windows 10, 2.1.2, and installed using the .exe installer
When I am done recording, I usually have several tracks. I use the Export Audio feature as suggested by Libsyn and tutorials for Audacity to save my data. This week, when I brought the mp3 file back up to edit and pull the show together, all but one track is gone. This happened multiple times (we have recorded twice and then I did some tests recordings yesterday to see what was happening) with both my computer and my laptop. I am at a loss at what is wrong. Nothing has changed on my end as far as I know. This particular process has worked for me every other time for the past 3 months. Any suggestions?
You said several messy things there.
Export will not “save your data.” Export is used to create a stand-alone sound file, usually with the goal of opening it up somewhere else and listening to it.
MP3 files create sound damage and you can’t stop it. There is no “uncompressed” MP3. MP3 isn’t a good format to use if you want to continue editing the work later as it gets progressively worse. For that you should use WAV (Microsoft). MP3 should only be used to put work on a Personal Music Player or post to a production service like ACX which requires it. It isn’t a production format.
If you have multiple tracks stacked over each other (or even left to right) Save an Audacity Project. Projects save the screen structure in addition to the music, but they don’t open up anywhere else except Audacity. Audacity Projects do not save UNDO.
Projects come in two parts. This is an Audacity Project. You need both parts for the show to open.
Koz
Most things I say are messy, this is not my forte and I am really just learning by trial and error 
. Thank you so much for your input, I will make the adjustments to my process.
There could be something actually broken. See if doing one or more of those things doesn’t work predictably and is what you actually want.
Most things I say are messy,
When you post to a help forum, we can only go with what you say. Sometimes a poster will say wildly unlikely things and it’s easy to straighten things out. But sometimes, the poster will use the wrong words and correctly describe a different problem.
Those are harder to catch.
Are you sure your computer catches fire?
Oh. Terminal emulation, not immolation.
Koz
We recorded again last night and it worked with your suggestions! I think the only thing broken was the way I was going about it. Thank you!