CompuServe Thread

#.prj Magician is back!

7 messages in this thread
#100070From: Gary L. AngleMay 5, 1994 7:45 AM
Poof…project gone!The dir indicates the big "0"! I'm still not clear why it happens to me and what measures I can take to prevent it, but I can make a valuable project file vanish easily. I'm not sure if I'm the majician or the clown act. So I'm far along in an architectural job (not a small quickie but a good size job) and I'm crankin, I'm saving as I go, kinda pleased w/ myself I closeup for lunch and do the big save….the community weather siren goes off while this is happening and "poof"- PROJECT GONE!Thank you..Thankyou! I still don't have a clue how I did it the first time but this time it's apparent that a power backup is essetial in this kind of work! But what other kinds of safe guards are there? After the first time I copied the .prj to disckette periodically just to feel safer. What DOS features are there,mirror…someone suggested that I save to a another file name also.Seems cumbersome but not a bad idea. Are there work arounds that I should be aware of? I guess everyone has these kind of things happen but to lose that kind of time investment so completely and so quickly….. makes the anxiety level pretty high. Any suggestions? Gary at gremlin central
#100076From: Jonas Ruikis [ADESK]May 5, 1994 8:35 AM
<< Gary at gremlin central… >> I'm very confused. Just poof! gone!…? I have missplaced files before and have thought that it was a gremlin but found it with norton's filefind… You infer that this has happened before. Have you checked your disk integrity with chkdsk lately? Have you defragmented your disk lately? jonas[adesk]
#100102From: May 5, 1994 10:12 AM
Gary: When you are saving a mesh or project in 3D Studio, don't hit the 'save' button, instead hit the "+" button. What this does is automatically increment a number at the end of the file name (i.e. test01.3ds, test02.3ds, etc.) At least this always makes sure that you always have one version back if the power goes out or a glitch when saving. If you save to the same name and start overwriting the file, there is no way to get it back if it crashes. Once a day or so, just go in and delete the older versions. Greg Pyros
#100180From: John TissavaryMay 5, 1994 5:49 PM
You should, absolutely, get a UPS, preferrably one with line conditioning. I can't imagine running a computer without some sort of power protection. Also, you really need to save files incrementally. That's what the "+" button is for. It'll add digits to your filename, so you don't lose the previous version. File cleaning is necessary, but better than losing all your work. John Tissavary (LUNA cie)
#100673From: Gary L. AngleMay 9, 1994 12:47 PM
John, Greg, Jonas, Thanks for the in depth response for my problem. It's appreciated! As I'm learning, disc managment and system c.y.a. is vital to digital illustration since when it goes wrong there's nothing tangible to cuss at. At least w/ traditional media you have missle and target. HowDIDyall-get-so-good, anyway? =->- Thanks, Gary
#100785From: May 10, 1994 12:46 AM
Gary: >> HowDIDyall-get-so-good, anyway? Just hang around this forum for a while, it grows on you! Greg Pyros
#100928From: David J. MarksMay 10, 1994 3:35 PM
In addition to what the others suggested about saving your data, I've also encountered a scenario that can lose a PRJ or 3DS file. I am taking this from memory (and the grey matter isn't always what it should be!) so I may be off a little. Assuming your 3ds.set file is configured to create backup files, the directory or disk you save to must have almost twice the free space as the actual project size, so that it can hold the PRJ and the BAK file. Say for example that you save PROJECT1.PRJ to drive A:, then make some changes and again save PROJECT1.PRJ to A:. I believe 3DS copies the old one to PRJ.BAK and then tries to save PROJECT1.PRJ. If the size of the two files exceeds the size of the floppy disk, PROJECT1.PRJ won't get saved. If you don't notice the error message, and exit 3DS, your current info is gone and all you have is an old backup file.