I just lost hours of work!
Moderators: Peter Thomsen, miker
- tdlucas
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 4:09 am
- Finale Version: Finale 2014 v27.0
- Operating System: Windows
All of my work over the last three days is completely gone! I saved every edit, so it's not a matter of saving. When I opened the score just now and made one edit and tried to save it, I got a window that said Finale can't find the file, so I couldn't save it. When I closed the file, it was gone off of my desktop and out of the backup files. What can I do??
-
- Posts: 432
- Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 11:43 pm
- Finale Version: Finale 26
- Operating System: Mac
Sorry to hear that.... Perhaps try a spotlight search for the file name, or just part of the file name and see what it comes up with. Maybe there's a copy hiding somewhere. Perhaps there is a way to show any hidden files in the finder windows? Just a thought. I guess most of us have met with similar scenarios at some point.
You have served us all with a welcome reminder to check our backup processes. I have been known to occasionally email myself my file, as a quick safety measure.
Someone else here might have more helpful advice... I wish you lots of luck going forward.
Cheers,
HP.
You have served us all with a welcome reminder to check our backup processes. I have been known to occasionally email myself my file, as a quick safety measure.
Someone else here might have more helpful advice... I wish you lots of luck going forward.
Cheers,
HP.
- zuill
- Posts: 4418
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2016 9:35 pm
- Finale Version: Finale 2011-v26.3.1
- Operating System: Windows
tdlucas,
Have you read the discussions here about the temp folder? If not, it's time to take that suggestion seriously. If you can't find any of the discussions, come back and I'll describe the process.
Sorry about the loss of your document. Look for the .asv file. If you don't have autosave on, that's another suggestion to follow.
Zuill
Have you read the discussions here about the temp folder? If not, it's time to take that suggestion seriously. If you can't find any of the discussions, come back and I'll describe the process.
Sorry about the loss of your document. Look for the .asv file. If you don't have autosave on, that's another suggestion to follow.
Zuill
Last edited by zuill on Fri Sep 07, 2018 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 1:43 pm
- Finale Version: Finale 26
- Operating System: Windows
That happened to me recently too. I never figured out why Finale couldn't find the file anymore. Probably something corrupting the file making it invisible. I even contacted support too but they couldn't help with it either. I think Finale (at least the newer versions) can be very unforgiving when one hits a wrong key by accident. Or whatever it is that ticks it off. Of course at that time I didn't have automatic backup turned on either. So I learned my lesson. Really better to have that turned on as I have found.
Jeffrey
Jeffrey
- Peter Thomsen
- Posts: 6626
- Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 6:47 pm
- Finale Version: Finale v27.4
- Operating System: Mac
Interesting!
I have not heard of that issue for many years.
It could be an issue with a defect “backup battery” = the battery that powers the internal clock, which keeps track of time, day, month, year, when the computer is off.
Twenty years ago I read a notice about Mac computers whose clock always went back to august 27th, 1956 - because of a defect backup battery.
Ray Montagne who wrote software to the CUDA-microcontroller (a chip that controls PRAM and ADB on many Macs), was born august 27th, 1956.
I have not heard of that issue for many years.
It could be an issue with a defect “backup battery” = the battery that powers the internal clock, which keeps track of time, day, month, year, when the computer is off.
Twenty years ago I read a notice about Mac computers whose clock always went back to august 27th, 1956 - because of a defect backup battery.
Ray Montagne who wrote software to the CUDA-microcontroller (a chip that controls PRAM and ADB on many Macs), was born august 27th, 1956.
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996
- N Grossingink
- Posts: 1788
- Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2016 2:50 pm
- Finale Version: 27.3
- Operating System: Mac
Regarding the lost file:
This happens every so often on Windows, not so much on Mac. Recently on this forum, a Mac user had this same problem. Upon a bit of discussion, it was found that he had the Finale file open for days, without ever putting it away. This might not be the case for you. Files should be closed at the end of a work session and the computer turned off at the end of each day, in my opinion. Backups should be kept on an external drive.
N.
This happens every so often on Windows, not so much on Mac. Recently on this forum, a Mac user had this same problem. Upon a bit of discussion, it was found that he had the Finale file open for days, without ever putting it away. This might not be the case for you. Files should be closed at the end of a work session and the computer turned off at the end of each day, in my opinion. Backups should be kept on an external drive.
N.
N. Grossingink
Educational Band, Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble a specialty
Sample: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pFF5OeJDeLFGHMRyXrubFqZWXBubErw4/view?usp=share_link
Mac Mini 2014 2.6 Ghz, 8Gb RAM
OSX 10.15.7
Finale 2012c, 25.5, 26.3, 27.3
Educational Band, Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble a specialty
Sample: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pFF5OeJDeLFGHMRyXrubFqZWXBubErw4/view?usp=share_link
Mac Mini 2014 2.6 Ghz, 8Gb RAM
OSX 10.15.7
Finale 2012c, 25.5, 26.3, 27.3
- ebiggs1
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:57 am
- Finale Version: Finale 27.3
- Operating System: Windows
I am not going to be of any help but a brother in circumstance. It has happened to me, very rarely. It was a problem with the temp directory. My best guess anyway. Never mess with it when Finale is open. I did a test to see if I could repeat the problem and it did. Finale is supposed to clean it or clear it out when you close. But it doesn't seem to always do that?
I always use backup and autosave. Finale is more stable now than it has been in the past but old habits are hard to break. So, I save a lot. When I do major edits I always 'save as' a new file.
I always use backup and autosave. Finale is more stable now than it has been in the past but old habits are hard to break. So, I save a lot. When I do major edits I always 'save as' a new file.
Finale 27.4.1 - Perfect Layout Silver - Note Performer 4.4 - SmartScore Pro 64 - Windows 11
President, The Shawnee Concert Band, Composer/Arranger, retired Music Teacher.
President, The Shawnee Concert Band, Composer/Arranger, retired Music Teacher.
- zuill
- Posts: 4418
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2016 9:35 pm
- Finale Version: Finale 2011-v26.3.1
- Operating System: Windows
With the unique temp folder, make sure you have a separate folder for each version of Finale. Also, when Finale is closed, clean it out. I do this quite regularly as this will make sure Finale is not trying to access an older .tmp file. Any .tmp file in the folder is not usable by Finale, as closing the folder renders them not needed. However, I believe that having many of them in the folder is confusing Finale at times, so its best to clean them out. Finale should do that automatically when closing, but the programmers have failed to make this happen. It is a design error which MakeMusic needs to fix. Meanwhile, we help Finale by removing these files.
Zuill
Zuill
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
- motet
- Posts: 8292
- Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:33 pm
- Finale Version: 2014.5,2011,2005,27
- Operating System: Windows
My theory is that Finale creates these temp files it needs but doesn't keep them open or otherwise lock them while it's running, and some Windows clean-up process comes along and deletes them when Finale still needs them, with disastrous consequences. This jibes with reports of it being more likely to happen if Finale has been running a long time. Finale needs to keep them open. There's also a way to open a file and mark it for deletion automatically when Finale exits or the file is closed, which would eliminate having stray leftovers to clean up.
-
- Posts: 181
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:29 am
- Finale Version: Finale 26
- Operating System: Mac
Personally, I have a couple automatic backups happening to make sure that I don't lose a ton of work. I have one service that automatically backs up to the cloud continuously, another that automatically backups to the cloud every day, and an external hard drive that I backup to each week. It may be overkill, but I've never lost more than 15-20 minutes of work using this system. And if the world/internet burns down, I will still only lose a week of work.
For the future, I would recommend some backup system similar to this. Especially if you are on your computer many hours each day, it really helps to have automatic backups in place so you never have to worry about losing hours of work.
For the future, I would recommend some backup system similar to this. Especially if you are on your computer many hours each day, it really helps to have automatic backups in place so you never have to worry about losing hours of work.
Nick
- michelp
- Posts: 2057
- Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 3:35 pm
- Finale Version: 27.4.1,26.3.1, Mont.
- Operating System: Mac
Dropbox. All consecutive versions can be restored.
Michel
MacOsX 12.7.4, Finale 27.4.1 & 26.3.1, Mac Mini Intel Dual Core i7 3Ghz, 16 Go Ram. Azerty kb. MOTU Midi Express XT USB, Roland Sound Canvas SC-88vl, MOTU Audio Express. 2 monitors (27"' pivot, 24'"), JW Lua, RGP Lua
MacOsX 12.7.4, Finale 27.4.1 & 26.3.1, Mac Mini Intel Dual Core i7 3Ghz, 16 Go Ram. Azerty kb. MOTU Midi Express XT USB, Roland Sound Canvas SC-88vl, MOTU Audio Express. 2 monitors (27"' pivot, 24'"), JW Lua, RGP Lua
- zuill
- Posts: 4418
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2016 9:35 pm
- Finale Version: Finale 2011-v26.3.1
- Operating System: Windows
Backing up files is a good thing. But the first step is to avoid corruption. In the 22 years I've used Finale, I can count on one hand the number of times I needed to revert to a backup file.
Zuill
Zuill
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
- michelp
- Posts: 2057
- Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 3:35 pm
- Finale Version: 27.4.1,26.3.1, Mont.
- Operating System: Mac
Install Dropbox. It creates a folder on your hard disk. The files you place in it are sent to the space you have on their server.tdlucas wrote:How do I get Finale to automatically backup to Dropbox?michelp wrote:Dropbox. All consecutive versions can be restored.
Put the file on which you are working in the Dropbox folder. Each time you save it, it gets uploaded to your server. Every consecutive version can be restored.
Add this to local backups (USB drive, external drive).
Michel
MacOsX 12.7.4, Finale 27.4.1 & 26.3.1, Mac Mini Intel Dual Core i7 3Ghz, 16 Go Ram. Azerty kb. MOTU Midi Express XT USB, Roland Sound Canvas SC-88vl, MOTU Audio Express. 2 monitors (27"' pivot, 24'"), JW Lua, RGP Lua
MacOsX 12.7.4, Finale 27.4.1 & 26.3.1, Mac Mini Intel Dual Core i7 3Ghz, 16 Go Ram. Azerty kb. MOTU Midi Express XT USB, Roland Sound Canvas SC-88vl, MOTU Audio Express. 2 monitors (27"' pivot, 24'"), JW Lua, RGP Lua
- David Ward
- Posts: 814
- Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 4:48 pm
- Finale Version: F 25.5 & 26.3
- Operating System: Mac
I use Box from https://www.box.com/en-gb/home which does much the same as Dropbox (which I do have as well).
For local backups I have recently found ForeverSave 2 a great boon and extremely easy to set up. It's available for a very modest charge from https://toolforcesoftware.com/ It saves as often as you set it up to for whichever applications you choose, and it keeps as many past versions as you allow.
For local backups I have recently found ForeverSave 2 a great boon and extremely easy to set up. It's available for a very modest charge from https://toolforcesoftware.com/ It saves as often as you set it up to for whichever applications you choose, and it keeps as many past versions as you allow.
Finale 25.5 & 26.3
Mac 10.13.6 & 10.14.6
Mac 10.13.6 & 10.14.6
- gogreen
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:50 am
- Finale Version: Finale 27.4.1.146
- Operating System: Mac
When I switched from a Windows environment to Mac, I went with Freefilesync for local backup (https://freefilesync.org.) I have it set on my iMac to back up my files to an external drive and to my networked Macbook Air. For cloud backup I use iDrive.
I set Finale to autosave my work every 5 minutes and to make backups when saving files.
On my iMac, TimeMachine is on, and I also use Carbon Copy Cloner to create a bootable entire backup of my hard disk.
For Windows, I absolutely loved Syncbackfree (https://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/ ... e-hub.html). Not available for Mac.
I set Finale to autosave my work every 5 minutes and to make backups when saving files.
On my iMac, TimeMachine is on, and I also use Carbon Copy Cloner to create a bootable entire backup of my hard disk.
For Windows, I absolutely loved Syncbackfree (https://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/ ... e-hub.html). Not available for Mac.
Art
Finale 27
NotePerformer, GPO5, COMB2
MacOS Ventura 13.6.6
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BRHBTHT/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=%22Arthur+J.+Michaels%22&qid=1593016536&sr=8-2
Finale 27
NotePerformer, GPO5, COMB2
MacOS Ventura 13.6.6
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BRHBTHT/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=%22Arthur+J.+Michaels%22&qid=1593016536&sr=8-2
- MikeHalloran
- Posts: 711
- Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 2:56 am
- Finale Version: 27
- Operating System: Mac
You’re on High Sierra. If you have no other OS installed and your boot drive is formatted APFS, you can restore your entire system to its state from an hour up to a few days before such a calamity occurs. It takes a few minutes.gogreen wrote:When I switched from a Windows environment to Mac, I went with Freefilesync for local backup (https://freefilesync.org.) I have it set on my iMac to back up my files to an external drive and to my networked Macbook Air. For cloud backup I use iDrive.
I set Finale to autosave my work every 5 minutes and to make backups when saving files.
On my iMac, TimeMachine is on, and I also use Carbon Copy Cloner to create a bootable entire backup of my hard disk.
For Windows, I absolutely loved Syncbackfree (https://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/ ... e-hub.html). Not available for Mac.
http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... =4&t=64689
Windows has nothing like this — yet. There’s no way that Microsoft is ignoring the implications.
Mike Halloran
Finale 27.4.1, SmartScore X2 Pro, GPO5 & World Instruments
MacOS Ventura 14.5 (public beta); 2023 Studio M2 Ultra, 192G RAM, 8TB; 2021 MBAir M1
NotePerformer4, Dorico 5, Overture, Notion 6, DP 11, Logic Pro
Finale 27.4.1, SmartScore X2 Pro, GPO5 & World Instruments
MacOS Ventura 14.5 (public beta); 2023 Studio M2 Ultra, 192G RAM, 8TB; 2021 MBAir M1
NotePerformer4, Dorico 5, Overture, Notion 6, DP 11, Logic Pro