At 12:14 PM 1/18/06 -0500, Christopher Smith wrote: >I was reconstituting the score that I lost from the File Overwrite bug >bite
Your last backup was that long before? This bug couldn't possibly overwrite all previous files? I've never been bitten by this bug (I'm on 2K5), and crashes and other problems rarely take out much but the last few minutes of my work -- because I always follow Dennis's Safe Practices and I really, really, really, REALLY recommend them. :) It may seem like extra steps, but I don't recall having to recover a damaged Finale file since a giant screwup in the file structure in of a long piece back in 1994. (I had to go into the ETF version and hunt down the sequence of measure entries. Very much not fun!) So I follow these rules... 1. Turn a program's automated backup OFF. 2. Turn a program's backup-when-saving ON (not necessary, but a stupidity-safeguard). 3. Create my first file of a project with "001" in the name (such as "HighBirds 001.mus" or "RFID Predictions for 2006-001.doc"). 4. At every thought-pause, do a "Save As...", incrementing the filename by 1. (The thought-pause save is second nature now. In 11 keystrokes*, I've created a safe harbor for my work -- and a running history if it's something I'm composing.) 5. Save all documents, exit the program, and restart it. 6. Re-open the document and "Save As...", incrementing the filename by 1. In Finale, I add these additional safeguards: 1. At every major revision or addition point, do a Data Check for deleted items and document integrity. 2. Then "Save as..." under the next incremented name. 3. At every major stopping point (dinner, sleep, Scotch), exit Finale and delete everything in the TEMP directory. 4. When extracting parts, immediately save the parts and score under new names (not just Finale's names), exit the program, and re-open everything to begin actual work. (Nightly I back up to an X-drive as well, operating system, programs, and all my document files.) None of this takes more time then lifting the cup of coffee that's always on my desk, nor getting another cup. But right now I'm starting a backup because we have heavy rain & high water. Ouch. Dennis *On Windows: ALT+F+A, END, 4 Back Arrows, 1 Backspace, 1 new number, Enter. 13 keystrokes every 10 saves, 15 keystrokes every 100 saves. _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
