[Carl2009]

Hi

I use Roundtracker V4 - it does all I need and i'm pleased.

I  back it up every night to an external hard drive using copy and paste (so, copy from my C folder and paste into my exterior drive – J – folder). I often have a problem then accessing those back ups from previous days – I get a message “Unable to read file”. Anybody else have this problem?

Mark Henderson at Window Cleaning Resources wasn't able to help when I contacted him back in Oct and it's beginning to
hack me off that I have this problem.

Can anybody help?

Cheers

[lozsing]

sometimes when not used external hard drives can go into a sleep mode if its connected to your pc all the time, trying switching pc and external drive off and restarting it all and see if you can access it then, i had a similar problem backing up my pc hard drive to a external drive

[M Henderson]

Hi Carl,

Just a stab in the dark. Have you tried using the 'Save As' command and selecting the location on your external hard drive rather than the copy and paste method? (The copy and paste method should work fine but may be worth trying just to rule it out)

We will have a new version out soon, Round Tracker v4 PRO. (See www.roundtracker.info )

This seems to be a problem unique to you as far as I am aware so I don't know whether you will still have the same problems, but as an existing customer you will be sent a free upgrade when it's ready.

[M Henderson]

By the way, did you try saving to a different external device? eg. a memory stick or SD card?

If it works OK on other devices then it it would indicate that it has something to do with your external hard drive.

Do you have the same problem with other files?

[Window Washers]

sounds to me like your saving a link to a file rather than saving the file, then moving the linked file to a new place, hence the can't open it problem. Try saving the file to desktop then cut file to your external harddrive, if this solves the problem it is the saving process your doing is the problem. Let me know what happens.
MAke sure your not saving a shortcut.

Ian

[Carl2009]

I've also used the Save As method (indeed, that's the way I usually save it - my original post was copy and pasted from that email I sent you Mark). I save to a CD to as I can't rely on it saving on the External Hard Drive and that always opens fine. Note it's an intermittent issue - sometimes I can gain access, sometimes not. Everything else I save to the EHD always saves fine, including other spreadsheets. I don't only want to save it to CD as it takes so long to save - it's just not convenient.

The EHD does go to sleep if not used, but the Save As command wakes it up just fine. I'm def not saving a link.

For those interested, Roundtracker is a doddle to use and i'm really pleased with it, except this issue of backing up. Currently I wouldn't be prepared to spend more on WCP.

When will PRO be out Mark?

[Paul Coleman]

Not exactly what was being asked about but I believe it is also very important to save backup to a remote location too (a bit of secure webspace for instance).  Although it's extremely unlikely that the main drive and the backup drive will fail about the same time, there are some things that could/would affect both drives.  e.g. fire, magnetic problems (though unusual), flooding etc.

There are free storage services on the web (funded by ads I think) so no need for it to cost anything either.

[Jack Wallace]

I use online backup as well as external hard drive for added safety. As Paul says while you are having problems it may be an idea to look at an alternative.

https://www.dropbox.com/  Its easy to use, and free.  I can access my files from any computer, anywhere, anytime.

All my work stuff is backed up online weekly in case of emergency; if my house were to catch fire the hard drive would be of little use.

[M Henderson]

Paul is right about online back up.

I use online backup as well as external hard drive for added safety. As Paul says while you are having problems it may be an idea to look at an alternative.

https://www.dropbox.com/  Its easy to use, and free.  I can access my files from any computer, anywhere, anytime.

All my work stuff is backed up online weekly in case of emergency; if my house were to catch fire the hard drive would be of little use.

That looks really good. Will try that and likely recommend it to our RT users.

For those interested, Roundtracker is a doddle to use and i'm really pleased with it, except this issue of backing up. Currently I wouldn't be prepared to spend more on WCP.

When will PRO be out Mark?

Thanks Carl, if you like the present version then you will love the new one. It's more like a software program than a spreadsheet now. We've incorporated Macros to automate a lot of the common tasks and to eliminate the need to copy and paste info when sending records to Income History and Accounts etc. and the much requested feature of being able to easily sort the order of the round. (You can do it on the present version but its longwinded. The new one is automatic. )  There's a lot of new features like tracking what advertising is most successful and other stuff. (A full list of features is on the site mentioned earlier)

I'm in the process of getting it digitally signed and finishing the PDF Help manual and videos etc.

Should be available in a week or two.

(Unfortunately, speaking of back ups etc. my lap top died on me and I 've been held up having to transfer files and sort out all the problems involved reinstalling programs etc. - bit of a nightmare. !!)

[Small but perfectley formed]

The new version sounds excellent cant wait for my upgrade, anyone thinking of software i would buy this, also excellent after sales from mark