Uninstaller is scary aggressive

[tonedef71]

I noticed that I had two different versions of RapidComposer installed in two different folders, so I ran the uninstall program (unins000.exe) in the folder of the older copy.

I did not realize that the uninstaller was so aggressive with its deletions. The uninstaller deleted the entire C:\Users\MyUser\AppData\Roaming\RapidComposer folder.

I lost everything (all my rcComp files, custom rcPHRS, rcINST, and rcIDEA files).

Do not make the same mistake I made!

Would it be possible for the stock and mandatory RC files to be completely isolated from the files that get created/modified by the user? It might make it easier for the uninstaller to avoid deleting any content that was modified since the initial installation.

[musicdevelopments]

Dear tonedef71,

I am terribly sorry that you lost all files. Earlier uninstallation deleted only the files that were installed to AppData\Roaming\RapidComposer however some people complained that after uninstall there were files left on their PC.
Now I restored the old behaviour to be safe.
The ideal solution would be that the uninstaller asks you what you want to delete, but I need to find a better installer because this one does not offer the required functionality.

Sorry,
Attila

[BlackWinny]

While waiting for the next release which will correct this big problem, I suggest you to use Recuva as soon as possible !

Do it quickly ! As soon as possible ! Because each passing hour or day is an hour or day where hard disk sectors previously used by your files can be overwritten by new contents !

There as several tools that exist for a good recovery of lost files (which are not in the recycle bin), but Recuva is one of the bests, it is very popular for its excellent quality as all the other products made by Piriform (Ccleaner, Defraggler, Speccy, and Recuva). All these four products have a free version and a commercial version. The main difference is that the commercial versions are for professionnal use, so there's no need to purchase them when at home: all the essential functions are present in the free versions.

Do quickly to avoid an overwrite of your hard disk sectors ! As quick as you'll be, as many files you'll recover !

[BlackWinny]

And I highly recommend the use of a free backup program.

In general these programs can be very easily set for example to make every morning (at the start of the computer) a scan of the computer (in directories we can precise) to gather all the files that have been created or updated yesterday and backup them in zip files (the best format, but sometimes it is another format) in a directory that you can set (the best is to set it in another disk or in a USB key). And this... in a background task that allow you to begin to use your computer while the backup program makes its job. Of course, to avoid a problem of timing, the best is to scan very precise directories rather than the whole computer.

Here is a review of some of the best backup programs, a very, very recent review... only 4 days ago :
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-fr ... up-program

Personally I use Comodo Backup. It is in fact more easy than it may appear at the first time. Few years ago and until very recently I was using Cobian Backup but I don't recommend it for the moment because the developer has ceased to maintain it and is actually selling the source code to allow the continuation by another developer, so we don't know what it will become.

Make a daily automatic backup of the files that we create (no need to do it for the other files like purchased libraries, etc.) is very, very important. Alas it is always when one has personally the problem that one begins to really take it at serious. This was also my case many years ago, so of course I don't throw stone at anyone.

So use Recuva as soon as possible, the less you wait the less you'll loose. Then install and set a backup program to make a backup of your most recent files created or updated in directories that you point (included their subdirectories of course). It works very fast at the start of your computer if the directories are very precisely targeted.

Maybe you already know all that, but it goes always better when reminding it.

I wish you good luck.

[tonedef71]

While waiting for the next release which will correct this big problem, I suggest you to use Recuva as soon as possible !

Do it quickly ! As soon as possible ! Because each passing hour or day is an hour or day where hard disk sectors previously used by your files can be overwritten by new contents !

Do quickly to avoid an overwrite of your hard disk sectors ! As quick as you'll be, as many files you'll recover !

Thank you for the suggestions. I ran the recuva utility and was able to nearly recover all of my RC files (they were small in size). However, RC locks up when it tries to load my custom phrases. I am thinking that the files must be corrupted now. I have seen this issue happen already with some other sample custom phrases that I had downloaded previously from a special link on the RC website -- I re-downloaded the phrases and they work fine with RC. Unfortunately, I have nowhere to re-download my own custom phrases from.

And I highly recommend the use of a free backup program.

I happen to have a Gobbler account. I wonder if I could use it to keep my RC custom data backed up?

[BlackWinny]

Hello tonedef71

Thank you for the suggestions. I ran the recuva utility and was able to nearly recover all of my RC files (they were small in size). However, RC locks up when it tries to load my custom phrases. I am thinking that the files must be corrupted now. I have seen this issue happen already with some other sample custom phrases that I had downloaded previously from a special link on the RC website -- I re-downloaded the phrases and they work fine with RC. Unfortunately, I have nowhere to re-download my own custom phrases from.

No, I don't think so. If in Recuva all the files were indicated by a green bubble they are all exactly preserved as they were before the accident. So if they can't be reinserted in your phrases it is necessarily a problem due not to these files themselves but with their registering in something like a phrase database of RC (I don't know but I'm certain that all the phrase files, even the custom ones, are registered in a database by RC, with index and the whole thing). So after the recover of the files (a step which is done now), there is certainly now a second step which is the way to reintroduce them in the indexed RC database, a step which is probably to improve in a case like this one. Definitely don't redelete these phrase files! But instead I suggest you to send them (or a rather little bunch of them, five or six) to Attila to let him test on his system (precise to him if you use Windows, OSX, or Linux) the method to reintroduce them in a database besides all the other phrases got from elsewhere.

And... could you send me five or six of these phrases? I'd like to try also at home. Or maybe you'll be ok to publish five or six here in order to get an eventual help from other friends here who could try also to find the solution at home...

I happen to have a Gobbler account. I wonder if I could use it to keep my RC custom data backed up?

I think it is an excellent solution. Myself I use Depositfiles for that. But never for very confidential data or for data I've purchased. Having never totally confidence in external solutions (especially on the web) I make a backup at home. It is possible to use a external hard disk like this one (you can note that with this single drive like with all the USB 3.0 drives, you get compatibility with your USB 2.0 devices today and the ultra-fast speed of USB 3.0 when you're ready to step up to the next generation when you get one day another computer.). Myself I now use another solution which allows a simultaneous use by more than one computer, it is a little and very simple NAS (this very cheap little box at home in which I've put a little 1Tb hard disk and which works totally autonomous and is permanently shared by my two computers, i.e. mine and my wife's).

What do you think of my suggestion to send a little bunch (five or six, not more) of your recovered files in order to let Attila (and eventually other friends here, by pm if you prefer) try to find the definitive solution to reinsert them in your RC?

[BlackWinny]

I continue to cogitate about a solution.

RC being able to import MIDI files to convert them to tracks or phrases... maybe Attila has, waiting for a definitive solution, the possibility to convert, by a little tool in his workshop, all your recovered phrase files in the inverse direction: in the MIDI format! Then he sends them back to you. Therefore having now your phrases in the MIDI format you could reimport them by the "MIDI Import" tab at the top of RC.

It could be a provisional solution for your problem avoiding you to wait for a substantial time, before the publication of the final solution to implement for everybody.

Perhaps I say an idiocy... I don't know, Attila will tell us.

[musicdevelopments]

Hi tonedef,

if you managed to recover your own custom phrases, why don't you send them to me? There is a big chance that your phrases can be saved, if the corruption is the same as the one we've seen previously.

Thanks,
Attila

[tonedef71]

Hello tonedef71

What do you think of my suggestion to send a little bunch (five or six, not more) of your recovered files in order to let Attila (and eventually other friends here, by pm if you prefer) try to find the definitive solution to reinsert them in your RC?

Thank you for the suggestion. I PM'd Attila with a link to most of my recovered RC data files. I believe that the majority of these recovered data files are corrupted. I am hoping that Attila can still somehow salvage the data out of them.

[tonedef71]

Hi tonedef,

if you managed to recover your own custom phrases, why don't you send them to me? There is a big chance that your phrases can be saved, if the corruption is the same as the one we've seen previously.

Thanks,
Attila

Hi Attila:

I PM'd you with a link to a ZIP file containing most of my recovered RC data files. I believe that the majority of these recovered data files got corrupted. I am hoping that you can still somehow salvage the data out of them.

Thanks.
Tony

[musicdevelopments]

Hi Tony,

Now as I looked at your files, I think 70% of the phrases can be saved.
The composition is totally overwritten with random binary data. But if you look into the history directory (JumpRightIn.rcCOMP.history) the composition was written there several times. Just recover everything in that directory if you can, and send it to me. The highest numbers are the latest compositions.

Thanks,
Attila

[tonedef71]

Hi Tony,

Now as I looked at your files, I think 70% of the phrases can be saved.
The composition is totally overwritten with random binary data. But if you look into the history directory (JumpRightIn.rcCOMP.history) the composition was written there several times. Just recover everything in that directory if you can, and send it to me. The highest numbers are the latest compositions.

Thanks,
Attila

Hi Attila:

I sent you another PM last night with a link to my recovered history files. The PM is still sitting in my "Outbox" -- I'm not sure why it hasn't been sent out yet by the KVR forum.

[dsan@mail.com]

Hi Tony,
It actually just appears to be sitting there until the recipient reads it. The mail host at KVR is not the best. People often do not realize they have new mail due to the notification process.

I think Attila had made mention some time back, in another thread, it is best to email him. He knows when those arrive.

HTH

Happy Musiking!
dsan

[tonedef71]

Hi Tony,
It actually just appears to be sitting there until the recipient reads it. The mail host at KVR is not the best.

Ah. Thank you for the heads-up. So a PM in my "Outbox" is really just a PM in the recipient's "Inbox", and the PM does not appear in my "Sent Messages" until it has been read by the recipient? Hmm... that implementation is not what I would have expected -- to me, its counter-intuitive.

I also prefer the color theme of the previous forum over the one we have now -- the previous forum's color theme provided much better contrast for my eyes.