Data Corruption

DEVONthink Tips
1

I have been using DT and now DT Pro for a long time now.

I went back to some entries from 2003 and find that they have disappeared. The RTF data is fine. It is only entries which were text which have been zeroed out. They have a 0kb size and they are empty.

What is going on?

I guess I should also file a bug report.

Indro

2

Something happened in the past. Fortunately, Indro has some old backups and we’ve sent some suggestions on how to explore them for the missing text files. Backups are rarely needed, but when one does need them it’s critical.

3

I got back the missing text files. I had a monthly archive of the files going back about two years. All of the data is safe.

Thanks for all the help on fixing the problem. I appreciate it.

Indro

4

I’m also experiencing corruption with data, however in my case my .doc and .rtf files are what’s being corrupted. Files that are linked by reference to “real” files outside of DT Pro Office 1.3b2 are fine; files within the database are not.

Like Indro, some other files get zeroed out (the size is actually 4K according to DT Pro Office, but there is no content). In my case they’re almost entirely PDF files. The .doc and .rtf files show raw data instead of formatted text, such that formatting commands and control characters appear in the content. This is a new phenomenon I’ve experienced since upgrading from DT Pro 1.2 to DT Pro Office 1.3b2.

Also, DT Pro Office 1.3b2 crashes and quits when performing a Verify & Repair on the database.

5

Please send the crash log for DT Pro as an attachment to a message to Support. Please note if possible what you were doing when the crash occurred, and perhaps also anything unusual that may have happened lately, such as a power outage or other event that might be related.

You will find it at ~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/DEVONthink Pro.crash.log.

6

Is this only related to the new beta?
Indro, did used the new version to or this something
one can expect with version 1.2, too? Is ther a safe way
of checking if some files get already corrupted?

BTW, I am desperately waiting for version 2.0 with spotlight
support and normal file system based “database”.

7

I don’t believe Indro’s problem had anything to do with moving to the current beta version.

I’ve been using betas almost exclusively in my workflows (for years :slight_smile: ), with no problems.

But remember my ‘belt and suspenders’ approach. Backup frequently. I don’t pay attention to whatever schedule I’ve set for backups in DT Pro’s preferences. Whenever I’ve made significant changes to my database, and also before I install a new version, I make a backup.

I highly recommend DT Pro’s Scripts > Export > Backup Archive. When you’ve been working in the database and plan to take a break, run it. It only takes seconds to set up, and when you return after the break everything is good to go – with current internal and external backups.