File Save to Place Issue

[Bowes Researcher]

My Preferences pane says my family file saves are going to a Dropbox folder on my hard drive. However, I just deleted a different folder from my hard drive that was *not* in Dropbox, after uploading its contents to Google Drive. One of the family files I had open at the time closed and became inaccessible as soon as I deleted that non-Dropbox folder.

When I look at Google Drive in the contents for this uploaded folder, I see what appear to be older saves for the disappeared family file there, but not a current one that I'm able to download, "convert", and open in Reunion. (I don't expect Google Drive to preserve the Reunion structure in any case?)

When I look for this file in my Dropbox folder where Preferences says my family files are saved to by default, there is no such folder in that place on my hard-drive.

So where was the now gone family file backed up? And where is my currently open family file saved to?

TOTALLY confused and distraught :-(

[Dennis J. Cunniff]

Re: File Save to Place Issue

My Preferences pane says my family file saves are going to a Dropbox folder on my hard drive. However, I just deleted a different folder [and o]ne of the family files I had open at the time closed and became inaccessible [...] So where was the now gone family file backed up? And where is my currently open family file saved to?

Well, I think you really should talk with the help desk.

What's shown in preferences is the folder that Reunion will first open when you open or back up a copy of a file. But if you open a family file that's in another folder, Reunion won't move it to the default folder you've selected in preferences, it just keeps it in the folder it started in. I suspect you've been opening your family file that was actually in the folder you've deleted, possibly by clicking on an alias or on the dock

Reunion doesn't make backups unless you tell it to, so unless you've specifically told it to "Save a Backup Copy..." or you've been using Time Machine, you may be out of luck. Time Machine makes it a lot harder to lose a family file.

You may need to resort to a Mac utility program that will undelete recently deleted files. But if so you need to so so before it's overwritten.

I believe the help desk e-mail is: help@LeisterPro.com

[Bowes Researcher]

Re: File Save to Place Issue

Thank you Dennis. I appreciate that added insight into how Reunion works and the email address. After posting I realized I do have Time Machine backups, so that's good, although I've lost a couple hours' work since the last one. I also inadvertently found the master familyfile uploaded to Google Drive (under another name after the upload), but if it's possible to re-open it in Reunion I've not yet figured out how after downloading it back to my hard drive. More work to do on that since it would recall my entries since the last Time Machine backup 12/31. For now I am trying to get my files on my hard drive better organized and ensure my other family file is safe.

Martha

[Dennis J. Cunniff]

Re: File Save to Place Issue

Thank you Dennis. I appreciate that added insight into how Reunion works and the email address. After posting I realized I do have Time Machine backups, so that's good, although I've lost a couple hours' work since the last one. I also inadvertently found the master familyfile uploaded to Google Drive (under another name after the upload), but if it's possible to re-open it in Reunion I've not yet figured out how after downloading it back to my hard drive. More work to do on that since it would recall my entries since the last Time Machine backup 12/31. For now I am trying to get my files on my hard drive better organized and ensure my other family file is safe.

Martha

Glad to hear that things were't as disastrous as they first sounded!

[Bob White]

Re: File Save to Place Issue

If this helps.... most of these "Cloud stored" files are duplicated on your Mac.

The Dropbox folder is located at MacintoshHD>UserName>Dropbox.

Most of the rest, like Pages, Keynote, etc., are located MacintoshHD>UserName>Library>Mobile Documents.

[jbastin]

Re: File Save to Place Issue

Thank you Dennis. I appreciate that added insight into how Reunion works and the email address. After posting I realized I do have Time Machine backups, so that's good, although I've lost a couple hours' work since the last one. I also inadvertently found the master familyfile uploaded to Google Drive (under another name after the upload), but if it's possible to re-open it in Reunion I've not yet figured out how after downloading it back to my hard drive. More work to do on that since it would recall my entries since the last Time Machine backup 12/31. For now I am trying to get my files on my hard drive better organized and ensure my other family file is safe.

This is something I see often, and I'll never understand. Time Machine does an excellent job of keeping your files backed up if you use it the way it was designed. That is to keep the Time Machine drive connected to your computer all the time, so it can do its hourly backup automatically without your involvement.

If you disconnect the Time Machine drive and only plug it in occasionally when you think you need a backup, then it's no better than any other backup method that depends on you, the user, remembering to do it.

Plug that Time Machine drive into your computer and forget about it, leave it there. It will conscientiously back up your stuff, recording all the changes every hour, while you're working and not paying any attention to it. When you need it to rescue you as in situations like this, it will be there to do the job.

Yes, Time Machine shouldn't be the only item in your backup strategy, but its a very important one to have.

[Michael Talibard]

Re: File Save to Place Issue

This is something I see often, and I'll never understand. Time Machine does an excellent job of keeping your files backed up if you use it the way it was designed. That is to keep the Time Machine drive connected to your computer all the time, so it can do its hourly backup automatically without your involvement.

If you disconnect the Time Machine drive and only plug it in occasionally when you think you need a backup, then it's no better than any other backup method that depends on you, the user, remembering to do it.

Plug that Time Machine drive into your computer and forget about it, leave it there. It will conscientiously back up your stuff, recording all the changes every hour, while you're working and not paying any attention to it. When you need it to rescue you as in situations like this, it will be there to do the job.

Yes, Time Machine shouldn't be the only item in your backup strategy, but its a very important one to have.

I second this.

[Gregg]

Re: File Save to Place Issue

Excellent advice from jbastin,

...Plug that Time Machine drive into your computer and forget about it, leave it there...

In addition to forgetting about it, remember to make sure Time Machine is still working.

Every day or so, click on the Time Machine icon (near the right side of your menubar) and you will see the date of the latest Time Machine backup. If that date is more than a day ago, Time Machine is not making backups and you will need to figure out why.