Entourage Disaster
- Michele Monro
- Posts: 1097
- Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 6:31 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
Entourage Disaster
I wanted to share with you the experience I had on Friday with my computer hopefully it will prevent the same thing happening to any of you.
I use an Apple Mac computer and with it, the Microsoft Entourage programme for my emails.
On Friday the computer had to be forcibly shut down. When it was re-started the entire Entourage programme with all my documentation over the last 5 years - equally 1.95GB had gone and in its place a completely new Entourage box with one solitary email saying 'Welcome to Mircrosoft" A call to Apple informed me it was Microsoft's problem but then everything was closed until Monday. I spent the whole weekend in a state of panic not daring to do anything until I had spoken to the technical department.
I spent 3 hours on the telephone to Microsoft on Monday and the result was that it had vanished. A search for the database file resulted in nothing and they declared there was nothing further they could do. Apparently if you go to Google and type in 'entourage lost my email' you will see that this in fact is a common problem, so common that I had never heard of anything like it.
There was noting further to be accomplished and with heavy heart decided to load the back-up which was 20 days old. Getting so many emails a day I figured I had probably lost 2000 emails but that I could beg for people to re-send them. Then a total disaster the back-up was incomplete. I went to a back-up for December and that too was incomplete. Another long phone call - result was that they were sorry, they had no idea why it hard failed to make a complete file but that I should ring Apple as it must have something to do with their operating system.
I decided before doing anything more I would make a total back-up of everything within Apple and mum came back with a mobile hard drive and I spent two days transferring everything over and cleaning out things that were no longer needed.
Hidden deep in other files I came across the 'Microsoft user file' and judging by the size and date it had to be the missing file (the emails that had been lost when the computer crashed. It took another call and another 4 hours before Microsoft could go through it with me step by step and try and attach it back. The computer found another 5 duplicate files which were apparently clashing with each other and so the 'search' was not recognizing them. Every time the computer had played up over the last few months the computer had made recovery files but re-named them so again they were not recognized. It took us deleting 18 sets of partial deletions and lots of trashing to be finally left with only the 'one' which was then transfered to the right area so that the computer would recognize the one I wanted.
Last night at 11.00 pm the system was up and running as it had been last Friday and a new back-up made.
One thing to prevent something similar happening is that when you force a shut-down or turn the computer off make sure your email programme, whether Entourage or Outlook is shut down properly, DON'T just click the cross in the top corner. This deletion can only happen if the system crashes and the file was open at the time. If your computer crashes and the programme was open (say because you were actually working on it at the time) don't assume it has gone just because it says so.
Make regular back-ups of all important files. I had apparently backed up my files and although there was nothing wrong in the way I did it, Microsoft explained there was a 100% foolproof way to make a duplicate of the database which was different from the way I had been doing it.
Lastly if anyone has sent an email to me in the last six days, then please re-send it as that is all I ended up losing - the six days it took to put the computer back to the state it was before the crash.
Technology is one of the most wonderful things of the 21st century - until it goes wrong!!!!!!
I use an Apple Mac computer and with it, the Microsoft Entourage programme for my emails.
On Friday the computer had to be forcibly shut down. When it was re-started the entire Entourage programme with all my documentation over the last 5 years - equally 1.95GB had gone and in its place a completely new Entourage box with one solitary email saying 'Welcome to Mircrosoft" A call to Apple informed me it was Microsoft's problem but then everything was closed until Monday. I spent the whole weekend in a state of panic not daring to do anything until I had spoken to the technical department.
I spent 3 hours on the telephone to Microsoft on Monday and the result was that it had vanished. A search for the database file resulted in nothing and they declared there was nothing further they could do. Apparently if you go to Google and type in 'entourage lost my email' you will see that this in fact is a common problem, so common that I had never heard of anything like it.
There was noting further to be accomplished and with heavy heart decided to load the back-up which was 20 days old. Getting so many emails a day I figured I had probably lost 2000 emails but that I could beg for people to re-send them. Then a total disaster the back-up was incomplete. I went to a back-up for December and that too was incomplete. Another long phone call - result was that they were sorry, they had no idea why it hard failed to make a complete file but that I should ring Apple as it must have something to do with their operating system.
I decided before doing anything more I would make a total back-up of everything within Apple and mum came back with a mobile hard drive and I spent two days transferring everything over and cleaning out things that were no longer needed.
Hidden deep in other files I came across the 'Microsoft user file' and judging by the size and date it had to be the missing file (the emails that had been lost when the computer crashed. It took another call and another 4 hours before Microsoft could go through it with me step by step and try and attach it back. The computer found another 5 duplicate files which were apparently clashing with each other and so the 'search' was not recognizing them. Every time the computer had played up over the last few months the computer had made recovery files but re-named them so again they were not recognized. It took us deleting 18 sets of partial deletions and lots of trashing to be finally left with only the 'one' which was then transfered to the right area so that the computer would recognize the one I wanted.
Last night at 11.00 pm the system was up and running as it had been last Friday and a new back-up made.
One thing to prevent something similar happening is that when you force a shut-down or turn the computer off make sure your email programme, whether Entourage or Outlook is shut down properly, DON'T just click the cross in the top corner. This deletion can only happen if the system crashes and the file was open at the time. If your computer crashes and the programme was open (say because you were actually working on it at the time) don't assume it has gone just because it says so.
Make regular back-ups of all important files. I had apparently backed up my files and although there was nothing wrong in the way I did it, Microsoft explained there was a 100% foolproof way to make a duplicate of the database which was different from the way I had been doing it.
Lastly if anyone has sent an email to me in the last six days, then please re-send it as that is all I ended up losing - the six days it took to put the computer back to the state it was before the crash.
Technology is one of the most wonderful things of the 21st century - until it goes wrong!!!!!!
Michele, I sympathise with your computer problem. I had a similar situation to yours but not as serious as I did not lose any work. When I came back from holiday, I simply could not acces the Internet. I could do it from my laptop but not from my desktop. To cut a long story short, a colleague had a look at it, tried lots of things but in the end, I decided to get a new computer but put my old hard drive in the new one so I wouldn't lose anything. As far as your emails are concerned, there is a very good backup programme called Cloudeight E Mail Guardian which can back up all your emails on a daily basis. Hope this helps you.
That is an alarming story--I would be lost without my computer--and even though it does not have anything "business-like" on it, I would hate to lose anything. Last time I had to have my hard disc replaced, and when I asked why, as I could not think of anything I had done, I was told it could just have been the computer installing an update !!
Mariana
- Lena & Harry Smith
- Posts: 21514
- Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2005 10:05 am
- Location: London UK
Sorry to hear of your computer problems Michele. According to yesterdays newspaper there appears to have been problems with Microsoft Hotmail accounts here in the UK, America and Ireland. E-mail users were unable to access their e-mail accounts after a mystery technical fault. The system used by more than 11.4 million went off line. Microsoft bosses said they were stumped by the problem and were still working to fix it last night. The firm's Windows Live Instant Messenger service was also affected.
We were stumped too last weekend when we couldn't access the internet practically the entire day on Sunday, and were first told it was probably the server.

We were stumped too last weekend when we couldn't access the internet practically the entire day on Sunday, and were first told it was probably the server.


- Michele Monro
- Posts: 1097
- Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 6:31 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
Apple
It is more complicated but it can do amazing things with music and photographs which is important for me.
I spent 6 days pulling my hair out but incredibly I found the missing database yesterday but it had changed it's name and the system couldn't recognize it. Thank God I am now operational again and am happy to say the updates made it on time.
I hope you all go and visit 'In the Pipeline" and let me have your comments
I spent 6 days pulling my hair out but incredibly I found the missing database yesterday but it had changed it's name and the system couldn't recognize it. Thank God I am now operational again and am happy to say the updates made it on time.
I hope you all go and visit 'In the Pipeline" and let me have your comments
I am really looking forward to the new releases, everything sounds really exciting. I can't believe we only have 3 weeks to wait for the first release, the 2cd set featuring the decca singles etc and the Australian concert. Really looking forward to the other 2 concerts, like I mentioned last month and really, really, really looking forward to the singles collection. 

- Lena & Harry Smith
- Posts: 21514
- Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2005 10:05 am
- Location: London UK
Exciting, all those forthcoming gems to look forward to Michele.
I enjoyed reading the updates and the spotlight on section on Anthony Newley.
It was interesting to read recently an item in an old copy of Melody Maker from 1961, that four songs by Anthony Newley from "Stop The World I Want to Get Off" had been banned by the BBC "on the grounds of bad taste"
Lonnie Donegan's "Michael Row the Boat" was also banned in Ireland on religious grounds,
and Steve Lawrence of all people, was banned for his song "In Time" which is described as "A mutilation of the original fantasy overture from Romeo and Juliet" by Tchaikovsky.
Marian

I enjoyed reading the updates and the spotlight on section on Anthony Newley.
It was interesting to read recently an item in an old copy of Melody Maker from 1961, that four songs by Anthony Newley from "Stop The World I Want to Get Off" had been banned by the BBC "on the grounds of bad taste"

Lonnie Donegan's "Michael Row the Boat" was also banned in Ireland on religious grounds,




Marian

- Terence Lee
- Posts: 1095
- Joined: Sat Nov 19, 2005 8:29 pm
- Location: Penang Island, Malaysia
- Contact:
a long wait
Available Autumn 2009 :
Close to You/The Long and Winding Road
Has this been delayed by a year?
What a long wait for my favourite project.
Close to You/The Long and Winding Road
Has this been delayed by a year?
What a long wait for my favourite project.
I was just browsing around to see if anyone had "Matt Monro Sings" for pre-order, but wasn't able to find any anywhere as yet.
I found Amazon have another re-release of the Decca singles, entitled "That Old Feeling" on the Music Digital Label, advertised as being for release on 7th April. I take this to be an unofficial release.
Marian.
I found Amazon have another re-release of the Decca singles, entitled "That Old Feeling" on the Music Digital Label, advertised as being for release on 7th April. I take this to be an unofficial release.

Marian.
Yes Marian, I have been looking too, but could only find the 12 track CD album - That Old Feeling which I mentioned was available from HMV for £2.99. I pre-ordered a copy from HMV, but when I find "Matt Monro Sings" I will cancel my HMV order.......... as the "Matt Monro Sings" release has 16 tracks, plus of course a second disc which contains the Australian concert



"My Tears Will Fall Now That You're Gone,
I Can't Help But Cry, But I Must Go On"
I Can't Help But Cry, But I Must Go On"
