Where has my journal gone, text disappeared.

Asked by Steve Johns

WTF!!!!! I open Rednotebook and all of my text has disappeared, three months of diary keeping of my travels in Thailand and now nothing, not a single entry, as if I never wrote a thing??? Does anyone know about this problem and what to do about it. If not Rednotebook can get stuffed, I'll never touch it again!

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RedNotebook Edit question
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Revision history for this message
Jendrik Seipp (jendrikseipp) said :
#1

You should try searching your whole computer for files like 2013-01.txt.
Can you please run RedNotebook and post the logfile from C:\Docs and
Settings\username\.rednotebook\ here?

Revision history for this message
Steve Johns (johnsy1959) said :
#2

Look I'm just a PC user not a programer so I don't even know what you you mean by "post the log file from C:\Docs and
Settings\username\.rednotebook\ here?" and no there is no .txt files on my PC either. HOW CAN ALL OF MY ENTRIES JUST DISAPPEAR? For three months I click save after making an entry and every time I open rednotebook again no problem there is all my past entries and I make another entry and click save and then I open rednotebook and this time nothing, not a single entry, no text, nothing!!!! This has never happened with PDF's, word, note pad etc but rednotebook the one I trusted, the one I used for diaryzing all of my travels just dumps all of my entries for no reason. WHAT KIND OF A F#$*ING PROGRAM IS THIS! REDNOTEBOOK IS NOTHING BUT SHIT!

Revision history for this message
MyOtheHedgeFox (a-ztech) said :
#3

Hello, Steve.

Before all:

=== PLEASE TAKE TIME AND PATIENCE TO READ THIS LETTER TO THE END ===
                   === IT IS VERY IMPORTANT ===

__

Please, calm down. =) It's not a good thing for the developer to
discover such a bug, and it is not his malicious intent to make one on
purpose -- we're not Amazon, and your travelogue is not "1984," we
don't want to delete any data!

Please, calm down. It will be thrince as hard to get the required
information for us to help you locate or restore your data,
and, darn it, we do not earn $3000 a month to do that -- it's a
volunteer task.

You do not need to be a programmer to help us -- even a linguist like
me can do it, and you know how "much" humanitarians know about PCs. =)
__

Again, please, take a deep breath or two, and answer these questions,
and any other questions Jendrik would like to ask you.

We need the answers to these and Jendrik's questions to help you, and
we do want to help you. Please, assist us in it.

I beg your pardon if my words seem too rude.

If you have problems answering any of these questions... Are there any
friends or relatives of yours that dabble in computers? There is
usually a neighborhood kid or a friend that knows a bit more about
computers, and he or she will be glad to help you in your cause.
Ask him to help you, give him this letter, let him sit at your
computer, and he will find the info we need to recover your travelogue.

Thank you in advance. =)
__

First of all, what is your operating system? Windows XP? Windows 7?

What version of RedNotebook did you install?
Did you download it from RedNotebook.sf.net, or from PortableApps or
an other website that offers portable programs for download?

Open up your My Computer (or simply Computer, if it's Windows 7), find
a little button called "Find,"
tell the little subwindow that you are looking for Files and Folders,
look for
*.txt
(there will be a textfield in which you should type the filename you're
looking for -- and that one will let you search for ANY txt files),
select disc C:\ for your search (choose the disc where your Windows is
installed),
tick the box in the option "Search in hidden files and folders" or
something like that if you have any,
check if there is a tick in the option "Search in subfolders" (there
MUST be a tick in the square by this option!),
and press "Search".

The program will then show you all the txt files you have on your disc
C:\ -- and this is where RedNotebook usually stores your files.

Look for files that have names akin to
2012-12.txt
2013-01.txt

and so on. You get it -- YYYY-MM.txt.
These are the files that comprise a RedNotebook "journal", like many
houses make a village.

Please, Search your C:\ for "*.txt" (without quotes, of course -- just
*.txt
, and look for those files) and tell us if you find any. Most likely
there are still there -- it's just that the program cannot find them
for some reason.
Usually, the Search Results show you where the found files are located.
Please, tell us where these files are located.
Jendrik needs the exact location to recover the journal.

If you haven't found any
*.txt
, then repeat the search, but this time, search for them in the whole
Computer.
__

Did you do the previous task? Excellent. =)

Now that we've done the search, we need to recover the logs from the
program. Jendrik will be able to find evidence to why this happened.

Again, do the Search in disc C:\, but this time, look for
.rednotebook
. Just that, just ".rednotebook", with a dot before the word.
You should be able to find a folder named ".rednotebook". This is
usually where RNB data is located, including its configuration file and
a logfile.
Chances are, the configuration file became corrupted because of a
virus, a disc error, or an abrupt reboot of the PC, and we need to
investigate.
Open this folder right in the Search Results. There should be two files
we will find interesting:
first, a file called "configuration.cfg",
and next, a file that has "log" either in its name or file extension
(either before or after the dot in the name if you see it).
If you cannot find the second file, look for something with "error" in
it.

Open both files in Notepad (that boring program that opens files in
plain monospace text), then Copy ALL the contents of the first file and
Paste it in the letter to us, and then, again, Copy ALL the contents of
the second file and Paste it in the same letter to us.

Then, please, send the letter (or bug comment, if you do it through the
Launchpad web interface) to us.

__

=== What it should have?
* Have you done the Search for those *.txt files as instructed above?
  Did you find any files that look like YYYY-MM.txt ? In what folder
  did you find them?
* "Copypasted" contents of "configuration.cfg" file from
  ".rednotebook" folder
* "Copypasted" contents of an error log file from ".rednotebook" folder

With these three elements, Jendrik will be able to recover your journal.

__

Again, if you cannot do these steps yourself, please, remain calm.
If you personally cannot do these steps, chances are there is a
friendly man or woman that will be able to help you: a good
neighborhood kid, a co-worker, a local sysadmin...

Ask them to help you, let them read this letter, and ask them to find
the information we ask for.

Unfortunately, we are not paid for the project on regular basis, since
RedNotebook is Jendrik's personal project and he gets almost no money
from it (donations are SCARCE), and I am just a guy who translated it
into Russian and wasn't paid for it a single cent.

Therefore, it is hard to provide our users with professional support
assistance, and we expect our users to help us whenever they can.
In your case, help in form of the information described above would be
exceptionally beneficial.

Unfortunately, I live on the other side of the world in Russia, and my
local time is at least twenty hours away from yours, so I cannot
provide you with live help like professional companies do (that
includes audio/video chat and remote PC control to do everything by
myself).
This is why I wrote this long letter. It is the best help I can offer
in the circumstances.

I do hope this instructions will help you understand what to do (or
will help you ask a man who dabbles in computers to help you find it
for us).

Thank you for your patience.
Please excuse me for any mistakes and typos you found.

--
Thank you for reading this letter,
   Danila "MyOtheHedgeFox" Evstifeev

Revision history for this message
Jendrik Seipp (jendrikseipp) said :
#4

I admire your patience and assistance, Danila!

Revision history for this message
Steve Johns (johnsy1959) said :
#5

Hi,
Firstly, my travelogue may not be "1984" to you but it so happens I was using my journal as the basis for a book I have been writing for many years, the loss of my journal has caused me to not bother with this project any longer. After all the work in writing my journal in Rednotebook and it's loss I just can't be stuffed continuing with it. Secondly I am traveling overseas so there is no friendly neighborhood PC/Tech person or family members to help. Thirdly, some how I always end up with some kind of problem with almost every thing I buy, use, download, rent etc. Just having a bad run from every thing I touch and it's not the way I handle or use things, I am very consciences about every thing I do, so the continuous faults and/or malfunction of "things" is doubly frustrating. I searched for the text files and there is only 1, I have attached it. I have also attached the other two files you requested. I cannot find any thing further associated with Rednotebook. I downloaded Rednotebook from the Rednotebook site after extensive research into a good journal/diary, how wrong was I!
I look forward to your earliest reply.
Regards,
Steve Johns

> To: <email address hidden>
> From: <email address hidden>
> Subject: Re: [Question #220093]: Where has my journal gone, text disappeared.
> Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 08:30:58 +0000
>
> Your question #220093 on RedNotebook changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/rednotebook/+question/220093
>
> MyOtheHedgeFox proposed the following answer:
> Hello, Steve.
>
>
> Before all:
>
> === PLEASE TAKE TIME AND PATIENCE TO READ THIS LETTER TO THE END ===
> === IT IS VERY IMPORTANT ===
>
> __
>
> Please, calm down. =) It's not a good thing for the developer to
> discover such a bug, and it is not his malicious intent to make one on
> purpose -- we're not Amazon, and your travelogue is not "1984," we
> don't want to delete any data!
>
> Please, calm down. It will be thrince as hard to get the required
> information for us to help you locate or restore your data,
> and, darn it, we do not earn $3000 a month to do that -- it's a
> volunteer task.
>
> You do not need to be a programmer to help us -- even a linguist like
> me can do it, and you know how "much" humanitarians know about PCs. =)
> __
>
> Again, please, take a deep breath or two, and answer these questions,
> and any other questions Jendrik would like to ask you.
>
> We need the answers to these and Jendrik's questions to help you, and
> we do want to help you. Please, assist us in it.
>
> I beg your pardon if my words seem too rude.
>
> If you have problems answering any of these questions... Are there any
> friends or relatives of yours that dabble in computers? There is
> usually a neighborhood kid or a friend that knows a bit more about
> computers, and he or she will be glad to help you in your cause.
> Ask him to help you, give him this letter, let him sit at your
> computer, and he will find the info we need to recover your travelogue.
>
> Thank you in advance. =)
> __
>
>
> First of all, what is your operating system? Windows XP? Windows 7?
>
> What version of RedNotebook did you install?
> Did you download it from RedNotebook.sf.net, or from PortableApps or
> an other website that offers portable programs for download?
>
> Open up your My Computer (or simply Computer, if it's Windows 7), find
> a little button called "Find,"
> tell the little subwindow that you are looking for Files and Folders,
> look for
> *.txt
> (there will be a textfield in which you should type the filename you're
> looking for -- and that one will let you search for ANY txt files),
> select disc C:\ for your search (choose the disc where your Windows is
> installed),
> tick the box in the option "Search in hidden files and folders" or
> something like that if you have any,
> check if there is a tick in the option "Search in subfolders" (there
> MUST be a tick in the square by this option!),
> and press "Search".
>
> The program will then show you all the txt files you have on your disc
> C:\ -- and this is where RedNotebook usually stores your files.
>
> Look for files that have names akin to
> 2012-12.txt
> 2013-01.txt
>
> and so on. You get it -- YYYY-MM.txt.
> These are the files that comprise a RedNotebook "journal", like many
> houses make a village.
>
> Please, Search your C:\ for "*.txt" (without quotes, of course -- just
> *.txt
> , and look for those files) and tell us if you find any. Most likely
> there are still there -- it's just that the program cannot find them
> for some reason.
> Usually, the Search Results show you where the found files are located.
> Please, tell us where these files are located.
> Jendrik needs the exact location to recover the journal.
>
> If you haven't found any
> *.txt
> , then repeat the search, but this time, search for them in the whole
> Computer.
> __
>
> Did you do the previous task? Excellent. =)
>
> Now that we've done the search, we need to recover the logs from the
> program. Jendrik will be able to find evidence to why this happened.
>
> Again, do the Search in disc C:\, but this time, look for
> .rednotebook
> . Just that, just ".rednotebook", with a dot before the word.
> You should be able to find a folder named ".rednotebook". This is
> usually where RNB data is located, including its configuration file and
> a logfile.
> Chances are, the configuration file became corrupted because of a
> virus, a disc error, or an abrupt reboot of the PC, and we need to
> investigate.
> Open this folder right in the Search Results. There should be two files
> we will find interesting:
> first, a file called "configuration.cfg",
> and next, a file that has "log" either in its name or file extension
> (either before or after the dot in the name if you see it).
> If you cannot find the second file, look for something with "error" in
> it.
>
> Open both files in Notepad (that boring program that opens files in
> plain monospace text), then Copy ALL the contents of the first file and
> Paste it in the letter to us, and then, again, Copy ALL the contents of
> the second file and Paste it in the same letter to us.
>
> Then, please, send the letter (or bug comment, if you do it through the
> Launchpad web interface) to us.
>
> __
>
> === What it should have?
> * Have you done the Search for those *.txt files as instructed above?
> Did you find any files that look like YYYY-MM.txt ? In what folder
> did you find them?
> * "Copypasted" contents of "configuration.cfg" file from
> ".rednotebook" folder
> * "Copypasted" contents of an error log file from ".rednotebook" folder
>
> With these three elements, Jendrik will be able to recover your journal.
>
> __
>
> Again, if you cannot do these steps yourself, please, remain calm.
> If you personally cannot do these steps, chances are there is a
> friendly man or woman that will be able to help you: a good
> neighborhood kid, a co-worker, a local sysadmin...
>
> Ask them to help you, let them read this letter, and ask them to find
> the information we ask for.
>
> Unfortunately, we are not paid for the project on regular basis, since
> RedNotebook is Jendrik's personal project and he gets almost no money
> from it (donations are SCARCE), and I am just a guy who translated it
> into Russian and wasn't paid for it a single cent.
>
> Therefore, it is hard to provide our users with professional support
> assistance, and we expect our users to help us whenever they can.
> In your case, help in form of the information described above would be
> exceptionally beneficial.
>
> Unfortunately, I live on the other side of the world in Russia, and my
> local time is at least twenty hours away from yours, so I cannot
> provide you with live help like professional companies do (that
> includes audio/video chat and remote PC control to do everything by
> myself).
> This is why I wrote this long letter. It is the best help I can offer
> in the circumstances.
>
> I do hope this instructions will help you understand what to do (or
> will help you ask a man who dabbles in computers to help you find it
> for us).
>
> Thank you for your patience.
> Please excuse me for any mistakes and typos you found.
>
> --
> Thank you for reading this letter,
> Danila "MyOtheHedgeFox" Evstifeev
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/rednotebook/+question/220093/+confirm?answer_id=2
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/rednotebook/+question/220093
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.

Revision history for this message
MyOtheHedgeFox (a-ztech) said :
#6

Hello again, Steve!

Thank you for your reply. =) I'm glad you are still eager to recover
from this problem.

> Just having a bad run from every thing I touch and it's not the way I
> handle or use things, I am very consciences about every thing I do,
> so the continuous faults and/or malfunction of "things" is doubly
> frustrating.

Unfortunately, one of the dangers of free + open-source software is
risk of data loss. Even though we do not want anybody to get bad
results from using our programs (after all, we ourselves use the
program in question extensively, and it is us who are going to
experience the same if we won't fix it!), there are risks, and we
cannot offer any kind of responsibility for this,
because we do not gain any profit from it.

This is a thing in which free and open-source software is really worse
when you compare it to commercial software.
Certain companies that make serious free + open-source software even
have commercial subdivisions that provide commercial assistance and
feedback -- precisely for such reasons. Unfortunately, small products
like RedNotebook cannot afford such services.

However, as I mentioned above, we are truly eager to assist you in this
situation: as I said in my previous letter, I'd TeamViewer to your
computer to do all the search myself if I could.

Could you please also send the three files you found to
<email address hidden>
(that's my personal e-mail address)?

I am looking forward to your reply!

--
Thank you for reading this letter,
   Danila E.

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