Auto save and Backup files

[DavidB]

I have duel monitors and I've been monitoring this for awhile now before I posted here. I have been watching closely since I started this thread Files just gone

 

What happens is this.

I have Backup files set to Max 3

So I have in my folder

123.MCX

123-1.MCX

123-2.MCX

123-3.MCX

 

Now on 1 monitor I have MCX running the other I have Windows explorer open so I can see what's going on.

 

While working in MCX Auto save appears I have it set to 15 min. The very interesting thing at this point is windows explorer now shows...

 

123-1.MCX

123-2.MCX

123-3.MCX

The original 123-MCX file is gone!

 

Now if I hit the red cross on Auto save and do NOT do an Auto save windows explorer now shows that the original file is gone all that's left is...

 

123-1.MCX

123-2.MCX

123-3.MCX all backup files!

 

So in conclusion what happens is if I do not save at the Auto save point the file is lost!

 

If I wait 15 min Auto save pops up again I save now I have the original file again 123.MCX but Backup file -1 is lost.

[Guest]

For some strange reason, when the Auotsave goes active the file disappears.

 

If you happen to cancel out of the autosave and exit, it did not even ask me to save the file and yes it is gone, except for the 3 backups.

 

BTW, the simple fix for the time being is DO NOT cancel your autosave

 

[gcode]

The best solution is to turn off Autosave and hit Alt A then Enter every couple of minutes. I've done it this way since V7 and I've had only one

0 byte crash in 7 years of using Mastercam.

[DavidB]

Guys,

Another thing I did not mention.

 

The other pit fall is I was calculating a HST toolpath and it took longer than 15 min to generate which is my Auto save time I have set.

 

What this means is Auto save would have popped up during the calculation of this toolpath, because it does not the file is lost in Explorer. If you do not save the file you loose the file completely.

[edmBosto]

David,

As I read the replies it reminds me as to why I changed my habits and stopped using autosave.

I think the the replies are accurate to just change your way of saving files.

Yeah some habits are hard to break but try unchecking the autosave feature for awhile and save your file constantly at your convienence.

Anyways see if you like it better.

 

I just click on the floppy icon in the top menu,

as long as you are sure it is saving the file where you want it saved. I'm sure you know that.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Hi Guys,

 

I'd like to share the method that we use at work to avoid problems with Backup and Autosave. This setup will help minimize all of the problems that people have reported with Autosave.

 

The main reason we have developed this method of storing our files is system stability. We recently completed some functional testing with Autosave/Backup and we have determined that Autosave can lead to file instablilty if you allow it to overwrite your current MCX file in some instances. Because of this we have implemented the following procedure:

 

Begin by opening Windows Explorer and create two new folders on your C: drive.

 

C:MCAUTOSAVE

and

C:MCBACKUP

 

Now open the System Configuration dialog box in Mastercam and select the Files Page.

 

In the MCX Backup Files section, activate the "Active" and "Use backup directory" check boxes. I leave my Max limit at 10, but you can select the number of backup files that you would like to be in your backup cycle.

 

In the "Data paths" list box, select the "Backup files (MCX)" path. Click on the file explorer browse button and navigate to the C:MCBACKUP folder that you created previously.

 

In the "Autosave" section of the Files Page, Activate the "Active" and the "Overwrite existing file name" check boxes. Make sure the other three check boxes are NOT ACTIVE.

 

I am making the this statement strongly because the "Save using active file name" and "Prompt before saving file" switches are the main culprits causing the Autosave feature to be unstable.

 

The last thing to do is double click in the "File name:" entry field. Double clicking selects the entire string. Now press backspace, then type:

 

C:MCAUTOSAVEAUTOSAVE.MCX

 

Save your configuration file and you are set.

 

Now every time Autosave kicks in it will overwrite the AUTOSAVE.MCX file. NOT your current part file. It will also overwrite the AUTOSAVE.MCX file silently, which means that your current part file (the one loaded in memory) will not be effected by the Autosave kicking in. You especially want to avoid Autosave kicking in while you are in the middle of generating a toolpath (0 kbyte file dump anyone?). The next time you have a crash in Mastercam, open the AUTOSAVE.MCX file and do a File, Save As to recover it.

 

Every time you press the save button, Mastercam will save your current part file and then will save a "Backup" copy of your file into the C:MCBACKUP folder. With each successive press of the save button a new incremented file will be saved (-100, -101, -102, ect.). Once in a while you will need to go and clean out the backup folder. I open the folder in windows explorer, sort by date modified and dump anything older than 2 weeks.

 

Other people will have their own opinions on this issue, so feel free to give your method/advice on this matter.

 

I hope this helps,

 

Colin Gilchrist

IRC NC Programming

Mastercam Focal

The Boeing Company

www.boeing.com

 

----------------------------

Mastercam X MR2, Multi Axis, Solids, Prodrill

Dell 670, Dual 3.4 Xeons, 4GB RAM, Quadro FX 3450

[Guest]

My opinion,

 

Work arounds are nice and can get your through but a function such as Autosave should NOT be deleting files, no matter how it's used.

 

Kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think?

[DavidB]

I agree %100 John Autosave should not loose a file, but until CNC fix it we have to work around.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Bump for anyone who hasn't seen this. Thanks for the plug Todd (from Fastech).