Lost the last six documents inside the Chapter Folder

Scrivener Scrivener for Windows
1

So I have been using the pre-release version for windows without issue until this morning. I went to load my project and now get several errors when I open it and see that I’ve lost the last six documents inside the chapter folder. The documents look like they are in there, but they are now all completely blank.

I also see three identical entries for recovered files with two blank documents that say:

content"
DO├S■1"

[attachment=0]Scriv_error_3.PNG[/attachment][attachment=1]scriv_error_2.PNG[/attachment][attachment=2]scriv_error_1.PNG[/attachment]

2

Where are you saving the project?

3

I save to a USB stick.

4

Then the probable cause is the one in the error message: corrupt media.

Saving a live project to a USB stick is usually a bad idea.

5

Why would that be a bad idea?

I work between two computers during the week. Have never had this issue with the old version of Scrivener.

6

It has nothing to do with Scrivener. The error messages state that files were corrupt, and that is caused by bad media.
But you do have backups, on both computers, don’t you?

7

I don’t know how you can confidently say that it doesn’t have anything to do with Scrivener.

Is it possibly the USB? Maybe. But it is a brand new stick with only a couple MB’s on it.

Sometimes files become corrupt during the writing process for a multitude of reasons.

And no, I lost the most recent versions of those files. I have a backup, but obviously everything I did on Friday is now gone.

8

A Scrivener project is a folder with lots of files. Every binder document is its own file in that package. One way of getting the kind of error message you got would be if the usb stick was removed before all files in the package were completely written to the usb stick and correctly closed.

I’m referring to the automatic backups made by Scrivener every time you close the project. Check the backup settings in Tools → Options. You do close the project before removing the usb stick from any of the computers?

9

I wasn’t aware of the backup folder in Scrivener. Thank you, I was able to recover everything.

Yes, I always close the project and eject the USB properly. Have been working this way for years without issue. There was never any warning or indication that my project wasn’t saved correctly or anything like that.

If I am the only person that has experienced this issue then the fault probably lies with my computer or USB.

10

Scrivener does what it can to save us from losing text. :smiley:
Automatic saves while we write and automatic backups when we finish a writing session.
There is also a tick box for making backups if you make a manual save (ctrl-S) while writing. Very handy. But it might be wise to increase the number of backups it saves, and also zip the backups.