[DonFromTX]

My Kitlog is down and Matt is in rehab, so maybe someone can help. I freely admit I have never really understood Kitlog, but I have a problem now. For some reason my posting capability vanished on my main computer a month ago. I BELIEVE it has something to do with a corrupted MDB file. As a test, this morning I went to a very old computer of mine, and I can post from that.
Now the question: What file or files do I need to copy from the ancient computer to a memory stick, and load to my newest computer to make my newest computer enabled to post entires? Please help!

 

[rleffler]

My Kitlog is down and Matt is in rehab, so maybe someone can help. I freely admit I have never really understood Kitlog, but I have a problem now. For some reason my posting capability vanished on my main computer a month ago. I BELIEVE it has something to do with a corrupted MDB file. As a test, this morning I went to a very old computer of mine, and I can post from that.
Now the question: What file or files do I need to copy from the ancient computer to a memory stick, and load to my newest computer to make my newest computer enabled to post entires? Please help!

Look for the file with the MDB extension. That's all you'll need to copy.

bob

 

[DonFromTX]

Thanks Bob, I thought that was the file. Now I just have to find it and transfer it over to the newer computer.

 

[SMO]

Don, suggest you be somewhat careful as you do this. Don't just replace your .mdb file with the old one. First rename the old one so you can easily restore it again if you need to. The .mdb is where all your data is stored, so your old file will not have the latest data.

Maybe you have a backup somewhere? or have kept the data online? IIRC Kitlog has/had an online version of their program.

Maybe someone who understands the architecture of Kitlog better can correct this post if it is in error.

 

[rleffler]

Don, suggest you be somewhat careful as you do this. Don't just replace your .mdb file with the old one. First rename the old one so you can easily restore it again if you need to. The .mdb is where all your data is stored, so your old file will not have the latest data.

Maybe you have a backup somewhere? or have kept the data online? IIRC Kitlog has/had an online version of their program.

Maybe someone who understands the architecture of Kitlog better can correct this post if it is in error.

If his current MDB is corrupt, Don is SOL in regards to getting any data back from that file. The exception is if you have a DBA friend that wants to figure out the data dictionary, migrate the data, then rebuild all the indexes. The file is really a Microsoft Access Database.

I would recommend in renaming the original before copying another version on top of it.

The biggest issue for Kitlog users is that they don't think to copy the MDB file periodically for backup. You really need to do this after any major data input or weekly if you enter data daily.

It's being a little anal, but I also printed incremental copies on a monthly basis and stored them in binders. It took three 3" binders for my project. Besides the archival benefit, the "thud" factor is pretty good when you drop them in front of FSDO for proof for your repairman's certificate.

There is no way to get data off the mykitlog.com web site other than copying the data manually back into mykitlog.

 

[DonFromTX]

****, I thought I had some understanding of all this, now that understanding is all shattered!
My ONLINE PART of kitlog is just fine. I can view it, you can view it, people around the world can view it, so exactly what data may now be lost? I think I recall the MDB file in the ancient computer has something like a 2010 date, and it works just fine, I tested it this morning with a test posting. So why would a copy of that not work on the newer computer? What the heck data is in that file anyway?
I had this problem once before and it turned out to be a mess, Matt had misunderstood and wiped my entire four years of posts out! He was able to put it back from his backups and get rolling again. That was from a computer crash and lost my MDB file, so I vowed never to have THAT problem again. I somehow had it on a memory stick, and could only post when I had the memory stick plugged in the computer. Worked fine for a long time, but not sure, but think somehow the file on the stick get corrupted, anyhow suddenly no more posting was possible. In hindsight I suppose I should have made a backup of the memory stick backup. In fact, since I put it on the memory stick, I would assume that somewhere on this computer is the file that I transferred to the stick, right?
Surely this don't have to be so fragile and complicated.

 

[rleffler]

Don,

It's not fragile and complicated. However, if you aren't familiar with basic IT skills, it may seem that way.

What data is in the 2010 MDB file? Only you can answer that, since nobody but the person sitting in front of your computer can answer that. Typically the file date will get updated whenever the file is changed. An older date would imply the date the file was last updated. However, in some circumstances it's just the date the file got created and doesn't change when records are updated.

Kitlog has the capability of opening multiple versions of the MDB file that have different names or are found in different locations. You can open each version that you can find. While the file is opened in Kitlog, look at the records. When was the last update? What data do you see?

I don't mean to be offensive, but you do need to understand some basic IT skills. The fact that you opened up Kitlog using a MDB file on an sub stick is not not important. Like I mentioned, Kitlog can open a file from any location on your computer. It's your responsibility to,understand which physical file you are using and ensuring that you copy that file periodically for archival purposes.

I wouldn't recommend using a file off a usb stick for daily use. In most cases, it's going to be faster if you copy the file to someplace on your hard disk. As to if there are other versions on your hard disk, you'll need to search for *.mdb and see. If you don't understand how to do this, you may want to solicit the assistance form an IT savvy friend.

The contents of the MDB file is your data. You need to protect it like you would any other important data. The web site is just a copy of your data. When you create a new entry, there is a field in that new entry that indicates if that entry has been uploaded to the web site. Once that particular record has been marked as uploaded, it won't be uploaded again. If you edit that record, that field will be updated and be uploaded the next time your run the web update function.

The upload function doesn't really sync the web site database with the specific MDB you are using. It simply uploads the new records. Unfortunately, there is no way to sync with the web database to replace missing records in you revert back to an older version of the MDB file that may be missing records.

I hope this helps and doesn't confuse you further. If all this is seems confusing, I would recommend getting with a friend that understands computers and let them show you how things work.

Bob

 

[DonFromTX]

Thanks again Bob, I really do appreciate your suggestions and guidance. Unfortunately my IT friends seem to be as confused as I about how it really works. I will continue to struggle with it using your welcomed help.
Thanks again.

 

[flion]

One further clarification: that web site is not really a 'copy' of your MDB file. It was created by data pulled from your file but there is no software to move records in the other direction. So don't consider the web site to be a backup (something that I think more than a few users mistakenly do). There is a backup facility in KitLog but I prefer to just copy the MDB file TO A DIFFERENT PHYSICAL DEVICE from time to time. That way, even if it isn't simple file corruption but a device failure, I still have a backup. Do it often because any data entered since the last backup is at risk, EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY POSTED IT TO THE KITLOG SITE.

However, in reading this thread, I don't believe your MDB file was corrupted at all. It sounds like everything is intact except your ability to post to the Internet? What error did you get? The only connection the MDB file should have to being able to post is your login credentials. Try this: take a copy of your current MDB file back to the computer you said you could post from. DON'T overwrite the MDB file there, but see if you can open the copy and then post to the web site. IF you can post, then it is your KitLog installation that is corrupt and it will be easiest to simply re-install it. Then you can simply copy your already-backed-up MDB file into the installation folder and you will be back in business. Otherwise, let us know what happens, complete with error messages.

 

[Dave Taylor]

Kitlog

Don,
If you would like you can email me (rv7atcox.net) your mdb file and I will gladly take a look at it.

Thanks again Bob, I really do appreciate your suggestions and guidance. Unfortunately my IT friends seem to be as confused as I about how it really works. I will continue to struggle with it using your welcomed help.
Thanks again.

 

[Raymo]

I wrote a VB script years ago that will compress and repair any MDB file. MS Access is not needed to run it.

Let me know if you would like a copy and I can email it to you or past the script content here. It is not very large.