#19 Everything erased from Max Launcher - have no clue why this happened.

[Ben Herrmann]

Please bear with me on this one. As I've communicated previously with you, I love this Max Launcher program. However, there are times - when out of the sheer blue sky - every thumbnail I've created just disappears. And that is what just happened to me.

Here is exactly what occured (with version 1.31.0.0):

My PC was insleep mode and I brought it up and then installed another program called AOMEI Partition Assistant (updating the AOMEI software I had installed already). After installing that update, I never ran the program - but when I brought up Max Launcher immediately following that - virtually everything was erased - even the identification tags for each column was gone (just the standard numbers remained).

Everything (except the very top row) was missing. Even when I clicked on the back-up file (which I backup everytime I add a new program), it came up as blank! I am running version 1.31.0.0

See attached JPG image to show what my Max Launcher now looks like

Realize that I had over 140 programs saved on to MaxLauncher - all, except the very top row (see the JPG file), disappeared completely and nothing I could think of brought them back.

As I always do, I save a an .mld file as a backup in case something happened. But in this case, even when I double clicked on the backup, nothing happened - the same blank slate appeared (except the top row).

What could have happened?

This has happened in the past - over the past few years - out of nowhere it occurs. Can you shed any light on this?

Thanks for listening,

Ben Herrmann

[madproton]

First, lets try to recover your mld file.

1. Please make sure you are actually opening he correct mld file. I know it sounds dumb to ask but I've done this when testing.
2. From the attached image, I noticed that you are using DropBox. I don't use DropBox but it might have a "Version History" copy online.
3. You can also try "Recuva" at https://www.ccleaner.com/download. Select "Recuva" on that page and download. This needs to be done ASAP if you want to try it before the clusters of deleted files are overwritten by new files.
   a. Select "All Files". Click "Next >"
   b. Select "In a specific location", type "C:\users\benhe\DropBox\PC\Desktop". Click "Next >"
   c. Click "Start". Files with green dots can still be recovered.
   Note: You can repeat steps a & b, and then check "Enable Deep Scan" before step C.
4. Try to do a Repair on you drive. Click Start, type Defragment and Optimize Drive.

Question: If you open the mld file in Notepad, does it have information between the XML tags ( text between <something> </something>)? The attached image show it is not corrupted like the issues before. It is actually being opened.

---

FYI:

1. As of 1.28.0.0, the issue of mld files being corrupted is highly unlikely. The Favorites bar; buttons with F# keys (favorites.cfg), The Tabs with buttons (some filename.mld), and the menu configurations (app.cfg) are save on-the-fly. This means that files are save whenever changes are made. The only file that maybe corrupted is the window.cfg file which contains the window size and location. This information used to be in app.cfg which needed to be saved when MaxLauncher is terminated. That is why previously, sometimes files are being corrupted; usually when there is a Windows update.
2. Nobody has reported any issues like this since 1.28.0.0.

My initial thoughts:

1. I don't think installing a program like AOMEI (which I have also used), has anything to do with corrupting an mld file.
2. I also cannot think of any reason how a backup file can possibly get corrupted. Unless there is malware or your drive is corrupted.

Backup recommedations

1. Not sure if DropBox keeps a Version History of files. If it doesn't, rename your backup file. Otherwise, it will just overwrite the copy with a bad one.
2. Window's File History is also useful, It keeps a version history but it requires another drive for the location of the backup.
3. If DropBox does not have a Version History, It may also be a good idea to backup your data files to an external drive (eg. USB thumb drive).

Please ignore suggestions if you already know them. I just like being thorough and not assume anything. It reduces back and forth messaging.

Let me now what happens.

Roberto

[Ben Herrmann]

OK - I tried all of that and the .mld file was there, but when I clicked on it, all was gone too.  And Recuva didn't find anything either.  I don't have any viruses or malware either.

However, in the meantime (it took me over an hour or so), I managed to get all of the programs that I use back on Max Launcher again.

Ben

On 12/23/2021 8:20:54 PM, madproton madproton@users.sourceforge.net wrote:
First, lets try to recover your mld file.

1. Please make sure you are actually opening he correct mld file. I know it sounds dumb to ask but I've done this when testing.
2. From the attached image, I noticed that you are using DropBox. I don't use DropBox but it might have a "Version History" copy online.
3. You can also try "Recuva" at https://www.ccleaner.com/download. [https://www.ccleaner.com/download.] Select "Recuva" on that page and download. This needs to be done ASAP if you want to try it before the clusters of deleted files are overwritten by new files.
   a. Select "All Files". Click "Next >"
   b. Select "In a specific location", type "C:\users\benhe\DropBox\PC\Desktop". Click "Next >"
   c. Click "Start". Files with green dots can still be recovered.
   Note: You can repeat steps a & b, and then check "Enable Deep Scan" before step C.
4. Try to do a Repair on you drive. Click Start, type Defragment and Optimize Drive.
   Question: If you open the mld file in Notepad, does it have information between the XML tags ( text between <something> </something>)? The attached image show it is not corrupted like the issues before. It is actually being opened.
   FYI:
5. As of 1.28.0.0, the issue of mld files being corrupted is highly unlikely. The Favorites bar; buttons with F# keys (favorites.cfg), The Tabs with buttons (some filename.mld), and the menu configurations (app.cfg) are save on-the-fly. This means that files are save whenever changes are made. The only file that maybe corrupted is the window.cfg file which contains the window size and location. This information used to be in app.cfg which needed to be saved when MaxLauncher is terminated. That is why previously, sometimes files are being corrupted; usually when there is a Windows update.
6. Nobody has reported any issues like this since 1.28.0.0.
   My initial thoughts:
7. I don't think installing a program like AOMEI (which I have also used), has anything to do with corrupting an mld file.
8. I also cannot think of any reason how a backup file can possibly get corrupted. Unless there is malware or your drive is corrupted.
   Backup recommedations
9. Not sure if DropBox keeps a Version History of files. If it doesn't, rename your backup file. Otherwise, it will just overwrite the copy with a bad one.
10. Window's File History is also useful, It keeps a version history but it requires another drive for the location of the backup.
11. If DropBox does not have a Version History, It may also be a good idea to backup your data files to an external drive (eg. USB thumb drive).
    Please ignore suggestions if you already know them. I just like being thorough and not assume anything. It reduces back and forth messaging.
    Let me now what happens.
    Roberto
    [support-requests:#19] [https://sourceforge.net/p/maxlauncher/support-requests/19/] Everything erased from Max Launcher - have no clue why this happened.
    Status: open
    Milestone: 1.29.0.0
    Created: Thu Dec 23, 2021 06:20 PM UTC by Ben Herrmann
    Last Updated: Thu Dec 23, 2021 06:20 PM UTC
    Owner: nobody
    Attachments:
12. Image 3.jpg [https://sourceforge.net/p/maxlauncher/support-requests/19/attachment/Image%203.jpg] (55.8 kB; image/jpeg)
    Please bear with me on this one. As I've communicated previously with you, I love this Max Launcher program. However, there are times - when out of the sheer blue sky - every thumbnail I've created just disappears. And that is what just happened to me.
    Here is exactly what occured (with version 1.31.0.0):
    My PC was insleep mode and I brought it up and then installed another program called AOMEI Partition Assistant (updating the AOMEI software I had installed already). After installing that update, I never ran the program - but when I brought up Max Launcher immediately following that - virtually everything was erased - even the identification tags for each column was gone (just the standard numbers remained).
    Everything (except the very top row) was missing. Even when I clicked on the back-up file (which I backup everytime I add a new program), it came up as blank! I am running version 1.31.0.0
    See attached JPG image to show what my Max Launcher now looks like
    Realize that I had over 140 programs saved on to MaxLauncher - all, except the very top row (see the JPG file), disappeared completely and nothing I could think of brought them back.
    As I always do, I save a an .mld file as a backup in case something happened. But in this case, even when I double clicked on the backup, nothing happened - the same blank slate appeared (except the top row).
    What could have happened?
    This has happened in the past - over the past few years - out of nowhere it occurs. Can you shed any light on this?
    Thanks for listening,
    Ben Herrmann
    Sent from sourceforge.net because you indicated interest in https://sourceforge.net/p/maxlauncher/support-requests/19/ [https://sourceforge.net/p/maxlauncher/support-requests/19/]
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[madproton]

It is unfortunate that you don't have an older version in DropBox ... https://help.dropbox.com/files-folders/restore-delete/version-history-overview#:~:text=To%20view%20the%20version%20history%20of%20a%20folder,above%20the%20file%20list.%204%20Click%20Folder%20history.

This is a very strange occurrence because the empty file is actually being loaded (unlike in the old versions) which means it has the correct format. Only problem is that the data in it has been deleted. And the only way this can happen is that the good mld file was overwritten with a new empty mld file. I checked the code and there is nothing in there that may cause this. Anyway, sorry to hear this happened. Please let me know if it happens again.

Thanks. Happy Holidays!

Roberto

[madproton]

BTW,

I also compared the hashes of the files on Sourceforge to my local copies. They are the same.

Roberto