i am using portable TB from a USB hdd. been using this for few months now. very contented.
today morning, while shutting down my PC, i removed the USB hdd, & windows gives warning of failing to write something on the hdd. (actually TB was closed just before that)
now it does not start. i just tried copying all contents of profile folder into another portable TB installation on c drive, when i noticed that the file prefs.js cannot be copied. so i replace this file from a old backup, & it works, but the recent config changes are lost.
plus now there is a new problem. any customisations that i wish to make to my toolbar are getting lost, when i restart TB.
would like to know
1. if there are any other option to get back to the former status ?
2. will just replacing prefs.js entail any new problems for me ?
3. is there something i can do to avoid getting into this problem again ?
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Mmmm...sounds like a corrupted file. I don't know about recovery of the data, but as for prevention of that happening again, you might want to make sure that Thunderbird is completely shut down before you remove the drive. To make sure the drive safe to remove, use the 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon in the system tray.
That error is a sign of TB was still writing to the drive when it was pulled out. This means that the files are probably corrupt. You might have to restart with a new profile and see it it works correctly if it does. Then your profile is probably corrupted beyond repair. Try it and see.
To avoid this, NEVER, EVER remove a drive without using the safely remove option. Even if you are shutting down a pc, it still could be writing if you take it out at the wrong moment.
Post back with what happens with athe new profile test I mentioned above.
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Deuce {The Core}
"Portable Software: Just the beginning.
Deuce
Portable Software: Just the beginning.
Yeah, don't take the drive out without using the safe remove option. Or, if you're shutting down, wait until the computer is completely off before removing it.
NEVER EVER put a powerful magnet on it.
----
R McCue
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
lol!
We were doing laboratory work, and I put a magnet in my pocket without realising that my USB was in there. Funily(?) enough my old computer could still read it, but my briefcase database file was corrupted.
----
R McCue
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
It's "funnily." And "strangely enough" or "oddly enough" would have sounded better.
Haha. Actually, I didn't realize flash media was affected by magnetic fields. I thought this was only true of hard drives.
...and come to think of it, I read somewhere that a magnet powerful enough to wipe the data from a hard drive would also be strong enough to take the iron out of your body--though I don't know how true that is.
they beat me to it. ::shakes fist in mock anger:: lol
anyways. yeah, safe remove, and always let it sit a few secs after closing apps, to finish all the writes in process and queued.
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Posted in Mozilla PowerSkunk. Other Browsers run in fear!
(Brought to you by Firesomething.)
So, what do you do if the Safely Remove Wizard doesn't work?
There are problems in Windows Vista when using the portable apps - and Vista won't release the drive. Even closing all the closable processes in Task Manager doesn't release it! So I've got no choice but to yank it out!
I don't use it in Vista anymore - but the profile is already corrupted.
Are there any special things to consider/do when recreating another, brand new profile (and subsequently importing the data)?
- John
- John
If Safe Removal doesn't work after two or three tries, by then it's usually safe to pull it. Even a failed Safe Removal tends to flush the write cache for the drive, so by the time you get the error, the drive is usually safe to remove. It just doesn't always give you the green light because the OS (usually explorer.exe) is still holding on to one of the files on the drive.
In this case, even a failed Safe Removal is better than not doing it at all.
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Lauren She eats everything! It's like having a goat. A giant, two-Godzillaton goat.
maggie Hey, I resent that remark! I only weigh ONE Godzillaton!
~ Spectacles: Bruce's Story