I’m trying to tell the app where all my files are (I don’t even know where they are, really), so I’m asking the update links tool to automatically find them. I don’t have any option, however, because the tool says that no files are missing. How can I force the app to go out and find my data? Thanks.
If it says no files are missing, then no files are missing and you do not need to Update File Links.
One small problem: No files are being displayed in the app. My database went from 16MB to 30K.
So the database is now empty? No movies?
Correct. I have some backups which are close, but they are missing my most recent work.
At the root of this problem, of course, is the app’s insistence on storing user data files in the windows profile folder. Why app developers continue to utilize this wholly problematic method of storing user data is beyond me, since this folder cannot be easily backed up (files in use being the main problem). Application system files on the C: drive? Fine. My data files? Why C:\Users<me>? No clue.
I suspect that the problem I’m facing here is in moving my .mvc file to an external drive - for the sake of being able to back it up. Why this broke the app I don’t know, but I would appreciate someone explaining how the architecture of this app works, where the files are located, and how to easily move the database files around at will.
Thank you.
As far as I know, storing data files in the a subfolder of the user’s Documents folder is still the recommend way by Microsoft.
Have you tried just using File / Open Database to OPEN your database file?
BTW: reading your message, it sounds like you would be much better off using the Movie Connect web-based software, so that you never have to bother file and folder locations ever again 
“Recommend[ed] way”? For what reasons? I note that you didn’t address my point about how, if storing personal data in system folders is so preferred, then why does Microsoft - to this day - make it impossible to confidently back up said data? Even if the data somehow miraculously gets backed up, it’s in a directory structure that is totally geek-speak and nonsensical to the average user.
You’re also saying that you’re unwilling to share how your product is architected in terms of users’ data so that we don’t mishandle our files resulting in problems like I have now. As I explained in a previous note, I have backups that I can open, but these are incomplete, and when I performed a File → Open on my primary file, there was nothing in it. How can this be? I simply copied this file from one drive to another.
As for trusting software vendors and their clouds, I’ve already learned that lesson the hard way (network down at a critical time, vendors and websites coming and going, incessant licensing dependency, finger-pointing at the O/S when there are failures, etc.). Never again will I trust anything or anyone with the gold source of my data outside my own technical domain. I use cloud solutions for secondary backups only.
Thank you.
I don’t know. I am not Microsoft, I am not even a Windows fan or even a Windows user.
What? “how our product is architected”?
I think you are making this much too complex. Just OPEN your file again, just like you would in any other Windows program.
That sounds like you may be opening the wrong file?
Just saying that if you would have been using our Connect web-based software, you would not be having these file location problems. Do with that advice what you want, or don’t do anything with it at all, but that IS my recommendation.
That’s why I asked for some assistance in the first place.
There’s a database file called MyCollection.mvc that is stored in the Users<me>\Documents\Movie Collector directory. As far as I know, I did nothing to create this file and place it in said directory other than to open the app and start working. On the few occasions where I opened this file directly from this location, the file would open and all my data would be there, leading me to believe that everything was stored in this single file. So…I didn’t want this file in this Users directory, so I moved it to my portable drive E. I performed a File → Open from this location and…nothing.
I will admit that I’m not an expert on application file architecture and linking. I have no idea how or why my database is suddenly blank. All I know is that upon investigation, I see (now) that there is data stored in C:\Users<me>\AppData\Local\Collectorz.com\Movie Collector, as well as C:Program Files\Collectorz.com\Movie Collector. Images - MY data, not system data - are being stored in a subdirectory of the \Documents folder. I have nearly 2000 images stored here - many painstakingly downloaded and edited. I don’t want to lose these, so I would like to move these out of this folder onto my datadrive E.
What other user data is stored elsewhere is beyond me, but my desire is to be able to be in absolute control of my OWN data so that if something happens to your program or to Windows, I’m not left with nothing but proprietary backups.
Thank you.
We definitely can and want to help you. It may be best if we log in to your computer using Teamviewer.
Please contact us at help.clz.com to arrange that.
I checked our support ticket system, but I could not find a support request from you?
I didn’t submit a support ticket because I let my subscription expire. I was able to rebuild my database from my last backup and I’ve manually backed up the Images folder. Since it appears that I don’t have to go through a restore process to open a backup, I’ve decided to perform a manual Save As process after each worksession. I would have preferred to have been able to have my live work files backed up directly, but because this doesn’t seem to be in the cards, I’ll use this workaround. Thanks.
I’m afraid that is not a correct conclusion. What you want is definitely possible. You can have the program files that our software uses, and your images, and your data, and your settings, all saved in a different place than the standard Documents folder.
We even have a manual page for it:
Please do contact us if you still want help.
This brings us back to Square One. This is the process I used in the first place - moving everything in the Documents folder to an external drive. Then, when I opened my database file, there was nothing in it. I’m not saying that I didn’t do something wrong - I’m saying that I had no way of verifying that I was doing something right.
What I had mentioned in my previous note is that my first suspicions were that since Movie Collector has two file storage paths and not just one, then moving only the Documents folder data and not the other is what caused the disconnect.
What I’m hearing you say is that the AppData path contains absolutely nothing in it user data-wise, so performing the move as per the process on the website should not be an issue. Well, for some reason - which could be due to a mistake on my part - it was.
Yeah so I know we’re back to square one if that is the case, but I’m willing to set up a Teamviewer session with you and make this work for you.
But, if you’re okay with manually backing up like you did, we can also just leave it at this.
I will be available for this through that help.clz.com contact form. Just mention this topic and we’ll see when we can make an appointment.