All Mellel files simultaneously reduced to Zero KB

[JimmyMonkey]

Today I noticed that my iDisk was syncing ALL of my Mellel files. When I later went to open one I found it was empty (i.e., zero KB) and the file would not open. Recalling that I had seen iDisk syncing all of the Mellel files, I started checking other files and found that on each of my machines every single Mellel file has been zapped and no longer has any content. At least it "says" there are zero KB in the file, but I am hoping that this is just some weird glitch and that the files are still there. The amount of work potentially lost here is beyond my conception, so I am in somewhat desperate need of suggestions.

My best guess is that the files themselves were changed for some reason and that iDisk noticed the changes and so synced the update. The only thing different is that I have recently installed the latest version of Mellel. I also wonder if the fact that my wife's machine does not have Mellel installed on it, even though the files are on it, may have changed the files en masse, but those files have been there for a long time and we've never had a problem before (so I doubt it's the culprit). Let me also note that ONLY my Mellel files are changed, everything else is the same.

JAS

[DylanMuir]

Sounds horrible... I hope you can recover them.

[Eyal Redler]

I'm afraid this may be a problem with iDisk. AFAIK iDisk doesn't support package documents like the ones Mellel uses and this can cause problems like deleting the contents of your files. I can't think of a way a malfunction in Mellel 2.6 could have caused this, unless you opened the files and re-saved them.
If you have automatic backup enabled (it is by default), you should be able to recover some of your work. Look in ~/Library/Application Support/Mellel/Backup

[JimmyMonkey]

Eyal, thanks for noting the backup directory. The files in there were just fine.

I think it's worth noting that they are not on my iDisk and so I observe that all iDisk-based Mellel files were destroyed, but the ones in normal hard drive folders were fine.

I might suggest for any others out there who use iDisk to have a backup system in place. It's a pain, for sure, if (A) iDisk is supposed to BE the backup system and (B) you're like me you work from multiple computers.

JAS

[verma]

Eyal, thanks for noting the backup directory. The files in there were just fine.

I think it's worth noting that they are not on my iDisk and so I observe that all iDisk-based Mellel files were destroyed, but the ones in normal hard drive folders were fine.

I might suggest for any others out there who use iDisk to have a backup system in place. It's a pain, for sure, if (A) iDisk is supposed to BE the backup system and (B) you're like me you work from multiple computers.

JAS

Hi, it's a well-known problem with iDisk, alas, and it still persists. I strongly advise users of iDisk to zip their Mellel files before moving them onto iDisk.
I no longer use iDisk, but that's how I managed to get some functionality out of iDisk with Mellel files.

[Ori Redler]

Today I noticed that my iDisk was syncing ALL of my Mellel files. When I later went to open one I found it was empty (i.e., zero KB) and the file would not open. Recalling that I had seen iDisk syncing all of the Mellel files, I started checking other files and found that on each of my machines every single Mellel file has been zapped and no longer has any content. At least it "says" there are zero KB in the file, but I am hoping that this is just some weird glitch and that the files are still there. The amount of work potentially lost here is beyond my conception, so I am in somewhat desperate need of suggestions.

My best guess is that the files themselves were changed for some reason and that iDisk noticed the changes and so synced the update. The only thing different is that I have recently installed the latest version of Mellel. I also wonder if the fact that my wife's machine does not have Mellel installed on it, even though the files are on it, may have changed the files en masse, but those files have been there for a long time and we've never had a problem before (so I doubt it's the culprit). Let me also note that ONLY my Mellel files are changed, everything else is the same.

JAS

That's rather horrid. Sadly, iDisk by Apple does not support the package format by Apple.

[macsailor]

That's rather horrid. Sadly, iDisk by Apple does not support the package format by Apple.

Unbelievable, but nevertheless true.