Autosave Question?

[rhodges]

Hello Pete:

I have the default setup for autosave.

In my autosave.cfg file, I have 10 autosaves shown as per the readme file.

In Documents and Settings\roger T. Hodges\My Documents\Flight Simulator Files I have an unlimited number of autosaves (assumed that all are saved). Presently, there are 1,137 autosaves in this folder.

Is this normal, or should there also only be ten files in my flight simulator files folder?

I recently had a situation where no current files were autosaved, yet there were many in the folder. Also, the last few of them were all the same thing. I wondered if the folder was saturated with autosaved files and it was not able to take any more.

I have no problem deleting the autosaved files and it starts over again, but seems to retain ALL autosaved files thereafter.

Thank you:

RTH

[Pete Dowson]

In my autosave.cfg file, I have 10 autosaves shown as per the readme file.

In Documents and Settings\roger T. Hodges\My Documents\Flight Simulator Files I have an unlimited number of autosaves (assumed that all are saved). Presently, there are 1,137 autosaves in this folder.

First I need to know that you are running the latest version of AutoSave, 1.50, as the very first one released for FS2004 would not delete files on foreign (non UK/US) versions of FS because they get saved into a differently named folder. I found out how to get the proper folder name later.

Please note that each AutoSave set consists of a .WX and a .FLT file (from FS). If everything is working there should only be 10 of each of those -- unless you have been having lots of crashes of FS (or you switch off the PC with it still running). In this case the AutoSave CFG file doesn't get updated with the details of the next file to be deleted, so some get left each time.

Are all of the files actually sets of .WX and .FLT files, or do you have lots of other types, e.g. .PSS, .FMC or others? If you have others then these are actually saved by other add-ons, like the PSS Concorde, the Wilco 767, and so on. The new Radar Contact (when released) will save .RCD files.

The current version (1.50) of AutoSave does know about, and deal with, some of these -- the ones I know about -- but it may not deal with all, so please check the file types.

You also say

... Also, the last few of them were all the same thing.

What does that actually mean, please? There cannot be more than one file with the same name, so what is this "same thing"? Do you mean same "filetype" (i.e. the part of the name after the last .)? If so, was it one of the FS types (.WX or .FLT) or one from an add-on?

Regards,

Pete

[rhodges]

Good Morning Pete:

I made a long drawn out reply to your reply which apparently did not post. (Don't think I was logged in). Thankfully, you may not have to read all of that anyway. I think you hit on my problem with corrupt files in my flight simulator files folder.

I do have Autosave 1.5.

I do have a number of PSS files among others, many of which I do not know their origin or what they are. The most suspicious thing is that I have a multitude of only autosave ".FLT" files without the paired ".WX" file.

In short, I renamed my flight simulator file for backup and created a new empty one. I then reinstalled your autosave.dll and cranked up a flight. The ten groups are updating as they should just fine. I will now start putting the saved files that I want to keep back in by a process of elimination to see if I can either find the problem, or leave it out and ignore it.

Sorry for misleading you with my last confusing statement. What I meant was that I switched horses and was talking about loading autosaved flights. For example, I had a number of autosaved flights for WED in 1 min. intervals (many more than ten). All of them loaded the aircraft at the exact same spot.

Thanks for your prompt and kind attention.

RTH

[Pete Dowson]

I think you hit on my problem with corrupt files in my flight simulator files folder.

...

In short, I renamed my flight simulator file for backup and created a new empty one. I then reinstalled your autosave.dll and cranked up a flight. The ten groups are updating as they should just fine. I will now start putting the saved files that I want to keep back in by a process of elimination to see if I can either find the problem, or leave it out and ignore it.

Okaysounds like a good process. Let me know if you do find anything interesting.

Regards,

Pete

[rhodges]

Hello again Pete:

Well, I really didn't find anything interesting, but for what it is worth I did the following:

First like a dummy, I picked the wrong end to begin. I began adding the different groups of saved files back into my Flight Simulator Files instead of leaving everything there and deleting the autosave files first for a try.

1. Flights I had originated.

2. Misty Fjord related flights

3. DC9 Iron Knuckles

4. Carrier & Catapult Flights

5. Hughes Spruce Goose

6. All the ".PLN" files I had originated

7. Anything that was left.

No cigar. Murphey's law took over and she still worked perfectly after each step. The only thing left out: The mass of autosave files.

I put the saved original trouble folder back in which also still included the multitude of autosaved files. In trial flights, the most recent 10 flights did update, but all of the rest remained as they were.

I simply deleted all of the autosaved files and started over and as near as I can tell everything is working fine.

You mentioned that some previous versions of the autosave.dll had a similar problem. Is it possible that what I had was residue from a previous version that just remained?

Again, thanks for your help and the great programs.

RTH

[Pete Dowson]

You mentioned that some previous versions of the autosave.dll had a similar problem. Is it possible that what I had was residue from a previous version that just remained?

Sounds more likely. Can you tell from the dates on them?

Pete

[rhodges]

Pete:

I have progressively updated the autosave versions as I noticed they were available, and I check the flightsim and avsim forums daily.

For the autosave files in my folder, natuarally I just deleted them (yea I know, never throw anything away). However, I do have backups made of that folder in May of this year which include not 10, but 109 paired autosaved files. I think this somewhat confirms our suspicions. They are all dated from January of this year, so there appears to be a lapse in between as I fly (FS) virtually every day. Somewhere between May and near the present time later added files were obviously retained again as the quantity multiplied greatly. How time flies. I need to update backups. I am pretty sure I have not cleaned house since May nor did I have your latest .dll until sometime after that month, so the conclusion in question certainly seems logical to me. (Multiple autosaves with older autosave.dll's which have been retained for some time.)

In any case, everything is working fine now. Appears that the solution is simply to delete autosaved files and be sure one has the latest autosave.dll. Then starting over she works perfectly.

Thanks again:

RTH