... if you have your data backed up, that is.
Let me explain. Due to issues with that lovely Windows 8, I've had a few crashes while using Trainz. Sadly, one of the crashes ate a route I was working on. I had a few crashes to the desktop, then eventually switch levers disappeared. Then finally the route wouldn't even open. I felt my heart sink to my feet, but before I panicked, I did a little poking around... I then remembered that the data is held in folders that begin with Hash- something, and inside each of the folders is the data. If you open up the folders, you see nothing other than a config.chump, which is useless for us in that format.
It happens that I do full Userdata folder backups quite frequently to another local location, and other drives. The most recent backup was two days ago, which wasn't that bad, and I didn't have any CDPs that were too recent, otherwise I would have done that instead.
Here's how I restored just what I wanted which was my route and session.
1) Go into Content Manager, and get the KUID number of the route or asset you want to restore. Remember to grab any session or sessions too.
2) Delete that asset. (Yup, I gulped and then went for it.) This saves the overwrite message if you want. I actually backed the route and session up to a CDP just in case!
3) Close Content Manager.
4) Open up your backup drive, or folder.
5) Use Windows Search to find the KUID of the item you want. Press F3 to bring up the search window.
6) In the search box, put in the author's KUID number and hit enter. Make sure you are searching just that Userdata folder.
The search will pick up your data based on the KUID numbers. You'll see something like this: kuid 124863 100586 followed by kuid 124863 100587, etc., for example. Each will be listed below each other. I used list view to sort by date to find the item I wanted.
7) When the search is completed, and you've found the asset or assets you are looking for, copy those folders to another location. I put mine in a temporary folder.
8) Open up Content Manager
9) Choose Import Content from the File Menu
10) Let CM do its thing.
11) Ensure that the data has been committed unless you have that option checked by default like I do.
12) Close CM, and launch Trainz again.
You're back in business, and let's hope whatever ate the route in the first place isn't there anymore. Just remember you need to have the data backed up elsewhere for this to work. I haven't tried it, but the backup folder should work, if the back folders exist, using a browse in CM to the Userdata/backup and then choosing an earlier date.
John
Let me explain. Due to issues with that lovely Windows 8, I've had a few crashes while using Trainz. Sadly, one of the crashes ate a route I was working on. I had a few crashes to the desktop, then eventually switch levers disappeared. Then finally the route wouldn't even open. I felt my heart sink to my feet, but before I panicked, I did a little poking around... I then remembered that the data is held in folders that begin with Hash- something, and inside each of the folders is the data. If you open up the folders, you see nothing other than a config.chump, which is useless for us in that format.
It happens that I do full Userdata folder backups quite frequently to another local location, and other drives. The most recent backup was two days ago, which wasn't that bad, and I didn't have any CDPs that were too recent, otherwise I would have done that instead.
Here's how I restored just what I wanted which was my route and session.
1) Go into Content Manager, and get the KUID number of the route or asset you want to restore. Remember to grab any session or sessions too.
2) Delete that asset. (Yup, I gulped and then went for it.) This saves the overwrite message if you want. I actually backed the route and session up to a CDP just in case!
3) Close Content Manager.
4) Open up your backup drive, or folder.
5) Use Windows Search to find the KUID of the item you want. Press F3 to bring up the search window.
6) In the search box, put in the author's KUID number and hit enter. Make sure you are searching just that Userdata folder.
The search will pick up your data based on the KUID numbers. You'll see something like this: kuid 124863 100586 followed by kuid 124863 100587, etc., for example. Each will be listed below each other. I used list view to sort by date to find the item I wanted.
7) When the search is completed, and you've found the asset or assets you are looking for, copy those folders to another location. I put mine in a temporary folder.
8) Open up Content Manager
9) Choose Import Content from the File Menu
10) Let CM do its thing.
11) Ensure that the data has been committed unless you have that option checked by default like I do.
12) Close CM, and launch Trainz again.
You're back in business, and let's hope whatever ate the route in the first place isn't there anymore. Just remember you need to have the data backed up elsewhere for this to work. I haven't tried it, but the backup folder should work, if the back folders exist, using a browse in CM to the Userdata/backup and then choosing an earlier date.
John
