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Deciding About BAK files

I've recently started having that message pop up when saving that the program is unable to save a BAK file, and do I want to save anyway (which I do). It's possible that I have changed something I shouldn't during a computer housecleaning episode.

This started me thinking whether or not I should fix that issue, or if I actually need the BAK files at all. I've rarely if ever used them, and storage space is becoming an issue on my hard drive, plus I back up my computer onto an external drive regularly.

I did read through the postings on BAK files, and see that some don't use them.

I'm asking for some opinions here (and help for figuring out the unable to save to BAK issue or how to stop the message from appearing).

Edit to add:  my recent question to Mike here ( https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=9201.0) about having different versions of an object plug-in is linked to the fact that the multiples are BAK files, and I think I would like to delete them in that case. Is this a good or bad idea?)

Many thanks

Re: Deciding About BAK files

Reply #1 –
Quote from: SEBC –
Edit to add:  my recent question to Mike here ( https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=9201.0) about having different versions of an object plug-in is linked to the fact that the multiples are BAK files, and I think I would like to delete them in that case. Is this a good or bad idea?)
When you upgrade a user object using "Manage Objects...", NWC will rename any objects that are being upgraded by adding .BAK to the filename, before it downloads the new object version. (If there is already a .BAK present for that object, it is superseded by the new .BAK file).  It does this so that if you discover that the updated object doesn't work correctly, or you prefer the previous version, you can remove the file you just downloaded and rename the .BAK file back to the original name, and you will have your old object back.  But if you are happy with the new version, then there probably isn't a need to keep the .BAK file around, once you have determined the new object is working correctly.

User object files are very tiny, generally only a few Kbytes in size. My UserPlugins folder has 47 plugin files, which take up a mere 1/2 megabyte of space. The .BAK files I have in that folder take up about 1/2 that much space. Compared to current hard drive sizes, which range from hundreds of gigabytes to multi-terabytes, this is smaller than a drop in the bucket. (A gigabyte is 1000 megabytes, and a terabyte is 1000 gigabytes.)  The bottom line is that you can remove .BAK files to keep the clutter down, but they won't save you any appreciable amount of disk space.

Re: Deciding About BAK files

Reply #2 –
Quote from: SEBC –
I've recently started having that message pop up when saving that the program is unable to save a BAK file, and do I want to save anyway (which I do). It's possible that I have changed something I shouldn't during a computer housecleaning episode.
I've had the same message and after investigating the properties of the BAK file I discovered it was read-only. When testing my tool 'File Organization' I had locked and unlocked the original nwc file. I presume that the BAK file was last created when the original file was locked.
Always look on the bright side of life!

Re: Deciding About BAK files

Reply #3 –
Check Tools / Options / Folders to see the folder that is assigned to backup files.  You may have deleted the folder, after deleting .bak files on your computer.

.bak files in nwc have an added feature.  A backup file will be saved each time you save, so for the music you are working on, there will be a record of all the steps.  Very useful if you make a mess and have not realised it before saving. (So yes, Opagust, the read only one would have been created when you saved a locked file I presume)

The latest backup file is labelled name.nwc.bak as you might  expect. Previous backup files to the latest one are labelled name.qx.nwc.bak   where x is a number. 

The maximum number used is defined in Tools/Options/File (Backups during save)   and (Queue size for extra backups)

A backup file can be opened directly from the file menu (Open Backup) without the need for renaming - This therefore allows copying from the backup file to the active file, if necessary.


HTH
Rich.

Re: Deciding About BAK files

Reply #4 –
I figured out that I had renamed a file folder in the path. Once I redid the path, everything began saving normally again.

Thanks for helping me unravel that mystery, Rich.