(Archived) Data loss!

[jptl 0]

I've been using the free version of Evernote for a while now and was considering upgrading to Premium..however a recent data loss has me concerned about the reliability of this application.

I use Evernote over three platforms: Mac; Windows and Palm Pre 2. My Windows 7 desktop & my Mac are on the same network. Evernote starts up automatically and supposedly runs/syncs in the background while these devices are on. Maybe that's the problem with my data loss - I don't know.

Yesterday I was on the road and needed to edit the text in an existing note on my Pre. I thought that I'd done everything properly (pressed the little folder icon and got the prompt "pending uploads").

Today I opened Evernote from my Windows desktop and found that the changes that I'd made from my Pre were missing. No big deal, as this was data from yesterday - data that I could re-enter.

But what was much more concerning was that numerous text edits from the past several days are also missing. It's like my account was rolled back to two weeks ago.

When I add new data from my desktop and/or make edits, I make sure that I click "Sync", and confirm the changes as being made. I also see a periodic popup on my Windows desktop indicating that Evernote has synced. I assume that this is an automatic sync feature. Seeing this gave me the confidence that my data had been updated and stored.

So where are the numerous edits that I've made over the past several days? This was very important information....some of which I may not be able to recover.

I'm very concerned about this data loss.

If anyone can shed some light on this, that would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

J.P.

[gbarry 2,658]

Thanks for reaching out. This actually sounds like a job for our support techs. If you haven't already, please submit a ticket to the support queue, and include everything you've mentioned above in the body.

I'd also add a bit clarifying whether or not the data loss you're seeing came principally from the Pre client, if you can recall. In your example it does, but what about other missing info you're seeing?

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Did you look for any "conflicting notes" notebooks on the Mac & Windows clients?

[jptl 0]

I did submit a ticket yesterday. I haven't heard back, but I'll hold tight. I've made some conclusions and discovered some details since I submitted the ticket. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to communicate with a tech and update him/her with my findings.

This is what I believe happened:

Up until I discovered this data loss, I been running EN on both my Mac & Windows desktop simultaneously & on the same network without a problem. During the past few weeks I was primarily using my Windows desktop app/platform for convenience reasons. As I added/edited data, I confirmed that it had properly syched on both devices, and it had during each instance.

Also during those few weeks that I had been amending my notes I hadn't logged on to EN from my Pre.

On 1/29, I was on the road and found the need to add/amend some notes on EN from my Pre. I started the app and made the changes which I've now confirmed were made and do appear in my account. At no point did I get any dialog that the app was syncing or that there was a problem. I therefore didn't check to see if my updates from the past few weeks had been updated on my Pre. I assumed that these platforms were compatible.

After getting back to my office & to my EN on my Windows desktop, I learned that all of the synched and confirmed data that I had done over the past few weeks from my home network (Windows and Mac) had been deleted - or erased.

It's as though after logging into my account from the Pre, it failed to sync with the new data from the past few weeks and somehow reset my account to the old unsynched data that was on my Pre; thus replacing all of the updates from the past few weeks with the old data from the Pre.

One other thing that may be pertinent here: At the point at which I logged on to my account wiht my Pre, the EN on my desktop was running and was doing systematic syncs ("Syncronization Complete" popups) on the network. I believe that this is the default setting, so I assumed that this wouldn't present a conflict. Maybe it does.

BNF: I haven't seen any "conflicting notes" notebooks on either client.

[Metrodon 2,184]

What is showing up when you log into the web client? This is the source of truth...

[Owyn 457]

Did you check Trash for missing notes?

[jptl 0]

Well if what I see when I'm on the web client is the source of the truth, then my data is gone.

Checked Trash on both Windows & Mac platforms. Nothing there.

When I start EN on my Pre, I immediately get a dialog "online mode". There doesn't seem to be a "Trash" for the Pre. There is "Pending Uploads" and the ability to "Refresh Caches". When I go to "Pending Uploads" I see three old notes that were supposedly updated at one point. In fact it's old information that has since been revised.

If I press the little round 'sync' or 'refresh' icon at the bottom of "Pending Uploads" screen it turns continuously as though it's having trouble connecting with the server. It will turn continuously until the application is closed. I don't know if this is normal or not, & I have no way of knowing since I'm unable to speak with anyone in tech support.

Still no word from tech support regarding my ticket. It's been more than "one business day". I suspect that those who use the free version aren't eligible for tech support.

Since I haven't heard anything, I'm thinking more and more that this is a known compatibility issue with the Pre. I'm not a huge fan of where HP has taken the Pre & WebOS, but it's a company phone & Evernote claims that their software is compatible with the Pre.

If this customer service is indicitive of how one gets help with the Premium service, I'm glad I didn't get this for my office!

..so now I'm in the process of hunting down little slips of paper where I may have written some of this critical information over the past few weeks. Back to pen & paper, I suppose. A much safer way to keep that information truly important to me.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

sorry to hear about your trouble. i don't know anything about the pre platform. however, i have had some contact with customer support, and most of it has not only been positive, but very helpful. i encourage you to send a follow-up email. however, as you probably already read, same-day support is only available to premium members. remember, evernote has millions of customers, and less than 100 employees (as far as i know), so they need to prioritize somehow.

even if you do get this sorted out, and you do decide to use evernote, i strongly recommend redundancy with your data. have multiple backups to ensure against any problems, and if it is a critical note you may want to save a copy of it to an email until you can confirm that it has been synced. i'm afraid to say that not only evernote, but all sorts of cloud services have hiccups. one thing you might want to consider is pen and paper + scan notes into evernote. this provides you the benefits of both worlds (paper and paperless).

[Metrodon 2,184]

Did you get the automated response that your ticket had been created?

[jptl 0]

Thanks for the reply.

I understand that Premium members take priority over non-paid subscribers. They should. I also agree that one shouldn't rely on clouds, smartphones or even computers to safely keep critical information. I suppose that the technology is still too new at this point. Nothing beats pen and paper & the human factor.

I'll also acknowledge that the Pre has its many faults, and that unlike the iPhone or Droid, support for the Pre WebOS platform is waning, and in many cases ceasing. Since my issue is likely with the Pre compatibilty, my guess is that tech support isn't regarding this as a critical glitch. It is for me however.

What bugs me here is that I've come to rely on reliable electronic methods to transmit/transfer/retain information, such as email, Google Calendar, etc. in that I'm giving Cloud and sync technology too much credit as being reliable....at least with the Pre (which I'm committed to for the next year or so). If I can't rely on something like EN as not having glitches or issues with the Pre, then it's not much more than a neat little reminder app. for grocery lists, etc.

I appreciate all of those who have weighed in on this thread & tried to help me with this issue. It's not your problem. It's mine. I have to keep this in perspective: I'm using a free product.

Regardless, thanks to all for taking the time the time to reply & troubleshoot.

[jptl 0]

Did you get the automated response that your ticket had been created?

Do you mean immediately after submitting it, or something sent to my email address?

I do recall something after submitting it, but I haven't gotten an email confirmation. What's also odd is that although my settings on this forum specify immediate email notification of new posts to subscribed threads, I'm not getting anything. Nothing in spam either.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

@jptl

i hope that you receive a satisfactory response from your support ticket (it may take a while to sort everything out). it seems to me that evernote remains committed to the platform, though i wouldn't expect to see any major revisions anytime soon, because i would expect they are focusing their resources on android, windows, and ios.

anyhow, even on more stable platforms, power users on this forum often talk of using third party apps to write notes, because they don't like the evernote interface. you may want to look around for notetaking software that would work well with evernote. on the ios platform, i have spent countless hours trying out other systems, but in the end, i keep coming back to evernote.

[Owyn 457]

@jptl

Suggest you sign up for a month of premium (US $5). That will give you immediate access to Premium support including use of Support Chat.

Your problem needs some professional help.

[jptl 0]

Issues with the Pre & EN are apparently widespread

Your problem needs some professional help.

Funny, that's what my wife says.

Are capable techs available with a Premium membership? If I can speak or chat with somebody, it's well worth the investment.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

[Owyn 457]

Professional = That's their job. They have been trained for the job and have access to resources that the users on this forum can not provide.

[Phil Dean 150]

I can confirm that a ticket was indeed created for @jptl. The ticket id is 16051-62823. I will flag it so that someone in support can take a look at this issue.

[gbarry 2,658]

Issues with the Pre & EN are apparently widespread

Your problem needs some professional help.

Funny, that's what my wife says.

Are capable techs available with a Premium membership? If I can speak or chat with somebody, it's well worth the investment.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

You should have received an automated email response confirming your support request. If you didn't, it's likely that you didn't fully support the ticket. If you don't receive a response by today I'd wager it's likely we didn't receive your ticket.

Also, the same techs deal with your tickets regardless of level, the response times just vary between Premium and Free.

[Metrodon 2,184]

Did you get the automated response that your ticket had been created?

Do you mean immediately after submitting it, or something sent to my email address?

I do recall something after submitting it, but I haven't gotten an email confirmation. What's also odd is that although my settings on this forum specify immediate email notification of new posts to subscribed threads, I'm not getting anything. Nothing in spam either.

OK - if you haven't got an email confirmation then the chances are your ticket wasn't opened and that is probably what is causing the delay in Support getting back to you.....

If I were you I'd go back and open a ticket and ensure that you get the email confirmation that confirms the ticket has been opened.

[gbarry 2,658]

Ah, Phil beat me to it. Go Phil!

[Metrodon 2,184]

I can confirm that a ticker was indeed created for @jptl. The ticket id is 16051-62823. I will flag it so that someone in support can take a look at this issue.

Making me irrelevant one post at a time

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I've been using the free version of Evernote for a while now and was considering upgrading to Premium..

Still no word from tech support regarding my ticket. It's been more than "one business day". I suspect that those who use the free version aren't eligible for tech support.

(snip)

If this customer service is indicitive of how one gets help with the Premium service, I'm glad I didn't get this for my office!

IDK why you're making assumptions about premium customer service, since you don't have a premium account.

FIrst, yes, free users get tech support but it's as time permits. The "one business day" applies to premium customers.

[jptl 0]

I think I figured this one out!

After looking into this data loss in more detail, I noticed that there were two pre-existing notes that I'd been working with over the time period that I'd noticed the data loss; and most, if not all of the data loss was contained in these notes. Furthermore, these particular notes seemed to be unstable on my Pre in that sometimes the content/text simply wouldn't appear when opened. No problems bringing them up on my Windows or Mac platforms.

From my Pre, I delved into each note a bit more and noticed the little green "Details" tab that appears in the right corner of note window. I prompted the "Details" drop down and discovered that the "Updated" date was earlier than the "Created" date. In fact, it was 42 years earlier! Apparently updated in 1969.

I believe that it's more than just a coincidence that 1969 is the date that a Mac Powerbook defaults to when the battery dies and the backup battery is too weak to hold the date until a recharge. I was traveling in Arizona & was using my Mac a good bit during some of the earlier data loss. I have to imagine that after powering the PB back up after a complete drain, I must have modified some data in EN before I got on a network and the date was reset to Apple Time. My guess is that when the Mac synced EN, the 1969 date stuck as the Update.

I also have to imagine that an update that occurs prior to the date at which the note was created wreaks all kinds of havoc with EN.

I copied the content of both problematic notes, created new notes and pasted the content into them. I then deleted the old notes using my Pre and all seems to be fine.

I'd therefore chalk this up as user error & not a glitch in the Pre/EN platform or compatibility across platforms.

Although I still haven't heard from anyone regarding my ticket, I have found the answer.

I'm back to having faith in this product as well as the sense of community here on the forum and will likely be upgrading to Premium.

Thanks for all the help, & I'll post this interesting phenom on the EN Pre thread.

[Owyn 457]

I used support once as a Free user. It took about a week for an agent to respond, but, once active the problem was handled expediently.

[gbarry 2,658]

I used support once as a Free user. It took about a week for an agent to respond, but, once active the problem was handled expediently.

And that was likely an aberration. Most Free responses occur within less than 3 business days. In some cases you may see your response day-of.