Continuous sync failure is making me crazy right now! HELP!

[tenlegdragon 1]

I can't take it anymore. For about the past 2 weeks now, I keep getting a sync failure on my desktop version of evernote.

 

I didn't mind too much because my android tab and the online version on the internet were synced. I mostly use my tab for notes, then I sort them out on the desktop, add tags and all that. No emergency. But for about the past 30-something hours I've been awake trying to get my desktop to sync. I need access to my notes like NOW. Well, not now, because now I have a twitchy red watery eye, but like tomorrow, yeah?

 

At this point i don't care if I have to export to OneNote and use that, but the catch is that there are like 2 programs to export from Evernote to OneNote and the one that uses the account instead of the program apparently doesn't work anymore. The other one exports what's there on the desktop app, and guess what? only like 30% of my notes are on the desktop.

 

It say's it's syncing, but Geezus, I can swear that it's either syncing 1 note every half hour, or it's deliberately UN-syncing itself. I don't even know at this point.

 

I've tried it using the normal version and the prelease versions. Same result. One time it said it had maybe 90 percent of my notes, the sync circle arrows stopped rotating, but it was all page titles and nothing else which is deceptive because on a glannce you're thinking that everythig is in order when it's comletely not.

 

The only thing I'm seeing now is to do what, go on the net and copy and paste my stuff to OneNote? I have like 250 notes with tons of images. Copying and pasting sounds like madness. And not the fun kind of madness. It sounds like the irate kind. I've been reading through the net for days now trying to find a feasible solution, but so far only abject failuire. I was gonna attach the activity log so that somebody could help, but of course, ther's a limit of 500kb and of course the log file is larger than that. Of course.

 

I need acess to my notes. Not on the web. On my dektop. I've tried for long enough to get this to work. Followed all the suggestions in the forum and nothing, so can any one human person who knows what the problem is with this iceberg-melt pace please help me out before i lose my mind completely, because I feel like I'm losing it here'

 

It's bad enough i have to go to OneNote and then I can't even do that? For real? I've made no changes to my computers harddrive, just done some basic cleaning. Every single thing else is working fince, all the sync folders, dropbox, skydrive, google drive, every single thing is syncing except EN. Even Word is syncing properly. Even Word, so what the hell, EN?

 

I need the frakking notes!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!

 

LOG

 

 

[gazumped 11,665]

Hi - sorry to hear about your problems,  but sync failure is a pretty common and usually temporary issue,  and the forum entries should have given you a fix.  There's a recent thread that goes through the whole thing,  but to try and save what's left of your sanity,  here's the meat of it..

1. clear out the trash on all platforms, check connections, check for software updates, try again
2. copy the Activity Log to forward to Support
3. Revo remove and reinstall the software  (there's no need to nuke the database as a first option)
4. If that fails, then export any unsynced/ local files to ENEX and rename the database
5. resync from the server and import any ENEX files
6. If after all that sync still fails - raise a support ticket and when you have a reference,  add the Activity log.
7. Raise a query in the forums detailing all the above in case we can add anything to the mix.
8. Remember Support works weekdays, US Pacific Time and free users seem to have several days' wait at present before a real person can get back. Expect to go through the same process all over again with Support just to make sure no steps were missed out...

[tenlegdragon 1]

Did a thorough clean and now I have nothing and can't connect with the server to get even a single solitary note. Question though, I should be synced on other computers right? If I can get to a computer that has me synced, I can copy the local files from wherever Evernote stores them and then paste them on my own home desktop and get access to them there? Because as I suspected and as you said:

 

free users seem to have several days' wait at present before a real person can get back

which I don't really mind except I need access to these files tonight and the online internet version and my tab version isn't cutting it. I'm seeing crazy things with people copying and pasting thousands of files. I only have a couple hundred files but I can't "ctrl + a"  from the web, and I ain't going through each note. I've tried Print to Evernote from the web, but that is giving me blank pages in OneNote.

 

If I can find the local files on another computer in a library or somewhere that I've synced before, (because I do syncs the way rats leave droppings - all over the place everywhere), can I transplant these files?

 

I think i want to try this.

[gazumped 11,665]

If you installed the Evernote desktop application on another computer,  it will have a downloaded copy of your database as at the date you last used it.  You're talking about 'local' notes though - did you have a Local notebook?  That's files stored on your hard drive that are not synced with the web,  and the reason for Step 4 in the instructions above.

 

If your shiny new installation of Evernote can't sync with the web,  what error messages do you see?  Is your log-in accepted?  Does sync start at all?

[tenlegdragon 1]

RESOLVED!!!

 

KINDA!!!

 

It wasn't my computer, but Evernote had been installed on a computer of a friend that I'd logged into and put to sync every 15 minutes (because I use other people's evernote and sync my stuff on other people's computer's which is a good bad habit. I got into the database and copied my stuff, then came back, killed everything Evernotey in my task manager, then went into my own local database, cut everything out and then put in the files i'd gotten. Then i started Evernote again and it made me put in my password, then everything appeared in like 3 seconds!!!

 

I'd tested out the enex first but the files were missing stuff. Not the content but like the location tags on the map. The database copy and paste worked perfectly. And now I'm thinking that this should have occurred to me a good deal earlier but I'm so happy now!

 

The only thing that's kinda bothering me now is thinking that there might be I don't now how many computers out there with my stuff on it just syncing away in somebody's accessible daabase... but it's not like it's CIA codes to warheads or anything so *shrug*

A thousand yays. 

 

 

 

If your shiny new installation of Evernote can't sync with the web,  what error messages do you see?  Is your log-in accepted?  Does sync start at all?

 

My login had always been accepted. Sync starts as soon as I logged in and sometimes went on for hours but never to completion. Sometimes just with the tittles of the files and no other content. In the tags list I would see all the tags but no files, just a zero next to them. In the last 24 hours or so, the amount of complete files that would sync kept reducing with each attempt. It was 84 on one attempt, then 36, then 12, then the last time  none at all. The circle arrows just kept spinning until eventually whenever, the red exclamation would go up with a "cannot connect to server error"

 

I'd tried installing pre-release versions and older versions from a month back, even like 2012 versions that I still had, but nothing. Same problem.

 

But if I'm still syncing to other computers, that has to mean it's something with my computer, yeah? That's what I'm thinking at least. Everything else is syncing and my internet is working as well as it ever had. The only thing I can think of is that i re-installed Windows about 3 weeks back. I'm so backed up on Dropbox and everything that it was like nothing changed, but maybe there was some kind of error wrt some feature that evernote needs specifically?! I don't know. MS Office, Drive, Box, Dropbox and Bittorent sync are moving smoothly so I really don't no.

 

When I try to sync now, it just does a quick sync and says complete after about 2 seconds. So it's just right there where it was. Not syncing anything new that i put on my tab to test it out., Main thing though is that I have my files. Never went into Appdata before, curiously enouugh. I feel like i should maybe back this folder up on the cloud or does Evernote do that? Or is it implied by the only syncing that the database is already stored online somewhere?

 

It would be cool if in some future version whenever if they have a nice little "auto-backup to Dropbox or Drive" feature which would maybe save the more neurotically inclined EN users the days of panic and diarrhea and insomnia. But thanks anyway gamzumped for being a sort of sanity-breadcrumb trail.

 

Notes at last, notes at last, thank God Almighty, NOTES AT LAST.

[Manica 3]

I am using an up to date version of Evernote 5.8.1.6061 on my Windows 8.1 (Desktop version). I was working fine until recently i logged out from my regular account and signed in from another one of my private evernote accounts. Today I signed in  from my regular account, although i could sign in, but i keep getting an sync error. I can see all the notebooks being displayed... but the notes are missing. Its all blank. 

It says 'sorry no notes to display'

Despite repeated attempts at syncing the account, I did take the following steps (rest assured):

1.) Checked my internet connection. Its working and i can see all my notes on evernote web for the said account.

2.) Tried to restart my laptop and sign in again. Fail.

3.) Checked and emptied my trash and tried to sync again. Fail.

4.) Turned off firewall on my anti virus, restarted the computer, logged in again, tried to sync. Fail.

5.) Took some poodle test on advice from the discussion forum, checked and unchecked certain advanced internet settings. Restarted the computer. Tried to sync. Fail.

6.) Uninstalled and reinstalled the latest version of evernote. Signed in. Tried to Sync. FAIL!!!

 

Its giving me the same error. "No notes to display".

 

Its frustrating the living day light out of me. I have my entire study material on evernote and i cant begin to imagine taking a note by note back up on an alternative account.

 

Please please help me out.

 

I am attaching my activity log along side for your convenience. 

 

Thanks. Help awaited.

[gazumped 11,665]

I'd suggest you check on the web version to see that your notes are still OK,  and if so verify the location of your current database with Tools > Options > General and Open Database Folder.  

Exit Evernote with File > Exit and then rename that folder to Databases.Old.  Restart Evernote and log in to rebuild the folder from the server.

 

If all else fails,  consider removing your current installation with Revo Uninstaller - which will remove all traces of Evernote from your system.

 

Download Revo here - http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html  

 

(The free version is fine,  but you can use the 30-day free option on the Pro version if you want.)

[Manica 3]

Hello

Thank You. I really appreciate the timely help.

 

The notes on my web version are absolutely fine and intact. But I don't understand what you would mean by 'verifying location of database' 

(I'm sorry, but I'm like a snail when it comes to computers and technology. Bear with me please   ).  

 

Also in the second step mentioned, should i rename it to  'database.old' 

 

Further, there is one more development since my last inquiry. Although I couldn't see any of the notes earlier, but about an hour ago it automatically tried to sync the notes again and about 50 notes have surfaced (out of a possible 100). The error is still same: 'sync fail' but they have partially synchronized. 
 

What steps do you think I should take from here?

 

More importantly, should I risk making notes on desktop version while I'm getting a sync error? (I don't know what else to use... iPad has typing hassles, same is the trouble on phone and I don't have internet connection all the time on laptop... so as to be able to use web version   ). 

Please suggest.

 

Help awaited. 

 

My latest log looks like this: 

 

15:28:12 [4656] 77% * guid={fce3b6b5-4ab3-41c3-bb16-ded4b6edc807}

15:28:12 [4656] 78% Retrieving note "COMMUNISM"

15:28:12 [4656] 78% * guid={31682180-dd31-4f20-ac7f-dd59e52cb4de}

15:28:12 [4656] 79% Retrieving note "GANDHISM"

15:28:12 [4656] 79% * guid={4b41c402-c24c-416a-af10-d2c3a0535ad1}

15:28:12 [4656] 80% Retrieving note "MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH"

15:28:12 [4656] 80% * guid={add23dae-a13d-4d7d-864a-f04e9634ad88}

15:28:12 [4656] 82% Retrieving note "IR: G20"

15:28:12 [4656] 82% * guid={33eb644f-df07-412f-af35-f5d48c382712}

15:28:12 [4656] 83% Retrieving note "Kishan Ganga Hydro-project"

15:28:12 [4656] 83% * guid={53931c23-7804-41ed-8254-e99bc346fe76}

15:28:14 [3804] 84% Submitting a batch of 10 note calls, size=9.0MB

15:28:34 [3804] 84% No more data to read.

15:28:35 [2316] Client synchronization finished, status: failed

15:28:35 [2316] * 18 items received

15:28:35 [2316] * elapsed time: 24s

15:30:01 [6328] Registered session count: 1, last session: 2015/01/11 15:30:00

[gazumped 11,665]

Hi - sorry if that was a bit terse.  Breaking it down a bit,  the process is as follows - 

1. open Evernote Desktop
2. Go to Tools > Option > General and Open database folder (this will open Windows explorer)
3. File > Exit Evernote
4. In the Explorer window,  check that the path to your database is "C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Evernote\Evernote\Databases" (check the address bar at the top) 
5. click on the second "evernote" (highlighted above) so you see a folder list in the right-hand window,  including Databases.
6. right click the Databases folder and choose rename (or highlight it and press F2) type "Databases.old" (without the quotes)
7. exit all windows and restart your computer
8. reopen Evernote and cross fingers...

If you have any unsynced notes,  including notes in any Local Notebooks,  you will lose them in this process - so before you start,  export them to ENEX files and re-import them when you finish.  That's actually more work than fixing the sync problem in the first place,  so I'd recommend that you avoid making new notes in the desktop version - though it will be fine if you use the web version via Evernote.com.

 

Hope that helps...

[Manica 3]

My frustration knows no bounds. All thanks to Evernote.

 

Hello Evernerd  

 

Thank you again for simplifying it for me.

 

Actually, thank you does not come close to the gratitude I have for your help and time and (not to forget) patience!

 

Coming back to the problems I have been facing...turns out crossing fingers wasn't much of a help 

 

I did as per your instructions.

1.)  Opened Evernote desktop>tools>options>open database folder.

2.)  File> exit evernote.

3.)  Opened the explorer again and then clicked on second evernote. At that time there was only 1 database file... which I renamed as Database.old.

4.)  Exit Explorer. Exit Chrome. Restart. (I felt like a genius... being able to successfully follow instructions like that...All thanks to you again evernerd )

 

Restart. and Epic fail. I don't know if I should blame my luck or curse the day. Things are just not happening.

 

Now when I opened the database folder and check file location... i see not 1 but 2 files with names as follows: Database and Database.old (is that how it is supposed to be?)

 

Can you help me still???

 

Help awaited with all desperation.

 

 

What ever 50 something notes that had surfaced in the least...are all gone now...with the same ominous red exclamation        I see on the screen the same dreaded message "SYNC FAIL"   &    "sorry no notes to display"

[gazumped 11,665]

Hi again -  - glad you were able to follow the instructions so well.  It is quite normal (in this situation) to see two folders - and it's encouraging at least that Evernote did rebuild some part of your database.  If you can,  I'd suggest getting on with something else,  and clicking the 'sync' button a few times in the next couple of hours.  See if that will work.  It may be that as it's a Sunday (well it is here anyway..) everyone is busy doing things online and your local network,  or Evernote generally is just too busy to make a proper connection.  It does happen from time to time.

 

If the  waiting game doesn't work I have seen in another thread that Evernote version 5.6.4.4632 is a 'good' package to revert to - and you can find it listed her to download > http://filehippo.com/download_evernote/history

 

If all else is failing,  you might consider uninstalling Evernote with Revo,  removing the new database folder,  and installing the older version of Evernote.  If that works to download your database,  we can cheat and copy the entire database folder somewhere safe,  then upgrade (again) to 5.8.1 to see if a re-update will persuade the system to work.  If it fails you have a backup of the 5.6.4 database folder to fall back on.

 

Sounds complicated,  but it's not actually too bad to carry out - I'll do another step-by-step if you need to go that far.

 

Another option would be:  do you have access to any other Windows desktop computer on which you could install Evernote - even only temporarily?  Again,  if we can get a full download somewhere,  we can transplant the database onto your current machine...

[Manica 3]

Hello Again  

 

Turns out patience isn't one of my many virtues. And it seems this discussion forum isn't any different either. It has limited the number of posts I can make here until almost 3 PM your time (?)....this being the last privileged post. So I can't whine and complain and pester for help anymore for atleast 5 hours. 

 

Anyway I'll take full advantage of this limited space and list down my urgency.

 

I'm in between preparation of a very important examination and until after I started using Evernote... I pinched my self and thought...could it be real? could note making be so easy and uncluttered?

Here is an app that has given me a (creative) work space where I can easily let go of trivialities of putting matter in order (you know...making folders and sub folders and then getting confused as to where I saved it?) and just let the smart app do all the work. And so it did. Everything from current affairs to my static text is so coherently organised + its cloud computing. I can access it from anywhere!  

 

Short lived ecstasy. One shouldn't get so happy so soon eh? Now I'm so hopelessly dependent upon this app... like I don't know how else to make notes...(word? no! no! no!) And the beta version on web Evernote (faints) I cant see the branched appendix on the left side: notebook stacks> notebooks> notes (card view)....in short lost in the web of web version (in short i miss my desktop version). I feel absolute handicap without it.

 

So right now...neither do I have access to my already done hard labor and neither do I have the incentive to make new notes...in short I'm killing valuable time here....When really I should be studying for atleast 12-14 hours a day (psssffttt..)... here I am whiling away my time trying to fix a mix. ...because hey! I didn't keep a back up of anything. Dependent upon the whim and fancy of the 'cloud'.

 

As I type... the syn constantly fails. same old error with 'no' notes to display. Although I'm assured that my notes are safe and I haven't lost valuable data... I want the desktop version in working condition as soon as possible...because I'm  pretty lost otherwise. 

 

Please don't take my whining otherwise... humor it as you have already... in your previous posts the tone of dry humor and sarcasm is the only punch in my (otherwise) dull day.

 

Coming back to Evernote... did I hear another step by step tutorial??... Yes please! Because complicated doesn't come close to what I felt about the said methodology...it sounded gibberish to me (really it did...to correct myself....I'm not even a snail in the technological world..its like I don't even exist)...

 

So another tutorial...(if you can and if you will) ...yes please. 

All hail the Evernerd.

Thanks again.

P.S.  Sorry for all the trouble on Sunday.

[gazumped 11,665]

OK - if you're sitting comfortably,  let's begin...  

1. Download Revo Uninstaller Free from their website at http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html and install it.  Can't remember if it starts up automatically,  but if it doesn't,  click the icon and get it up and running.  It takes a few minutes to find all the installed apps on your system.
    
2. Once it's ready to talk to you,  find the Evernote icon on the main screen and double-click it.  You should be guided through an uninstall process.  Revo will use the Windows uninstaller to get rid of any 'official' files,  but will then run a search on the hard drive to locate all registry entries and other files.  Follow the prompts carefully,  and use 'Select All' (in the Revo window) and Delete to get rid of everything it finds.
    
3. When it says "all done" go and check the files at C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Evernote\Evernote\ and see if anything is left.  If you can't find anything,  it means Revo did its job.  If you do find anything,  drag and drop the whole folder onto your desktop to get it out of the way.
    
4. Now download the installer for EN 5.6.4 from the Filehippo site at http://filehippo.com/download_evernote/history and save it to your desktop.  Click to run,  and wait for the this version of Evernote to get itself sorted out.  It'll ask you for your username and password, and by now you should be really good at logging in...
    
5. Then,  we sincerely hope,  you will see a trickle of files coming back from the server which will rebuild your database.

 

If you're still stuck after that,  and have no posts left,  try PM-ing me - hover your cursor over my name (top left of the post) and click 'send message'.  Don't promise to have any magic answers (apart from maybe 'let's do that again' but we'll see...)

 

Good luck!!

[FerociousFeline 18]

Just in case you are reading this discussion forum and are suffering Evernote Sync problems yourself, please be aware that there are a number of other discussion forums dealing with the same problem.

 

Could I suggest that we all register collective displeasure at the apparent lack of support from Evernote on a single discussion forum? The one that seems the most active can be found at:

 

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/79932-evernote-for-windows-5816061-sync-bug/#entry338437

 

Look forward to seeing you there!

[gazumped 11,665]

@Manica and I spent a lot more time than shows here trying to tech this problem by PM,  but couldn't make her device connect on her current account.  Another account would sync to her laptop,  just not the one that held all her notes;  which rather suggests that it's a note or an account problem,  not comms.  I flagged this thread for the forum admins to have a look at - hopefully we'll here more about this soon...

[Manica 3]

Hello Evernerd (Gazumped)

Thanks for holding the fort

 

I just read a few messages on the above posted thread... and oh god...the people are turning bitter. No thanks to you for your help? and you help despite the fact you're not an employee at Evernote. What's the incentive really? I wouldn't be able to do that if I were you.

 

You're helping for nothing in return...but in the least there has to be some appreciation for that.

 

Well I'll take my moment again and say thank you to you. You aren't obligated and yet here you are... doing all that you can. Thank you

 

Well yes, my issue isn't resolved. But as Gazumped has mentioned in the above post... it is an account problem...because I can sync other accounts on my desktop client. So Evernote.. here is my ticket number 905243. Please do what ever you can do to fix it as soon as possible. 

[gazumped 11,665]

Hiya - as I said above,  I flagged the threads and your ticket number to see whether we can get some executive attention on this - though EN works weekdays and PST,  so time zones can cause issues... hopefully you may get some response soon.

 

I'm hanging around here because although I'm pretty good at both work and IT systems and I've been using Evernote intensively for some years,  some posts still give me new insights into how Evernote (and PCs) can be employed.  I also hear about some useful new apps that will help me out.

 

Being reasonably good at using Evernote,  I now have several hundred URLs and fixes in various notes,  so it doesn't take as long to respond to a tech query as it would if I had to type the whole thing out from scratch.  In fact typing this individual response is taking longer than most... (although I'm watching a lecture on TV at the same time, so the time is kind've academic  - [see what I did there?])

 

You're very welcome for the help - I'm only sorry it didn't work!  I'll be grateful though if you can come back and tell us how your issue gets fixed so I can add it to my collection...

 

[charboyd 272]

I added one week premium and escalated your ticket in the queue. Let me know if you have any trouble with receiving contact

[Manica 3]

Hey

Thanks for the freebie Charboyd But isn't 1 week too less a time for real time trouble shooting? I have trouble with the account on which you have given me Premium Up-gradation. I can't access (sync) any of my notes. (I feel sad I won't be able to take advantage of being a Premium User (only for a week if it is so) )

Anyway, Thank you still for escalating my case and making me a privileged member  

 

And I saw what you did there Gazumped We need"Multi-Tasking-Evernerds" like you here...else people like myself...would scratch every hair out of their scalp (Please don't feel obligated to reply to this message, you time holds more value in "Ever-Trouble-Shooting"

 

And as soon as my issue is resolved (which I now think should be sooner that soon), I'll happily post a step by step here

 

Cheers

[Manica 3]

Hello.... Long time...!!!

Finally...Finally after almost a month of Ordeal....My Evernote account got over Sync Error...!!! Service Restored !!!  Yeay! (gets up and silently does a happy dance)

Well as promised, I said I'd let you guys know the step by step of how my problem was solved....but I don't actually have much to say here....
Turns out... I did get an immediate response from the Evernote Support team with regular follow up.... but the problem was at their technical en and mine happened to be one of the few accounts that suffered....sigh!!!

But I'm happy and humbled by the help I got from each end..starting right here...(Hola Gazumped...(Evernerd...I hope you're doing well for helpin me from the very beginning and then getting my case escalated in the long queue for Support Service )....The Evernote Support Team.... Evernote Tech Team.... A special thank you to Charboyd for the upgrade....

 

So anyway...getting back to the how's of it.... today... as soon as there was an Evernote software update...voila....problem solved....!!!

 

Yes it did take a lot of time... yes, I had to keep a lot of patience.... but what can you do.... it is what it is ...and ...
As they say... all is well that ends well....So yeah I am happy... and of-course I am still using Evernote...(because I can't bring myself to like any other app...because Evernote has me hooked with the amazingly simplified way of maintaining notes and easy access...)

So yeah... to all of you all who have faced similar problems.... just go ahead and update your Evernote Desktop Version for a smooth run!!

Thanks again to everyone  
 

[cmalamute 2]

played a little bit around with the same problem - for me, the following worked: with CTRL + Sync-Button in the Desktop app/"all notes" view I identified the not synced notes. Following that, I moved these notes to another Notebook (clicked away warning messages). From that new notebook, I could delete the notes which was not possible at the time they've been in the original notebook where they not synced.