Safest way to do a re-install

[AllAndNothing 9]

I'm running Evernote in Windows 7 in sync mode. I have the local data files on a D drive, while the OS and apps are on the C drive. I frequently copy the local data files to a backup location.

I want to do a re-install. (The reason is that I removed the Evernote Clipper for Outlook add-in during some troubleshooting and it seems the only way to re-enable it is to reinstall Evernote: https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/209005837-How-to-use-the-Microsoft-Outlook-Clipper-add-in-to-save-emails-to-Evernote.)

I'd appreciate advice on which is the best way to do this.

Option A: Quit Evernote, Empty my folder where the local data files are kept (moving a copy elsewhere for safety, of course), uninstall Evernote, reboot, and reinstall Evernote (and let it sync to download all the data from the server).

Option B: Leave my local data files in place and just quit and uninstall Evernote, reboot and reinstall it.

I don't have a lot of data, so a fresh download of everything will go quickly. I'm not concerned about saving time. I'm only concerned with ensuring the integrity of the data -- foremost on the server, of course, but also locally so I don't have to revisit it.

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DTLow 5,736]

27 minutes ago, AllAndNothing said:

I want to do a re-install.

When you say local files, do you mean local notebooks?
If yes, each notebook has to be exported separately, using ENEX format with tags saved.

Make sure you run a sync so all your notes are uploaded to the cloud.
There are more complex procedures, but I usually just delete the app - on the Mac this means moving the app to the trash.
You might need to also backup/delete the data files.  I understand on Windows, this is just a single .exb file

Then, just reinstall the app.  Your notes will download from the cloud.
If you had local notebooks, you will have to import the ENEX files.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

1 hour ago, AllAndNothing said:

I want to do a re-install. (The reason is that I removed the Evernote Clipper for Outlook add-in during some troubleshooting and it seems the only way to re-enable it is to reinstall Evernote

Since you are doing this to fix the EN Outlook clipper, the first thing I would try is the reinstall instructions provided in the link you referenced:
How to use the Microsoft Outlook Clipper (add-in) to save emails to Evernote 

If that does not work, or you want to do a clean install, 
See Procedure for Clean Reinstall of Evernote Windows Using Revo

[AllAndNothing 9]

3 hours ago, DTLow said:

When you say local files, do you mean local notebooks?

Thanks.

In the OP, "I'm running Evernote in Windows 7 in sync mode" was intended to make it clear that I am not working with any local notebooks.

Apparently that wasn't as clear as I intended it to be.

2 hours ago, JMichaelTX said:

Since you are doing this to fix the EN Outlook clipper, the first thing I would try is the reinstall instructions provided in the link you referenced:
How to use the Microsoft Outlook Clipper (add-in) to save emails to Evernote 

If that does not work, or you want to do a clean install, 
See Procedure for Clean Reinstall of Evernote Windows Using Revo

Thanks.

I did, of course, already see the reinstall instructions at the link I provided before I posted.

I posted the question that I did because I didn't know if my having the local files in a location different than the default location had the potential to complicate things in any way, and, well, because I wanted to know whether the approach in my Option A would potentially be safer than Option B (which is, of course, what they say to do at the link I provided).

 

 

 

 

[gazumped 11,666]

Hi.  If you don't have that many notes and are willing for your database to be rebuilt by the server,  I'd suggest the best option will be to Revo your current install (making sure that you have a backup of your data somewhere secure) and reinstall.  Allow the rebuild,  and then move your database files - as I assume you did before via Tools > Options > General - to their 'new' location on D: (that being the folder where your existing files were kept).  You now have a backup copy of the old notes as security in case the content is corrupted in some way,  but it should not be necessary to use it.

[CalS 5,280]

Within the framework of your original question, Option C exists:  Create a copy of your data for safety, and then revo EN followed by the reinstall.  Your data should be unaffected but always better to be safe than sorry.  Per @gazumped, a clean install and a refresh will get you the "cleanest" data base, and not that time consuming with a smaller data base.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

17 hours ago, AllAndNothing said:

I wanted to know whether the approach in my Option A would potentially be safer than Option B (which is, of course, what they say to do at the link I provided).

Your "Option A" corresponds to my 2nd suggestion of a clean reinstall, except my suggestion uses Revo to ensure all files and registry settings are removed.

Your "Option B" corresponds to my 1st suggestion.

So, to be clear, the "safer" option is a clean reinstall using Revo.

I notice that two other members also suggested using Revo, after my post.  Seems to be a consensus.  

[AllAndNothing 9]

3 hours ago, JMichaelTX said:

Your "Option A" corresponds to my 2nd suggestion of a clean reinstall, except my suggestion uses Revo to ensure all files and registry settings are removed.

Your "Option B" corresponds to my 1st suggestion.

So, to be clear, the "safer" option is a clean reinstall using Revo.

I notice that two other members also suggested using Revo, after my post.  Seems to be a consensus.  

Okay, I concede to the consensus. 

Even if I do use Revo, which I'll probably start using from now on, my main concern here is not so much about a clean uninstall. It's about not letting my Evernote data on the server get corrupted as a result of how Evernote handles the syncing of the local data after the reinstall. (That's why I posted the question in the first place seeking advice.)

I'm thinking maybe, for instance:

1. Quit Evernote.

2. Move my local data files to a safe location and clear out the folder.

3. Uninstall Evernote.

4. Take the computer off the Internet.

5. Install Evernote.

6. Point Evernote to the folder where I want my data files.

7. Go online.

The reason for taking the computer offline, of course, is so it can't begin to sync any data down off the Internet until after I've pointed Evernote (in Options) to the local folder where I want it to keep my date files (where I've kelp them all along but which I will presumably empty before the fresh install begins to sync all the data from the server).

Alternatively, does Evernote not offer a way to install fresh and then go into Options and change the location of the local data files before it does any syncing off of the server? I seem to recall that it does in fact allow that if I'm not mistaken. If I recall correctly, I believe one can do a new install and then, before entering their username and password, go into Options to change the location of the local data files -- meaning no data will be syncing down off the server yet, not until after they enter their username and password.

If so, I guess I should:

A. Implement Revo.

B. Quit Evernote.

C. Move my local data files to a safe place, and clear the folder they were in.

D. Uninstall Evernote.

E. Install Evernote.

F. Point it to the folder I want it to use for local data.

G. Log into Evernote with my username and password (and let it sync the data down off the server).

Am I on the right track?

Thanks so much for all the help!!!

 

[AllAndNothing 9]

I'm aware that my post immediately preceding this one obviously overlooks the suggestions I received of first letting Evernote sync the local data to it's default location and then going into Options and pointing it to my custom location (empty folder). I guess I'm feeling that it's maybe a bit cleaner, and less likely to encounter issues, if I can point it to my customer location before it syncs anything off the server, rather than "move" it after it downloads everything.

I'm of course open to being enlightened on this, given that I have already had to acquiesce to a consensus and all. 

Thanks again!

 

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

1 hour ago, AllAndNothing said:

If so, I guess I should:

A. Implement Revo.

B. Quit Evernote.

C. Move my local data files to a safe place, and clear the folder they were in.

D. Uninstall Evernote.

When you uninstall an app using Revo, it will remove everything that app uses (files and registry).  So, your process above does not make sense.

You should backup, but not move, your Evernote data folder as the very first step (EN Win should NOT be running).  As I stated above, please See Procedure for Clean Reinstall of Evernote Windows Using Revo, and adjust as needed if you want to install without syncing.  Actually, I don't think you can install without syncing.  The EN Win app will require a connection to install and setup your account on your PC.  As soon as it logs into your account it is going to start syncing immediately.

[AllAndNothing 9]

I didn't realize Revo "did" the uninstall (I should have realized that). No matter.

The link for the "Procedure for Clean Reinstall of Evernote Windows Using Revo" says: "This is like major surgery. Do this only when all other options have not worked."

I decided to do it without Revo. I felt that letting Evernote do its thing normally might allow it to remember where I was keeping my local data files. I was right. (I have recent image backups of the entire machine for disaster recovery, in case of an issue, so Revo was a little less of a concern to me.)

I'm not sure if I was right that a new install of Evernote Windows does indeed allow you to go into Options and redirect the location for local data files before you've signed in (meaning before it's syncing/downloading anything). It does let you get to the Options settings before signing in, but I don't know if it lets you Save changes without already being signed in (I didn't try -- and I didn't have to because it remembered my prior location for the local data files, which I was at least able to confirm by going into that Options tab). I do know that on trying to change other settings in other tabs in Options it did not allow me to Save (or hit Okay), so maybe it's not possible to change the local data folder until after being signed in. (It would be very cool if someone who is in a position to test it can do so and report the result. I'd be very curious to know for the future. Having that ability is the difference that would make using Revo feel a lot safer, since this matter of being able to have a new download of the data go straight to the custom data folder is a big issue.)

So, what I did was:

1. Quit Evernote.

2. Copy the contents of my local data folder to a safe location. (I also did 1 and 2 on my other machine, for an extra backup copy.)

3. Uninstall Evernote.

4. Delete the entire contents of the local data folder, thus leaving the original folder there but empty. (I had to first go into Task Manager > Processes and do an End Task on Evernote Clipper in order to delete the Log folder.)

5. Reinstall Evernote.

6. Confirm in Options that the location for the local data files was still where I wanted it to be.

7. Sign in, and let it sync/download away!

It went smoothly.

Thanks again for the help. I chose a different path but you did help me think it through and decide the course of action I felt most comfortable with, and you also helped me take notice of Revo again, which I will actually probably employ in the near future for all future installs and uninstalls on all my machines.

.

 

 

 

 

[DTLow 5,736]

5 hours ago, AllAndNothing said:

I decided to do it without Revo.....
It went smoothly.

Thanks for sharing.  It did sound extreme having to go to third party software for what you were doing.

I've found Evernote to be very robust in regards to the local database.  
My experience is with the Mac platform; if my database folder is deleted, Evernote simply rebuilds it downloading my notes from the server. Of course this would not include any local notebooks.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

10 hours ago, DTLow said:

 It did sound extreme having to go to third party software for what you were doing.

It is not "extreme" at all to use Revo.  It was recommended by three members here, and also often by Evernote Support.

A normal Windows uninstall will often leave corrupt files, and almost always leaves entries in the Registry that should be removed.
Revo is the best tool to ensure that all related files and registry settings have been removed.

Maybe since you are not a Windows user, you are unfamiliar with Revo.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

10 hours ago, DTLow said:

My experience is with the Mac platform; if my database folder is deleted, Evernote simply rebuilds it downloading my notes from the server. Of course this would not include any local notebooks

Your experience with EN Mac is really not relevant here.  EN Mac stores its notes in a completely different structure than EN Win.
But even with EN Mac, it is sometimes necessary to use an app uninstaller to ensure all Evernote related files are removed.

[DTLow 5,736]

39 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

Maybe since you are not a Windows user, you are unfamiliar with Revo

LIKE THIS

•  

I am familiar with Revo and have used it when doing a complicated uninstall on a Windows machine.

There are also equivalent products for use on Macs, although uninstalls are not as complicated as Windows.

[AllAndNothing 9]

As an entrepreneur having done my own IT for decades, and having worked with some of the best IT people on complex troubleshooting tasks together, it's been my experience that sometimes very advanced technical experts can sometimes lose sight a little bit of the practical realities that a business user faces when making IT judgment calls.

Revo is clearly intense and proven, and certainly is sometimes a real lifesaver. Yet it's noteworthy that even after I pointed out that the link I was given starts out with the warning that "This is like major surgery. Do this only when all other options have not worked" (which is obviously just an opinion that's a matter of degrees), even still, the person who provided that link is debating someone who feels it's a bit of an extreme thing to get involved with in light of the questions I've been asking here. And while I've had multiple suggestions to use Revo, there has been not much focus on the very pragmatic issue that my priority has explicitly been here -- which is ensuring the integrity of the data during an uninstall and reinstall of EN Windows in light of the fact that my data files are being kept in a custom location.

On that subject, I'm still comfortable with my decision. I feel that having used Revo would have been just as risky as not using it, since we know for sure it would have caused EN to lose the ability to remember where I was previously pointing my local data files and nobody has yet been able to (or has yet made it a priority to) address my main question, which, again, is whether it's possible to tell a fresh EN Windows install to put the local data files in a custom location before it begins to sync any of the data down from the server.

The way I did it, the uninstall remembered that important setting, ensuring that I wouldn't risk any chance of corruption of the data by moving the location of the local data folder after the data has all been downloaded.

For me, the integrity of the data is more important than worrying about corruption of the program since, as I said, I have image backups and it's much easier to restore the OS/apps drive from an image than to rebuild the integrity of the EN data on the server and all devices if it ever gets corrupted. And the likelihood of corruption of the registry as a result of simply doing an uninstall and reinstall of EN Windows didn't seem to be nearly as much of a concern as the importance of protecting the data.

Ideally, it would have been nice to have the best of both worlds -- know for sure that I could redirect the location of the local data files in a fresh EN Windows install and, knowing that, go ahead and use Revo with the confidence of knowing I don't need to rely on having my settings remembered during the uninstall and reinstall.

I am absolutely grateful for every bit of help that's been offered here. Of course!

It's just interesting that this thread has gone this far and while the focus has been on Revo nobody has been curious enough to use whatever resources they might have available and do a test to answer the question I've been posing, which, again, to me, is far more important from a "technical" point of view than the need to use Revo.

I'm just sayin'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CalS 5,280]

1 hour ago, AllAndNothing said:

And while I've had multiple suggestions to use Revo, there has been not much focus on the very pragmatic issue that my priority has explicitly been here -- which is ensuring the integrity of the data during an uninstall and reinstall of EN Windows in light of the fact that my data files are being kept in a custom location.

I store my EN files in a custom location.  Revo will not remove your data if it is in a custom location in my experience.  If your data is in C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Evernote\Evernote it will be removed by Revo.  No matter, I always make a copy of my EN parent folder which obviously captures the child folders prior to a complete reinstall.  If you want to ensure a clean install, using Revo or equivalent is the way to go IMO.

56 minutes ago, AllAndNothing said:

nobody has yet been able to (or has yet made it a priority to) address my main question, which, again, is whether it's possible to tell a fresh EN Windows install to put the local data files in a custom location before it begins to sync any of the data down from the server.

Yes you can.  After you have reinstalled EN and you bring it up for the first time, go to Evernote - Options on the sign in screen and set the location of where you want the EN data base.  It can be the same location with your data in it that you used before the reinstall.  You will get a message about the risk of losing data but as long as all you've done is the reinstall there won't be any data loss.  You are just connecting the fresh program back to your data.  If the location is empty, EN will begin the download of your notes.  I have done this with an 18GB data base more than once.

1 hour ago, AllAndNothing said:

It's just interesting that this thread has gone this far and while the focus has been on Revo nobody has been curious enough to use whatever resources they might have available and do a test to answer the question I've been posing, which, again, to me, is far more important from a "technical" point of view than the need to use Revo.

I'm just sayin'.

Something preventing you from doing your own test? 

Side note.  Any of these uninstalls will effect your toolbar settings and the like, even if you point back to your original data location.  That I find to be a PITA.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

2 hours ago, AllAndNothing said:

And while I've had multiple suggestions to use Revo, there has been not much focus on the very pragmatic issue that my priority has explicitly been here -- which is ensuring the integrity of the data during an uninstall and reinstall of EN Windows in light of the fact that my data files are being kept in a custom location.

I believe we do understand your concern for data integrity, or at least I should say I do, and data integrity is always my first priority.

Perhaps you don't fully understand how an Evernote install works when all notes are in sync'd notebooks.  

• In that case, the integrity of your data rests in the Evernote Cloud.  
• When you do a clean install of Evernote it is just like doing an install for the first time on a new PC.
• That is the best and safest way to install Evernote.

When you do an Evernote update, or a standard Windows uninstall of Evernote, it will leave files and registry settings that may be corrupt, or may mislead the update or install.  Therefore, if you have having issues, or there are any concerns, it is almost always best to do a clean reinstall, using an app uninstaller like Revo.  Revo is a proven uninstaller that I, and other members here, have used for years.

EDIT:  Deleted my comments about moving database before sync.

I defer to @csihilling's experience on this matter.

You asked for our advice and help, and we gave it to you.  You are, of course, always free to disregard our advice.

2 hours ago, AllAndNothing said:

I feel that having used Revo would have been just as risky as not using it, since we know for sure it would have caused EN to lose the ability to remember where I was previously pointing my local data files and nobody has yet been able to (or has yet made it a priority to) address my main question, which, again, is whether it's possible to tell a fresh EN Windows install to put the local data files in a custom location before it begins to sync any of the data down from the server.

I don't know why you find using Revo such a challenge.  It has been used by many, many other Evernote users without any problems.
Using Revo is NOT just as risky as not using it.

I have already explained this twice, but let me try again.  When you do the first install of Evernote, or a reinstall after the complete removed of the prior version using Revo, the Evernote installer will install into the standard location, and will immediately begin to sync after you login.  I don't think there is any way to change this.

So, as I stated above, you cannot change the location of the Evernote database until the install and sync have completed.

 I stand corrected. It appears you can move the database location before syncing starts.  See @csihilling post here.

If things are working well for you now, then that is great.  I hope they continue to do so.

 

 

 

[AllAndNothing 9]

4 minutes ago, csihilling said:

Yes you can.  After you have reinstalled EN and you bring it up for the first time, go to Evernote - Options on the sign in screen and set the location of where you want the EN data base.  It can be the same location with your data in it that you used before the reinstall.  You will get a message about the risk of losing data but as long as all you've done is the reinstall there won't be any data loss.  You are just connecting the fresh program back to your data.  If the location is empty, EN will begin the download of your notes.  I have done this with an 18GB data base more than once.

 

Thank you! Very good to know! And very useful to know! (Now I can feel safe about using Revo in the future in this important respect -- or at least it's important to me.)

4 minutes ago, csihilling said:

Something preventing you from doing your own test? 

 

Well, in the event that I discovered it did not allow it, I would have been stuck where I didn't want to be, which was letting it first sync/download the data to the default location and then move it by changing the location (which I realize should be fine in theory, but which I also felt had the slight chance of introducing an issue).

4 minutes ago, csihilling said:

Side note.  Any of these uninstalls will effect your toolbar settings and the like, even if you point back to your original data location.  That I find to be a PITA.

Please tell me what you mean by affecting toolbar settings, so I know what to watch out for.

Thanks again for the help!

[AllAndNothing 9]

6 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

I believe we do understand your concern for data integrity, or at least I should say I do, and data integrity is always my first priority.

Perhaps you don't fully understand how an Evernote install works when all notes are in sync'd notebooks.  

• In that case, the integrity of your data rests in the Evernote Cloud.  
• When you do a clean install of Evernote it is just like doing an install for the first time on a new PC.
• That is the best and safest way to install Evernote.

When you do an Evernote update, or a standard Windows uninstall of Evernote, it will leave files and registry settings that may be corrupt, or may mislead the update or install.  Therefore, if you have having issues, or there are any concerns, it is almost always best to do a clean reinstall, using an app uninstaller like Revo.  Revo is a proven uninstaller that I, and other members here, have used for years.

 

I did and still do understand everything you said here, and none of that changes my views. The fact that data is synced locally that resides in the cloud is all the more reason why data corruption locally that can sync back to the cloud is something to be avoided since it can corrupt the data in the cloud (and all synced devices can be affected, too).

6 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

If you choose to keep your EN Win database in a different location, that will always have to be done AFTER the EN Win app has finished installing and syncing.  Since all of the EN Win notes are actually in one database file, this is really not an issue, since all you are doing is changing the pointer to the database.

 

The experience I reported in my previous posts here, and by another poster, shows that what you stated here is incorrect. As I stated, by my having not used Revo, EN retained the settings that told the new install the custom location where I wanted my local data files to go, which resulted in the initial syncing going directly to that custom location. And the other poster says the location can be changed before logging in and syncing the initial download, which I haven't done but which he clearly says he has.

6 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

I don't know why you find using Revo such a challenge.  It has been used by many, many other Evernote users without any problems.
Using Revo is NOT just as risky as not using it.

 

What is the confusion about? I didn't say I found Revo to be a challenge other than that I didn't want to let it remove all traces of my settings, on the hope EN would remember where to put my data files so the initial sync would go there and I wouldn't have to face the challenge of moving the local data files after it had all synced down off of the server. And it turns out I was right and had the successful outcome I wanted (before I was told that I could have changed the path to the custom location before the syncing anyway).

6 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

I have already explained this twice, but let me try again.  When you do the first install of Evernote, or a reinstall after the complete removed of the prior version using Revo, the Evernote installer will install into the standard location, and will immediately begin to sync after you login.  I don't think there is any way to change this.

So, as I stated above, you cannot change the location of the Evernote database until the install and sync have completed.

If things are working well for you now, then that is great.  I hope they continue to do so.

 

Well, there you go.

You said you "don't think there's any way to change this," and reiterated that "you cannot change the location of the database until after the sync has completed," and yet I've shown you that I avoided the problem altogether -- ostensibly "changing" or at least avoiding and thus overcoming what you said can't be changed. And another poster says there certainly is a way to change, it and insists he has done it and explains exactly how (which is the method I suspected was possibly available but hadn't been able to test).

So, at best, this is an area that is not very well understood or clearly explicated, since even someone with your considerable experience with EN (infinitely more than mine) is mistaken or, at best, not really clear on what this specific issue is all about and involves (I have absolutely no intention of being denigrating in any way here -- I'm just trying to shed light on the specific technical discussion at hand). This fact alone greatly highlights the reason why I have been careful about how I make assumptions regarding the way EN will be handling the local data files in a custom location on a reinstall.

I rest my case.

(Please think about what I'm saying. I have zero interest in being contentious. We're all here to help each other, and I hugely appreciate your courteous time and effort to help!)

 

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

54 minutes ago, AllAndNothing said:

The fact that data is synced locally that resides in the cloud is all the more reason why data corruption locally that can sync back to the cloud is something to be avoided since it can corrupt the data in the cloud (and all synced devices can be affected, too).

My point was that with a clean install, all of the data is being downloaded from the EN Cloud, so at that point there is no opportunity for corruption from the local data, because there is no local data yet.  With a clean reinstall, all of the local data has already been removed.  In fact, that is one of the purposes of using Revo, to remove corrupted data.

57 minutes ago, AllAndNothing said:

You said you "don't think there's any way to change this," and reiterated that "you cannot change the location of the database until after the sync has completed,"

I did say that, and I was incorrect.  After @csihilling made his post, I corrected my post to defer to his experience.

59 minutes ago, AllAndNothing said:

So, at best, this is an area that is not very well understood or clearly explicated,

I certainly agree with that.  AFAIK, the process that @csihilling described is not documented anywhere by Evernote.

IAC, it seems that things are now working well for you.  Let's hope that continues.

[AllAndNothing 9]

2 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

My point was that with a clean install, all of the data is being downloaded from the EN Cloud, so at that point there is no opportunity for corruption from the local data, because there is no local data yet.  With a clean reinstall, all of the local data has already been removed.  In fact, that is one of the purposes of using Revo, to remove corrupted data.

 

I emptied the folder that had my local data before doing the reinstall, so that wasn't the source of my concern. My concern was that if I let it first download fresh data to the default location and then I changed that location in settings, that had the potential to result in data corruption -- during the move.

2 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

I certainly agree with that.  AFAIK, the process that @csihilling described is not documented anywhere by Evernote.

 

One would think that this would be a very important issue to be spelled out (though my limited experience has shown me that EN is not the best at a clear and thorough Help/KB).

2 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

IAC, it seems that things are now working well for you.  Let's hope that continues.

Thank you again so very much for being there to offer your help!

[CalS 5,280]

10 hours ago, AllAndNothing said:

Please tell me what you mean by affecting toolbar settings, so I know what to watch out for.

Thanks again for the help!

You are welcome.  The settings which get lost are in the Tools - Options in addition to any changes you have made to the toolbars in the main panel and in the note panel should you open a note in its own window.  I'm not sure if it is all the options in the Tools - Options area but is seems to be most of the ones that I change.

One note re all of this, and probably referenced above somewhere, you must do an ENEX export of any local notebooks prior to a refresh of the data base from the server (pointing EN at a blank location).  You can then import them after the refresh is complete.  Links to those notes get hosed in the process.  So as a rule of thumb if you create links to notes in local notebooks let the link text be the same as the note title.  Easier to find should you ever be forced to do a refresh (voice of experience).  FWIW.