File recovery from a .dmp file

Rhino Rhino for Windows
1

windows 7 computer crashed while doing a simple line drawing task. previous crashes have always resulted in the existence of a .3dmbak file which could normally be opened successfully. not so in this recent case, am left with a RhinoCrashDump.dmp file of 26.6mb. is there anyway to open or recover from this file?

i have another situation now. the file was saved into the autosave folder (thanks pascal). i can only access the autosave folder by ‘searching’ for autosave. the folder tree shows user/appdata/roaming/mcneel/rhinoceros/5.0/autosave.
when i navigate normally to the ‘user’ folder it contains no folder called ‘appdata’.

o.k. so i get to the autosave folder by ‘searching’ and copy the file i’m after. i then paste it into my folder of rhino projects. when i open it, it is in read only mode. when i try and save it, it says ‘you must use save as’ to save changes. whether i use the same name or a new one, it refuses saying ‘file access denied’.

if i open the file as it is in the autosave folder i can work on it and save it o.k. but it seems that moving it anywhere else locks it up. also how do i find the real location of this ‘autosave’ folder. there is only one ‘user’ folder on the machine (inside the ‘users’ folder. neither of these contain a folder marked ‘appdata’, and searching for ‘appdata’ gives no results. so why does the file tree path show C:\users\user\appdata\roaming\mcneel\rhineoceros\5.0\autosave’filename’.

i’m confused by this.

2

A dump (*.dmp) is a snapshot of an application (Rhino in this case) at the point in time the dump is taken. It shows what was executing, what modules are loaded, and other information that is potentially more useful for diagnosing an issue.

Dump files do not contain geometry and cannot, thus cannot be recovered as 3dm files.

3

Hi nic - if the file has been saved more than once, there should, by default, be a 3dmbak file- this has nothing to do with crashing, it is simply the previously saved version of the file, renamed. However, in the Autosave folder you may find something usable.

-Pascal

4

many thanks pascal; i had omitted to look there. ijut. !!

5

thanks dale.

6

@zylbat

Every software crashes, so you have to do more than just “save often.” For example, if the power goes out, any open file may be get corrupted.

So, use the “File → Save Incremental” command every 20 or 30 minutes. You get a brand new file & name, like “robot 009.3dm” and keep working. If the computer crashes or squirrels chew through your power line, then the worst case is that you open up the file that is one version prior. Bazinga! I only lost 19 minutes of work, not my job and/or three weeks of work.

Every so often, just delete some of the files. I keep the last 3 or 4 and that’s it. No missed deadlines or having to fake my own death and leave the country.

7

thanks for that. how does the save incremental function vary from just a regular save? is it that it creates a whole new copy? i tried it and it seems so, why the ‘incremental’ name?
b.t.w. i have added more questions to my original post about file saving.

8

[quote=“zylbat, post:7, topic:19431, full:true”]
thanks for that. how does the save incremental function vary from just a regular save? [/quote]

Same thing. It just adds new text to the name automatically.

Yes. New name = new copy/version.
Remember, you want a new & separate file in case you have a crash AND the file is corrupted.
This is true for any windows file.

Incremental means ‘next,’ or in this context, “+1.” Simple … don’t over-think it.

9

Not to disagree with anything Dave said, but I have a different approach to Incremental Saves.

For protection against the occasional crash, I have Autosave set for 20 minute increments, and separate software which backs everything up to a remote server every six hours.

When I get to a point where I want to make big changes to a file–say I had five proposed versions of the project in the file, and the boss has picked one, so I want to delete out the unneeded extras and focus on the chosen one–I put an explanation of the big changes I am going to make in notes and then make an incremental save. Thus I have preserved the old geometry in case I need to refer back to it, but the latest increment always has my current work.

What I don’t get is dozens of copies of the file filling the hard drive, just a limited number with a clear guide to what changed from one to the next.

If you do work the way Dave suggests, the important part is to delete out all those extra files. I occasionally have to dig into files from former employees, searching for a particular piece of geometry, and it is challenging when there are 30 incremental saves which may or may not be nearly identical, and no way to tell other than opening each one and carefully comparing them. Of course, I open the last one first, but if I don’t see what I am looking for does that mean it is gone for good, or might it be in an earlier increment?

@zylbat Nic, I don’t know what is going on with your file permissions, but if the file will only open read only, that usually means there is an .rhl file in the folder with the file. Rhino creates the .rhl file whenever you open a file and deletes it when you close the file, and that lets Rhino know there is already an open copy so you don’t get file conflicts. Sometimes after a crash Rhino fails to delete the .rhl file, but you can delete it yourself.

Another thing you can try is right click the file, go to “properties” on the drop-down menu, and see if “read only” is checked under attributes. Unlikely, but that can prevent you from saving a file.

10

@mark Great points! In the past, I have struggled with both repeated changes, back-up files, and then how to find prior design versions in other / separate Rhino files.

I think we have an excellent solution, as illustrated in this screen capture.

KEY 1 is to keep all design versions in the same Rhino file. This works fantastic when you have to go back two versions for a knob or four versions for a material. For product designs, the files sizes are totally reasonable and not an issue.
KEY 2 is the use of the incremental save as a back-up to protect work.

By using this standard and simple layer structure, we can open up a file from 5 years ago and, even if its done by someone else, everything is clear. With the incremental back-up, the latest version is ALWAYS the file with the highest number. EASY!