X3 install adventure
[Edit : In what follows, references to Partition Magic should read Partition Wizard. Thanks to CakeAlexS for leading me to realize my mistake.]I just installed X3 Producer on both my floortop and my laptop. For some reason, there were some significant differences in the installation process, even though I was installing from the same set of downloaded files. Both systems already had X2 Producer on them.
Laptop :1. I was asked for my vstplugins folder and was able to point it to the right folder on my D: partition
- at end of custom setup, all destination folders were correctly listed before I ok'd them
2. I was offline, so Melodyne dialog didn't tell me that there was an update available.
3. I was told by the Install process that it needed to reboot and I accepted --> more on this in a second
Floortop :1. I was
not asked for my vstplugins folder
2. When I had gone to the end of the custom install procedure, the vst path was set to my C: drive and no way to change it to my E: partition (on this system) by backing up, since there never was the opportunity to change it
3. I cancelled setup and restarted setup, same situation, so I told it to go ahead figuring I'd move the vsts after the install
4. Melodyne dialog pops up and a window opens (I'm online) telling me that an update is available
5. Setup ends, X3 fires up and everything seems fine
--> I am
not asked by X3 setup to reboot
6. The new vsts are in fact in their proper place on my E: partition, no vstplugins folder has been created on C:
Back to the laptop :4. After rebooting, my desktop has vanished and the system tells me that my E: partition on my HDD is no longer existent. This partition holds all my user data : desktop, My_* docs, Browser/email folders, Sonar projects, etc. etc. In short, a large part of everything.
5. I reboot and the same situation. Look up my drives and see only my C: and D: partitions. At this point I'm not feeling all that great. In over 30 years of PC computing I have never lost a partition or had a drive go bad on me.
6. I dig out my Partition Magic bootable cd, boot that, and see only unallocated space where my E: partition and two additional hidden partitions (that contained images of the OS, etc.) were supposed to be.
7. Partition Magic has a Data recovery wizard that I've never used and while I didn't really feel comfortable selecting it, I'd already lost all I had to lose so what the heck. This wizard showed my all partitions including the lost ones and let me restore them. First breath of relief...
8. I then rebooted into Windows F8 repair mode and selected a command prompt. Dir C:, ok. Dir D:, ok. Dir E:...ok. Second sigh of relief !! I still wasn't sure what Windows would do after a full reboot, but it came up with my desktop and all my stuff where it's supposed to be.
I'm mentally exhausted, otherwise I'd be dancing around in relief. I'm leaving in a few hours to go on a few days vacation and X3 is to be a big part of that so I'm glad things turned out as they did.
Comment : I can't help but think that this situation was caused by the Sonar installation process. My laptop has never had any kind of problem and installing X3 was all I did to it today, copying the files over from a USB key and running as administrator, etc. etc.
S**t happens, I know, but I figured I should at least recount the experience for posterity. Time to update my backups...
post edited by Paul P - 2014/09/03 08:24:24