Anyone having problems with Total?

[RCA]

I've had pictures removed (including license, maps, survey, and anything added as a pdf.) a workfile was deleted, adjustments were deleted right before report was sent, sketch data was removed, signatures aren't showing up. Today I looked at a file that had a ton of work completed on Friday and now is missing most of what I did last week. Tech support is not very helpful. I'm thinking about changing software. Any suggestions?

It could be damn Microsoft. They have really screwed up their software over the years. The current population of Indian software engineers do not know how to refine and simplify software. They are smart, yes. But it is as if they like to show off how smart they are by making designs and algorithms so complex, no one can see all the ramifications to changes they make. It is virtually impossible for them to control what they are doing, once they get beyond a certain threshold. So, if you inadvertently do something out of the ordinary, you can loose data. This really can happen with relation to the software around OneDrive - which they are always pushing, whether you want it or not.

They are always trying to tie whatever you do with their cloud.

That is, they are spying on you.

Because of all their mucking they now have to take extra steps to ensure your security, that is to ensure that only you and they are the ones who can access your data. So, with everything else, you get these pop-ups to type-in a password to login to Microsoft or some code to access some other third party software.

In particular, be cautious with whatever you store in the default folders such as "This PC" -> Documents. Watch out for anything you put in "Quick access". When you put folders in "Quick access", you are telling them - and anyone else, including people hacking into your system, that is where your most important software is. That makes it easy for them to attempt uploading critical parts in short time. HOWEVER, you can use "Quick access" to create a "Honey Pot" - to cause any would be attacker problems, as they would be likely to open any files you put there. ....

I am also suspicious of Titan Drive. I don't trust it. Alamode is fairly complex software. If you loose everything and want to restore, Titan Drive comes in handy. Yet, at the same time, I feel you are giving Alamode keys to upload more information than what you may want. I have a healthy distrust for Titan Drive. -- Yet, I am still using it for now.

So, I found that if you change your Domain name, One Drive can wipe out your entire Documents folder, for example. Yep. But then again how many people even use domains? You only do that if you have your own Windows Active Directory. That would be mostly businesses. - And they don't change their domains very frequently, if at all.

There are alternatives, but Windows updates keep increasing the cloud and security requirements ... which makes a mess of things.

 

[RCA]

ninite? wow, i have learned some new tech. fixing computer problems is as important as appraisal problems. do you use the free version, or the paid version. i personally miss doing my appraisals on a commodore 64.

I think it makes sense only if you are an administrator for a number of other users and want to ensure everyone is on the same page with updates. The Pro minimum fee is $1/month. But more importantly, you are giving someone else a gateway into your system. Do you really trust them?

 

[Steve Forstner]

Yes. The software loses pictures, I have to lock many adjustments to keep them from disappearing, and the software is slow in general. It used to be the premier package, now it's not.

 

[Mike Ault]

Yes. The software loses pictures, I have to lock many adjustments to keep them from disappearing, and the software is slow in general. It used to be the premier package, now it's not.

Have you ever tried going back through your "timeline" and seeing precisely where data started disappearing? The software does a lot of "automatic field transfers" when you sign the report and some of those transfers could be erroneous, especially if you typically "clone a report" instead of starting a new one from scratch.