Recovering from a computer crash without Titan Drive
This document explains how to recover from a computer failure without the use of Titan Drive.
Document 5112 | Last updated: 04/18/2019 RR2
The steps below outline how to recover TOTAL or WinTOTAL Aurora from a computer failure without the use of Titan Drive. If you are uncomfortable with the process described or you don't feel confident that you can complete it, consult a local technician for assistance.
Due to the complexity involved in recovering from a computer failure without the Titan Drive, our support technicians are unable to assist you with this process.
In order to move files from one computer to another, they need to be copied to a removable storage device (thumb drive, external hard drive, etc). Copy the entire [My] Reports, [Shared] Reports, WinTOTAL, and Database folders from their location on the old machine and paste them on a removable storage device before beginning. If you're unsure how to do this, please contact a local technician for additional assistance. The default folder locations are:
Depending on the number of files you have, transferring them to a new computer can take some time. Keep in mind: your computer is making a copy of every report file that was in the Reports folder on your old computer. For best results, let your computer finish copying the files before continuing.
That's it! You've recovered most of your data to TOTAL on your new computer. To learn more about how Titan Drive prevents data loss and allows for seamless recovery after a computer failure, click here.
Before following the instructions in this document, you need to install and register WinTOTAL on the new computer. For instructions on installing and registering WinTOTAL, click here. After installing WinTOTAL, verify that it opens correctly with no error messages, then close it again.
In order to move files from one computer to another, they need to be copied to a removable storage device, such as a USB thumb drive or external hard drive.
The X in the above path refers to your hard drive's letter that it was assigned by Windows. For example, if Windows has assigned your hard drive a letter of E, your WinTOTAL .ZAP files would be located at E:\a la mode\WinTOTAL.
After your files have finished moving to your removable storage, you need to move the SQL databases from your old hard drive to your new computer. Here's how:
For 64 bit machines the database files will be under the datapath C:\Program Files(x86)\.
Now that you've got everything backed up on your removable storage device, you're ready to start moving it to the proper location on your new computer. Here's how:
Depending on the number of files you have, transferring them to a new computer can take some time. Keep in mind: your computer is making a copy of every report file that was in the Reports folder on your old computer. For best results, let your computer finish copying the files before continuing.
Before copying the databases over, you need to stop the SQL Server.
Depending on the version of Windows you were using when WinTOTAL was installed, this service may be listed as SQL Server Agent (ALAMODE) or MSSQL$ALAMODE. Locate the version installed on your PC, then proceed with the instructions below.
Now your SQL service is stopped. For convenience, don't close this window, as you'll need to right‑click the service to start it again once you're done copying your files.
After copying both the WinTOTAL.mdf and WinTOTAL.ldf files, bring up the Services.msc window from earlier, right-click the SQL Server (ALAMODE) entry and choose Start to restart the SQL service.
Finally, open WinTOTAL's Appraisal Desktop and click through each folder it contains, making sure to wait until all of the files are added to the database between clicking on each folder.
To learn more about how Titan Drive prevents data loss and allows for seamless recovery after a computer failure, click here.