Author Topic: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored  (Read 2144 times)

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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« on: June 27, 2014, 12:34:06 PM »
I run WL v5.9.3 via VirtualVP on a Windows XP netbook. I also run Cumulus and VPLive (both via VVP) and those two programs are fine.

Whilst WL is showing the current weather status it has stopped logging records. The last one recorded is 00:00 on 8 June. Subsequently I have no NOAA daily data since that date.

All three software packages are 'seeing' the console and VirtualVP isn't recording any communication problems. One thing that does seem odd is that when I exit everything and start VirtualVP it takes a few minutes to read the data from the logger. I don't remember that taking so long before.

I'm concerned that unless the problem is fixed soon I'll lose some data. Having over 5 years of data that would be a shame.

Can anyone advise what might be the problem and how it can be resolved - thanks.

Offline George Richardson

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2014, 12:52:56 PM »
Ray,
Have you tried to shut everything down then bring up WL only (you will have to adjust the com port on WL). This should allow you to download the logger. Shut it down again and start everything with WL last and readjust the WL com port.

HTH

George

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2014, 01:12:37 PM »
Hi George,

Closed all programs and started WL only. Changed the Com port to allow it to communicate with the logger. Tested the connection - that was okay.

Forced a download but still no records later than 00:00 8 June. If it can show the current temp, pressure etc. I'm baffled why it can't read older data from the logger. Cumulus doesn't appear affected but bear in mind I run the netbook 24/7 so reading stored logger data is rare.

I did make the mistake (after posting) of reaffirming the logger interval. That had the effect of clearing the logger so I have probably lost data since 00:00 8 June but I'd still expect data after that action to be read but it isn't.

Cumulus is my main program but I've always run WL just in case I want to use its data. I'd like this problem solving but don't know what to try next.

I do see the hourly popup that gives you the option of cancelling the download. I allow it to download but never see the records in the browser.

Offline Bushman

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2014, 01:23:27 PM »
Possibly a corrupted WLK file.  Rename the current June .wlk file and try the WL download again.
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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2014, 01:42:08 PM »
Thanks Bushman. Tried that and after downloading from the logger my latest record is now 00:00 1 June and viewing NOAA Current Month shows May, not June.

Frustrating.  :-(

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2014, 02:16:28 PM »
When I choose to display the main weather page it downloads 513 pages of data from the logger. No errors so presumably the data is okay.

But shouldn't the pressure for the last x hours be visible? Instead I just get the current reading which is added to as time passes. That suggests it's not actually reading from the logger or have I misunderstood that aspect?



One other point in case it's relevant. Around 5 June it was pointed out to me that my pressure was a few millibars higher than that of a nearby station. I adjusted it over the next few days and it's been okay since. But I'm just wondering if there has been some form of malfunction with the console software which may be responsible for this problem.

My main concern now is to be able to retrieve the data from the logger. I can accept that I may lose most of June but I really need to see up to date info in WL's browser.

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2014, 03:56:02 PM »
As the data logger appears to have stopped storing records after 0:00 1 June does this indicate it's faulty?

But if Cumulus can catch up after being closed for 30 minutes it suggests the datalogger is okay. So is WL the problem?

Offline Bushman

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2014, 04:00:09 PM »
Another option is to open a copy of the wlk files with Jruys WLK Reader.
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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #8 on: June 27, 2014, 04:14:30 PM »
Tried that but no meaningful data was displayed irrespective of the delimiter chosen or the month selected. I'm not sure how to use that application as the help is non-existent.

Offline Bushman

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #9 on: June 27, 2014, 04:30:07 PM »
Well, I guess you could try setting up a new instance of WL and downloading to that.
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Offline johnd

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #10 on: June 27, 2014, 05:10:33 PM »
Well, I guess you could try setting up a new instance of WL and downloading to that.

You don't need a new WL instance. Just try creating a new station and downloading into that. Failing that, the usual things:

Is the date and time on both console and WL correct?
Does a 2014-06.wlk file exist at all? If so, does it contain any spurious date/times?
Is there a file later than 2014-06? (Obviously there shouldn't be, but it may have been created spuriously.)
etc
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Offline George Richardson

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #11 on: June 27, 2014, 05:12:34 PM »
Hey Ray,

Have you checked for bad files? You should have files like 2014-06.wlk, 2014-05.wlk, 2014-04.wlk, 2014-03.wlk, and on back. If you have anything like 2021-06.wlk, delete it. Rename the 2014-06.wlk to a backup and try WL again, alone, (2014-06 will rebuild). I run a lot of weather programs at the same time and WL at times gets funky and I have to piddle with it. Never lost anything but I have cursed it!! Try several times before giving.

Good Luck,

George

Offline Bushman

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #12 on: June 27, 2014, 05:16:40 PM »
Well, I guess you could try setting up a new instance of WL and downloading to that.

You don't need a new WL instance. Just try creating a new station and downloading into that. Failing that, the usual things:


Sorry.  That is what I meant.  Thanks for clarifying.
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Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #13 on: June 27, 2014, 06:21:25 PM »

Is the date and time on both console and WL correct?

Yes.

Quote
Does a 2014-06.wlk file exist at all? If so, does it contain any spurious date/times?
Don't know how to read a wlk file outside of WL but its size of 175kb compares to 348kb for other June files. So about half of June's records are in it but the latest record before I did any changes today was 00:00 8 June. That's only 1 week into June, not half-way.

Quote
Is there a file later than 2014-06? (Obviously there shouldn't be, but it may have been created spuriously.)
etc

No. Latest file is 2014-06.wlk. But if I sort them date descending the filenames are chronologically descending with the exception of 2009-04.wlk which comes between 2014-06.wlk and 2014-05.wlk. That seems odd. I started using WL in that month.

Anyway, I created a new station - RayTemp - and went through the setup process. Once finished I imported 517 pages of data and then tried to browse the records but it said there weren't any to view.

That sounds like the datalogger is bad. Please don't tell me it's failed. But if it has why can WL and Cumulus continue to show the current state of the weather? If the datalogger wasn't functional it couldn't retrieve the data from the console could it?

George, I tried renaming 2014-06.wlk and letting WL create another from the datalogger. But afterwards the earliest record it showed was 00:00 1 June as opposed to 00:00 8 June beforehand.

It seems significant that the problem occurs around midnight but other than that I haven't a clue what's caused it or how to fix it.
« Last Edit: June 27, 2014, 06:23:56 PM by Ray Proudfoot »

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #14 on: June 27, 2014, 06:44:55 PM »
This is what I mean about the file for Apr 2009 being out of sequence.



But I found how to import a wlk file so this is what 2014-06.wlk looks like... Not nice.


Offline ocala

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #15 on: June 27, 2014, 08:34:38 PM »
Ray I would just delete that June WLK file. I had a similar issue a while back and deleting the file fixed the problem. It sucks to lose the data but that's the way it goes with WL sometimes.
Like you I run Cumulus (because it just works) but I run WL once a week because the graphs are so good.
It is strange how WL can put out a WLK file like yours and then just keeping going on like nothing happened.

Offline johnd

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #16 on: June 28, 2014, 04:01:20 AM »
That sounds like the datalogger is bad.

While it's impossible to rule out totally, it's actually very rare for WL loggers to fail. What usually happens with download problems is that there's been some data corruption, which can happen either in the logger itself or, more commonly (and assuming that there's not a simple date/time synchronisation error), in one of the hard disk files that store the data on the PC (ie the wlk file or WL configuration files).

Most of the time, fixing the PC problem as suggested above will rectify the download (though I'd always recommend renaming the existing wlk file, eg to 2014-06.wlkx, rather than deleting it just so that you preserve whatever data you do have).

But if the various PC fixes don't work then the only ready conclusion is that the logger data is corrupted. For this to happen very occasionally isn't too surprising - it's no less vulnerable to corruption than any other type of computer/electronic memory and can potentially be hit by the usual culprits like mains spikes, interference from eg a mobile phone used very close by etc, even a stray cosmic ray, unlikely as it may seem.

The problem with logger corruption is that the only easy way to fix it is to clear the logger and that obviously results in losing any data that hasn't already been downloaded, which is why it's always worth trying the PC-end fixes first. But if nothing else is working then it's the only option. Simplest way is to change the archive interval in WL, accept the warning and then to change the logger interval back again to whatever is your preference.
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Sorry, but I don't usually have time to help with individual issues by email unless you are a Prodata customer. Please post your issue in the relevant forum section here & I will comment there if I have anything useful to add.

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #17 on: June 28, 2014, 04:29:14 AM »
Ocala / John

I renamed 2014-06.wlk after stopping WL and changed the archive period to 10 minutes (from 5) and accepted the warning about the logger memory being cleared. As Cumulus runs all the time and is my main weather program it has up-to-date data so clearing the logger isn't a problem.

Then I stopped and restarted WL and changed the period back to 5 minutes. It still said the logger would be cleared. Hmmm, okay.

I started WL and chose the option to display the main weather interface. It still downloaded 513 pages of data. Is that from the logger or from 5 years of wlk files? As it's always 513 pages I'm assuming it's taking the data from the wlk files as that much data couldn't be taken from the logger.

A new2014-06.wlk file hasn't been generated yet neither have any records been added to 'Browse Records' and it's been running for over 10 minutes. That appears ominous.

Am I correct in assuming that live data passes through the logger straight to the receiving program? That would explain why WL and Cumulus both show the correct current weather. But if I were to stop WL or Cumulus for a period of time they wouldn't be able to update their records as the logger appears to have stopped storing data.

Is there a definitive way to confirm what is contained in the logger's memory?

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #18 on: June 28, 2014, 06:06:49 AM »
Problem solved!  :grin:

Having exhausted all the options suggested I applied some simple logic. Remove the datalogger and reinsert it. Bingo! Data is now being read and stored again in WL. Maybe the connection had worked loose when I had been sorting out a pressure problem and handled the console.

So whilst I have lost around 23 days of data for June I am thankful that the logger is still working as replacements aren't cheap. Thanks to everyone who offered their help.

Offline ocala

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #19 on: June 28, 2014, 07:54:55 AM »
Ray great to hear you have it working. I remember how my problem gnawed at me for days until it was fixed.

Offline Ray Proudfoot

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Re: WL 5.9.3 data no longer stored
« Reply #20 on: June 28, 2014, 08:13:54 AM »
Thanks Ocala. It was the only logical step left to me. The PC could read the logger but the console couldn't write to it. Had to be a loose connection. I didn't disconnect the console from the mains so was a bit fortunate I didn't mess things up. Phew!

 

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