Typically I would have one discussion for each question, but these questions
are all connected to using ON on disconnected computers. So up front, sorry
for the 3 questions here.

I keep my OneNote notebooks on a thumbdrive as the different computers I use
are not always able to connect. This works fine as ON keep track of changes
for me. However, I have several questions:

1. What happens is the thumbdrive fails? I know that I have copies of the
notebooks on each device and I am continuously syncing (thank you ON
developers). But what happens if the thumb drive fails? Having backed up on
each computer, restore backup files on one computer to a new thumbdrive then
resync the other computers? Will ON sync properly?

Hello.

1. If the drive dies, you still have your notebook in the cache of all your
machines. You can save it from there (as either .ONE or .ONEPKG files) and
restore whereever you want. Since you have multiple machines, you have (in
effect) multiple backups already. I had a similar eventhappen to me and I
wrote about it at
http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin/archive/2008/03/07/still-living-in-the-onenote-cache...

2. I've never worried about the folder structure once I choose a location
for a notebook. You mentioned attached (embedded) files in OneNote pages -
they are typically stored in a drive on the local machine. For instance, my
embedded files are at
C:\Users\John\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\12.0\OneNoteOfflineCache_Files
(on my vista machine). This is in addition to the .ONE file. And OneNote is
pretty resilient with moving folders around. Just right click on them after
moving and select "Open as Notebook in OneNote" if you feel the need to
restructure the files in the file system, but it's probably not worth the
effort.

Thank you for the reply. Great blog, btw. We've all been bitten by the
"wished I would have backed up" bug.

A few questions (I'm a NOOB with ON, so please forgive me ahead of time if I
ask something that's obvious - you know how it goes, people invent something
and the users end up devising a million ways to use in unanticipated ways):

1. Just relating to your emergency tactics - ON notebooks have to be open
for the notebooks to be in the cache (if your original drive where your core
ON files dies)? I keep multiple notebooks, not all of which are open at the
same time. I may not have the Personal Notebook open at work, for example.

2. Again on your tactics for drive failure - When you say you are "saving
the cache", are you talking about the physical cache in the Office folder
(default location) or are you talking about saving it from the open notebook.
I went down to the default cache location and while there is a notebook open,
there is no visible file there. I checked to see if I have all hidden files
showing and I do.

3. Backing up using OneNote - get all the notebooks open that you want to
back up, sync, then backup. What does backing up using OneNote get me over a
simple copy of the Thumbdrive? Does it make sure to gather up all the
attached files on that computer?

1. Correct. You can also look in file | open backup for a day or two after
closing if you need to get to the OneNote created backup (for instance, if
you deleted the original .ONE file, or lost the thumbdrive which held it or
similar).

2. Saving it from the open notebook. Right click the notebook in OneNote
and select Save As...

3. Having an extra backup only gets you one mroe backup. I've had some USB
drives last for less than a year, and others that have been laundered many
times and still work fine. Having extra backups is always good.

4. Yes. Just copy the files from your most recent backup (if it ever comes
to that) and they will work fine.

Thanks for the kind words about my blog. And lastly, if there is one
comment we get over and over about Onenote, it is "keep it simple." We're
trying :)

--
Thanks,
John Guin
OneNote Test Team
http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin

I don't want to speak too soon about this, but I think that ON could be what
I think of as a killer ap. Some software comes out and it just changes the
way people use computers. Think about Visicalc. Think about Microsoft Word (I
started on a Mac and I think I still have a .5 BETA around here somewhere).
People will be buying computers just to use this. If I was Microsoft I would
just give this away.

I know what I'm talking about on this point. I bought a Motion Tablet (about
3 pounds) to use in meetings just to take notes and to test how I felt about
ON and computing WITHOUT a keyboard. Final answer: It is definately worth it.
Tapping (noise) on keys in a meeting is sometimes verboten and at the least
somewhat distracting (I type between 80-100 WPM so if I chose to type, I
could).

Penning definately captures what is being said faster (for me) because it
works with a different part of my brain. I also do my brainstorming with the
pen. Plus, the looks I get when I whip out a computer without a keyboard in
meetings is pretty cool too (OK I'm a geek - ).

I'm a director of marketing for a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and I'd
be happy to do a business case study for ON.

"I don't want to speak too soon about this, but I think that ON could be what
I think of as a killer ap."
----heh. I tend to agree.

Feel free to shoot me email via my blog. And I'm glad you like OneNote!

--
Thanks,
John Guin
OneNote Test Team
http://blogs.msdn.com/johnguin

"dvjames" wrote:

dvjames wrote:

LOL
But I think that so far there really has not been enough to promote ON.
It's a "killer app", for sure, but who knows it?
In our whole faculty so far no one is using ON - only because the
colleagues don't know it and have no imagination on how productive one
can be when using this fine piece of software.

I agree on the lack of promotion - seems it's all viral/word-of-mouth.

In a way that surprises me because ON 2007 is pretty solid, but maybe the
lack of promotion has allowed the ON developers to create without having a
lot of marketing guys (like me) make suggestions about adding features.

Loved the tc1100. Don't know why Compaq didn't continue with it.

;-)

--
Dennis James

"Rainald Taesler" wrote:

dvjames wrote:

I still love it and use day-by-day - now happily running under Vista and
with new Bluetooth 2.0 module ;-)

Don't know. Maybe HP didn't like it because it was a COMPAQ.
The "hybrid" construction with the detachable keyboard was unique.
I did not yet find anything which might make a decent successor :-( :-(

Rainald

The Motion 1700 Tablet is pretty good and can go to 4gb, but their attached
keyboard is make-do. If I need to use a keyboard, I set it up on a stand and
use an Apple Bluetooth keyboard and a Microsoft Bluetooth mouse. Or I could
use a USB keyboard and mouse. the tc1100 keyboard solution seems more
elegant.

--
Dennis James

"Rainald Taesler" wrote: