Strange corruption

[allen-uk]

My partner carried her personal documents off on a memory stick, as she often does.

Later, on putting the stick back into her Macbook Pro, she double-clicked on the Quark doc she wanted to view, and the Photos program ran instead.

On checking (command I) all the Quark docs were 'open with Photos'. Job of a moment to change them all to Quark as default, but odd.

Nothing else was wrong, as far as we could see.

Just a random corruption, or has anyone got a better explanation? We'll use another (newer) stick to make sure the stick itself ain't the problem, but an odd one.


Allen.

 

[gsahli]

"Open with" is part of the meta data saved as a
hidden file on Macs. You can Google that to see the different situations where meta data gets lost or changed. I wouldn't call it corruption.

 

[allen-uk]

Yes, but it was the fact that it had CHANGED from its original setting (Quark) to Photos, without human intervention! Neither of us even USE Photos - we're Photoshop through and through....

But I will have a google to see if there's any records of similar changes.

A

 

[MacInWin]

Did she put the stick into any other system between using it on the Mac? Maybe that intervening system changed something.

 

[allen-uk]

No Jake - it’s just part of our paranoid security measures - when we go away from the flat, we take sensitive stuff with us on sticks. Just gets carried around, then returned to our Macs when we return.

 

[ferrarr]

No Jake - it’s just part of our paranoid security measures - when we go away from the flat, we take sensitive stuff with us on sticks. Just gets carried around, then returned to our Macs when we return.

You mean "copies" and not originals, correct?

 

[allen-uk]

See where you’re coming from, Bob, but not quite...

Partner and me EACH have a stick, a duplicate of the other, where we keep credit card details, etc.

So if ever hers or mine gets corrupted, we just replace it. (I suppose both COULD go out at once, but unlikely. And they are of course backed up to external hard drives which also travel with us.) All encrypted, of course.

Still leaves the oddity of the changed ‘open with’.

A

 

[ferrarr]

Ok, glad you have copies.

What format and partition is the drives? FAT, exFAT, HFS+, or other?

 

[allen-uk]

Other, Bob. Mac OS Extended Journaled (Encrypted) is what we use for formatting. (And that's about the limit of my knowledge)...

A

 

[pm-r]

"Open with" is part of the meta data saved as a
hidden file on Macs. You can Google that to see the different situations where meta data gets lost or changed. I wouldn't call it corruption.

Ahemm...??? I don't think that's quite correct and you can google it if you like, but the "open with" links the file type extension using the resource OS X uses to associate the file types which is stored in the launch services database.

Probably just a hiccup or burp and my experience with Quark says it can be quite quirky!!!

But Jake's comment of using the stick in another computer, especially a Windows machine seems like a valid situation to change things somehow.




- Patrick
======

 

[MacInWin]

Another long shot is that if they each have separate accounts on the Mac, then one of them may have it associated with one thing and the other have it associated with something else. She then makes the stick, but when they get home and he tries to use it...

 

[pm-r]

Another long shot is that if they each have separate accounts on the Mac, then one of them may have it associated with one thing and the other have it associated with something else. She then makes the stick, but when they get home and he tries to use it...

Not exactly a stretch of the facts that were presented Jake and quite a possible situation I'd say. Too many unknown variables eh??? Your explanation is quite reasonable, at least to me.




- Patrick
======

 

[allen-uk]

Hmm. No, basically. My ‘simple’ explanation was not over-simplified, merely a description of what we do.

We don’t exchange sticks.

We don’t put them in other machines - the carrying is just a security measure, to ensure our sensitive data stays close.

At the point of leaving our flat together, we’ll take out the sticks, put them in the case with our external hard drives, and go. When we get back, we put the sticks back. Crude, but uncomplicated.

My inclination is to see it as a quirk of Quark - usually reliable, but having used it for over 30 years, it does have its moments.

Allen

 

[pm-r]

At the point of leaving our flat together, we’ll take out the sticks, put them in the case with our external hard drives, and go. When we get back, we put the sticks back. Crude, but uncomplicated.

Good grief, and "uncomplicated" you say allen, I can't say I'd agree with that method, and I'm guessing you both must work for some super secret service or are suffering from some sort of paranoia.

I'd also be a bit concerned as to the actual security of "the case with our external hard drives" as you describe.

But good enough I guess if it works for you.




- Patrick
======

 

[allen-uk]

We have credit cards, bank accounts, savings, etc., etc., all with passwords, pin numbers, and so on.

Not top secret, but their loss would be a Bad Thing.

Where would you keep such a bunch of sensitive data, then? Serious question - always looking for improved systems.

 

[ferrarr]

Why not just leave them at home on your computer? Why the need to carry them around with you?

 

[allen-uk]

Well, if Burglar Bill got in and made off with our computers, although he’d have to crack several levels of encryption, we’d have to change everything. Our way, all he’d get would be ‘harmless’ data.

 

[pm-r]

Why not just leave them at home on your computer? Why the need to carry them around with you?

Hmmm…??? Say Bob, I don't think we're even close to a drinking hole here and probably won't even get to one and it probably wouldn't matter if we did….

But a nice local pub does sound like a good idea regardless, but I hear there's a bit of a beer shortage in the UK right now, but some Irish and Scots ales available if one can enjoy them.




- Patrick
======

 

[pm-r]

Well, if Burglar Bill got in and made off with our computers, although he’d have to crack several levels of encryption, we’d have to change everything. Our way, all he’d get would be ‘harmless’ data.

Sorry allen, but I just can't see or understand your logic.

If Burglar Bill did get in and manage any encryption needed, depending on what data you keep on the computer, I'd say you could be in serious doo doo. And if credit card /banking was involved, at it was also on the sticks and hard drives, that info would also be basically useless and kaput!!!

Anyway… just saying…




- Patrick
======

 

[ferrarr]

Well, if Burglar Bill got in and made off with our computers, although he’d have to crack several levels of encryption, we’d have to change everything. Our way, all he’d get would be ‘harmless’ data.

So, again, are you saying, the files on the USB sticks, are the only copies? No backups at home? That's does seem paranoid. You must be worth multiple millions of dollars/pounds/euros or whatever to go through all that.