Back up LENA Collector data

Maintaining an external or network back up the full LENA Collector data directory is recommended.  

  • Why?  If your hard drive becomes corrupted or your computer is lost, your backup ensures access to any data that had not yet been transferred to the Pro computer for processing.  In addition, you can use the backup to restore the Collector Client Manager, thereby maintaining the 1:1 correspondence between each child record in Collector and the related record in Pro.  This makes future transfers for the same children smoother.  
  • How?  The location and steps are the same as for LENA Pro, here.

At a bare minimum, each time you transfer files to the flash drive, you should make a backup copy of the ephemeral "IXPZ" files.  Making a full backup accomplishes this, but if a full backup is not logistically or technically feasible, you can copy just the IXPZ files.

  • Why? The IXPZ files are the compressed files that are moved (not copied) to the flash drive during manual transfer.  Once they are on the flash drive, they are no longer on the Collector computer...or anywhere else!  If something were to happen to the flash drive in transit, locating the source files and repackaging them for another transfer is difficult and time consuming.  Even having a backup copy on your desktop would be helpful.
  • How?  Read on...

Create a backup copy of a single .ixpz transfer set.

If you are unable to complete a full backup just before transfer (best method), you can copy only the .ixpz files by one of the methods below.  For either method, name the receiving folder in a way that clearly indicates the contents and the date.  For example:  

  • "F:\LENA_backups_ixpz\20160914" would indicate that you've made copies of the .ixpz files that were transferred on 14 September 2016.

Before manual transfer...

Use File Explorer to search C:\ProgramData\LENA for "*.ixpz".  Copy (don't move!) the results to your clearly named folder in a safe location.  

Hints:

  • If you don't see C:\ProgramData\LENA, you may need to show hidden folders.
  • Your search should result in the same number of files as indicated in the Collector Settings screen under LENA DataLink.
Before manual transfer...

...or...

After manual transfer...

Use File Explorer to copy (not move!) the contents of the flash drive to a safe location before sending the drive to your LENA Pro site.