Trouble with users deleteing or moving files?

[chadley]

Hi,
It seems as though I'm always having to recover or search for files/folders on the network that users have accidently deleted or moved with the slip of a mouse. The problem is no one ever tells me and I generally discover the problem long after it's happened (basically when someone comes in my office to tell me they can't find their project) I found this great software (You Got Files http://www.youvegotfiles.com/) that notifies me via email when a folder is moved/deleted so it's no longer a big deal to see what/when it happened. The problem is it doesn't tell who did it so I can have a talk with them or find out if they really meant to do it. Am I the only one that has this problem? Am I the only one who wants to know who did it? Just curious, let me know what you think.
Thanks!

[robert.1.hall72202]

Thanks for the suggestion. I had a non-Cad user move a couple
directories from their current location. I was missing quite a bit
of data until I did a search of the entire network using a filename.

Without knowledge about how computers work, I may have left
the data for dead and retrieved a tape backup.

[H-Angus]

The only problem that I have run across is a non CAD user who has decided to change the directory of folders/files and so therefore xrefs and attached images lose their paths. Although a swift and frank discussion with the person involved addressed this for us, apart from this one occassion its never been an issue.

Interesting link though.

[Avatart]

Having about 100 AutoCad (and verticals) users, I have this problem all the time and it drives me nuts. I get people renaming directories, making sub-folders and copying in loads of drawings and having two sets of identically named files, people accidentally dragging and dropping whole jobs, people not using relative Xref pathing and when the job folder gets renamed half the Xrefs go AWOL, you name it, I get it.

I will take a serious look at this bit of software, so I can introduce the offending people to my "plank of conformity" (see posts passim).

I think the best way to stop people doing this is to limit their access rights regarding folder creation and alteration, but I also don't like being so controlling.

All educational methods of control seem to have failed.

[chadley]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. I'm trying to onvince the people how created the You got Files application to also include a "Who done it" in part so I can try and educate people and maybe even hold them accountable.

[aletarennee]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. I'm trying to onvince the people how created the You got Files application to also include a "Who done it" in part so I can try and educate people and maybe even hold them accountable.

We had that problem until we made all but one person READ ONLY...
Everyone could still copy and paste what they wanted but know one could change the master drive unless the drawings had been approved and then the drawings was sent to the lucky "KEEPER OF THE DRAWINGS" to replace the controlled drawings. everyone sent the Electronic files of a job to the KEEPER when a job was released. This worked out well for us. Hope it helps you.

[Ed Jobe]

Having about 100 AutoCad (and verticals) users, I have this problem all the time and it drives me nuts.

I seriously recommend a document management solution. What Aleta suggested is sort of how it works, but she has to hire a person to do it. Software can do it automatically and much more efficiently. Such a thing could never happen here.

[aletarennee]

I seriously recommend a document management solution. What Aleta suggested is sort of how it works, but she has to hire a person to do it. Software can do it automatically and much more efficiently. Such a thing could never happen here.

depending on the size of you department YES... this could be a full time job. we had 4 designers at the time and we all worked together. We each released two / three jobs per week and so it was not a major project. We teated it as Friday clean up and gave ourselves and hour to make sure everything we had been working on from the week was put up, backed up, and filed away. We also lodged all jobs and their status. I have never worked with more than 6 people in the department I couldn't imagine the headache that 100 co-works could cause... WOW!
But I will say that it was refreshing to know that the masters where always safe form accidental charges....

[Ed Jobe]

That was more what I was focusing on. With a 100 users, you could easily justify the cost. We only have about half a dozen power users and 20-30 casual users and that's enough to justify it, when you consider time lost, and data security. Another factor that adds is the number of dwgs. What would it cost to replace them? Those are the most basic factors. There are numerous side benefits that the software adds.

[Avatart]

I hear what you say, totally. The thing is, the way in which we work requires such flexibility in job approach. We work on some huge projects (multi-billion pound urban regeneration) to small school projects in Nepal (about £3-50 and a twinky bar), all of which is absolutely bespoke, so finding a system to cater for this is not easy.

We have been working with CAD in this way (or fairly similar) for over thirty years (not me personally!) and it always seems to get us by. We had a scare the other day though, our biggest current project folder got deleted, but as we have such a robust backup system, we lost an hour while it was being recovered to a point five minutes before the job got whacked, I was impressed with that!

Does anyone have any suggestions for a file manager that would be flexible enough for the range of jobs we have and be robust enough to prevent system abuses?