DME erased my EncorePro card?

[Mr Bill]

Rats! I went to see my DME yesterday. I got a new mask, a large instead of a medium. My head is 24" at the brow and I wondered why I had been originally issued a medium mask. So, he gave me a large to try out. We downloaded my card for reports. Now I saw the process and we took the card out properly. But this morning when I went to download data, my Encore Viewer software says the card has no data! I am going to try using the MyCPAP Card Utility to restore a previous save and see if that makes it usable again. Has anybody else had problems with their Respironics data cards flaking out?

[Pugsy]

If DME used Encore Pro (which they probably did) the default is to always erase the card and the little box has to be unchecked with each download. Once I removed the check mark but my action didn't stick and I clicked on the download and saw the check mark but nothing I could do. I have not been able to find a way to alter that particular default in Pro. While not a deal breaker because the data is on the computer in the software, just annoying and if the software breaks (my old EncoreViewer 1.0 is broken and I can't get it open) then no access to old stuff.

Odd that even after last night's use there is no data. Wonder if you had the card all the way in? Once I didn't have it quite all the way in and had missing data. Make sure tonight that it is in all the way and if tomorrow still no data then it might be the card.

[LinkC]

Hindsight is 20/20, but it's ALWAYS a good idea to download BEFORE you go to the doc. (Be sure to UNCHECK or there won't be any data for the Doc!). As long as you read the card at least once a week, you will have a complete record stored (all nights).

You should listen for a soft beep when you insert the card, to insure it is ready to record.

[Mr Bill]

I did download before going to the DME. I got home and put in the card. What is missing is Encore Viewer says the card is empty and I am not getting any data from last night put on the card. I used MyCPAP to save the "image" and uploaded an image from last month. The result just now was that I can see long term data only from last month back, detailed data up to the night before last, and still no data from last night.

[Pugsy]

I am thinking the card was not inserted completely. Make sure tonight that it is pushed in till you hear the single beep.
No beep, not in far enough. Multiple beeps, card not inserted properly.
If it gives you a beep tonight and no data in the AM, then card may have died or become damaged.

[Mr Bill]

Well, I did run last night without the card then put it in this morning. That has happened before and when I put the card in, the data got downloaded. I left it in for hours and no joy.

[Pugsy]

Ahh, I think there is a certain time frame that will put the data on the card the next morning. I think there is maybe a cutoff time and then it won't write the data. Maybe you went past that time. I can't remember exactly what the parameters were. Been a long time since I started and I always just put the card back in with each download but I don't download every day.

[Mr Bill]

Ahh, well then I will just leave it in and see if I have data tomorrow morning.

[idamtnboy]

Rats! I went to see my DME yesterday. I got a new mask, a large instead of a medium. My head is 24" at the brow and I wondered why I had been originally issued a medium mask. So, he gave me a large to try out. We downloaded my card for reports. Now I saw the process and we took the card out properly. But this morning when I went to download data, my Encore Viewer software says the card has no data! I am going to try using the MyCPAP Card Utility to restore a previous save and see if that makes it usable again. Has anybody else had problems with their Respironics data cards flaking out?

If you have a spare card use that tonight, not the erased one. Then get a software program for data recovery such as FileScavanger or WinHex. There's many others out there also, and some may be free. You can recover files from a data card that have simply been erased because they really aren't erased. The directory entries are marked to indicate deletion but that is all.

Look on CNET for file recovery programs. I'm sure you can find a good one to get your data back.

[Mr Bill]

Now that I have seen the EncorePro software, I see no advantage in using it instead of Encore Viewer. Both have exactly the same data and the the same limitation of apparently only keeping the last week or so of detailed data. Also, there does not seem to be any actual breath traces saved such as the Resmed machines provide.

idamtnboy I do not have a second card. Hopefully the blank erased state does not mean I will get no download tomorrow morning. I'm new enough to this that my morning routine is to weigh, take blood pressure and download the nights ASV and pulse oximetry data to see how I did the night before.

[JDS74]

Mr. Bill:

Just some computer comments.

You may be able to recover the data on the card ( you mentioned ASV data ) by using the utilities mentioned. The recovered data becomes less and less for each new day you use the card so time is of the essence.

The prior point of doing you download BEFORE letting the DME have access is well taken. If you have a copy then it doesn't matter what they do - you're safe.

If your machine uses an SD card, then they are available at any Walmart, camera store, or other electronic stores. Probably less than $10 US for a 2 GB card. My local camera store stocks Smart Cards which should work if your machine requires that format.

If you are using a Windows machine ( I'm assuming so since you mention Encore Viewer and Encore Pro ), then you can download from the MicroSoft site a program called SyncToy. I use it to copy all the files from my SD card to a folder on my hard drive. I use the echo command so that all files are just added to the hard drive folder. Then I put in my second SD card and use it to make a duplicate card. The Respironics System One machine has no trouble using either the original card from Respironics or the duplicate made in this fashion. SD cards do have a failure rate higher than some other formats so making a backup to both the hard drive and to another SD card is prudent. Another poster has mentioned that there is a problem with this procedure for ResMed machines and there was some discussion on how to work around their problems.

I have been on my machine for about five months now and Encore Viewer retains all of the data so far. I don't have a suggestion as to why you can only see one week's data. When you make a report for longer than one week, EV does only show the most recent week of data for that report. Perhaps that is what you are seeing. I run a report for each 5 days and save the report file ( it is a .PDF file ) into a cumulative folder so I can easily go back and review any past reports.

Encore Pro does save data for more than one week. I have only about 30 days of data but I can use it to look at any period in that range. It does seem to have a peculiarity in that the detailed wave form data isn't collected each day. Haven't figured that one out just yet. When I loaded data from my card ( for the whole period ), it didn't download all of the data available - just the last few days. But it is keeping current after that first download. If you can't see more than one week, then when looking at the therapy data screen, in the upper right is a box and drop down list for selection other than just one week. Try changing that to see what happens.

Hope all goes well with the data recovery.

[Pugsy]

Encore Pro will let someone see the old detailed data but not from the main therapy tab. One has to go to the History tab and choose "detail" on an older dated download. I have done this.

EncoreViewer 2.0 should offer a choice to set the calendar to and older date range Say Feb 1 to Feb 7 and get the detailed data that way. At least EncoreViewer 1.0 did because I used to do it. But no matter what the range, old or new it will only show 7 days worth of detailed data with the latest within the range being last. Example Jan 1 through 31. Summary data for all days within the range but only the last 7 days ending with 31st of daily detailed reports.

Mr Bill and I do not have SD cards with our machines. We have the older Smart Cards which look like credit cards. We have to use a special card reader to get access to our data.

Our machines do not gather waveform data so it won't show up on the Pro software. Since the difference between Viewer 2.0 and Pro 2.xx is the waveform data, there is essentially no change in data for those of us that use the older machines with the smart cards. I am using Pro because my EncoreViewer 1.0 is broken and I don't know where my disc to reinstall is and I like messing with new stuff. The reports themselves are identical to Viewer reports though. For Mr Bill there is no advantage to use Pro because the data shown is unchanged. Now if for some reason he cannot change the calendar to an older date range and get those detailed reports using Viewer, then Pro would allow access via the History tab I mentioned. I can see January's daily detailed reports this way. Though to be honest, Pro is bulky and slow and sometimes it will open and sometimes it just sits there and blinks at me. PITA software.

[danimal71]

Is the little switch on the card moved to lock? Something simple but could be the case that it just got bumped. No data would be written if it is. Didn't see anyone suggest to check this.

[Pugsy]

Is the little switch on the card moved to lock? Something simple but could be the case that it just got bumped. No data would be written if it is. Didn't see anyone suggest to check this.

The smart cards that are used with the Respironics machines prior to change to SD cards used with PR S1 machines do not have an off and on switch. They look like this below. We can't use the new SD cards.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... -card.html

[builta]

Hi,

On the "Smart Card" Respironics version systems, the card only stores detailed information of the last seven days of detailed data and then it over writes the oldest file with new session data. It does store summary data (hours used and summary pressure data) of each session for about a year So, you need to download the card at least every seventh day if you want to see and store the detailed data.

The pre PR System One machines don't store any of the detailed data just compliance summary data (stated above) and I don't think that the data is actually uploaded to the smart card for any session in which the Smart Card was not properly installed in the PAP. I have recovered the summary data, for days where I forgot to re-insert the card, by entering a "phoned in" compliance entry, in Encore Pro, using the PAP unit's displayed information and it actually recovers basically the same "summary data" that would have been stored on the card.

On the newer PR System one systems the PAP unit appear to actually store information and will upload it, for missed sessions to the card. But, it does not upload wave form data if the card is not installed for the session. I've also noted that downloading the card (to Encore Pro) only appears to down load "last session" wave form data. So, if you don't do daily down loads you get gaps in wave form data. Any one see anything different?

As far as I can tell the data is on the SD card (the sessionxxx.005 data) for each day but Encore Pro only seems to read and store the last session data.

On both types machines, after therapy is ended by turning off at the end of a session, both types of cards need to be left in the machines for some period of time (maybe a minute but, much more then a few seconds-a "rest room break" is more then enough time ) so that they can complete the file transfers after the session is completed. The PR System One LED display actually displays when the card is communicating and warns you not to remove it. Removing either type of card too soon will mess up the data on the card. This appears to be the reason some people have "missing data". At least that is my experience (over the last few years).

Cheers