“So I ran grooveclean, but that didn’t fix the problem…”
by Gregg Johnston
“So I ran grooveclean, but that didn’t fix the problem…”
Software doesn't always work the way we want it to work. When things go wrong, we often fall back on what have learned about the software in order to diagnose the problem and try to fix it. Sometimes we just do things because they are “something to do” as opposed to something that can actually fix the problem. Such is the case with the applet in Groove called grooveclean.
Many times on the forums, we read about a user having a problem, and one of the things they will state is “I ran grooveclean, but that didn’t fix the problem...” Most of the time, running grooveclean will not fix the problem. Sometimes, running grooveclean might fix the problem. It all depends on where the problem is located, what the problem is, and what has been done thus far to fix it.
So what exactly is grooveclean? Take a look at this knowledgbase article: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/907854
What grooveclean does is remove all the buffer files that are set to transmit and to receive. It also removes diagnostic information.
That’s it.
It is not a panacea for all Groove problems. In fact, running grooveclean has the potential to cause data loss. Say you have an Instant Message that is in the “Waiting to send” stage. Shutting down Groove and then running grooveclean will delete that message unsent. So when is a useful time to run grooveclean? Let's say that you added a large amount of data to a Groove space and then immediately deleted that data before anyone received it. As a result of this, Groove has a large outgoing buffer with a delete command that is following the data. Running grooveclean will clear out that buffer. Grooveclean will also help if there is corruption in a buffer. Anything having to do with communications being stuck and not progressing might be a good time for grooveclean. However, running grooveclean can also make data backlogs worse, because Groove will attempt to retransmit data that has not synchronized correctly. So if you added data and then deleted it from the workspace after a member received it, running grooveclean will not help. To keep everyone in the same state, Groove will retransmit the data added and the delete operation until everyone in the workspace has received them, and if you clear the buffer, it will need to regenerate that buffer and start the transmission again from the beginning. Bottom line: use grooveclean with caution and only use it if you have attempted other troubleshooting steps.
It is best practice to start troubleshooting communications issues from other angles before running grooveclean. Determine if this is a problem with Groove, or a problem with your network. Focus on what is currently happening with your communications by going to Communications Manager (Options > Communications Manager). Is there one space with a lot of activity? Best to let that activity complete and then reevaluate. Is there no space activity? That could indicate a communications problem, and grooveclean probably will not fix it.
One thing grooveclean will never fix is an error message on start up or some sort of system error message. Another thing grooveclean will never fix is the small amount of data that is in your communications tray. See this technote for that:
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/916384 - yes, grooveclean is a part of the process, but it is not the process.
Also, a quick word about grooveclean with the –all option: running grooveclean –all will remove all Groove account and workspace data from the computer. So it is important to consider everything that is associated with that action before running it. Do you have your account backed up? Are you willing to start over with a new account if you do not have it backed up? Are you willing to lose your Instant Message history? Are there other Groove accounts on the computer that you do not want to lose? Remember, even if you have your account saved to a file, you do not have all of your workspaces and workspace data saved. Keeping these things in mind, know that once grooveclean –all runs, there is no return.
(For information on backing up account and workspace data, see https://support.microsoft.com/kb/907230.)
So grooveclean is a handy tool if you are stuck in a communications jam. But it is not the cure-all for all problems in Groove. It is meant to be used in a limited way for a limited set of circumstances.
(Today's article is from contributer Gregg Johnston.)