QUESTION:

"Why does my database continue to get corrupted?"

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ANSWER:

There are some real-time backup software products out there that corrupt the Cook'n data files (and probably MasterCook and others too). Carbonite, for example, is one of them.

What happens with real-time backup software is when the Cook'n app terminates, the backup software notices that the Cook'n data files have changed so it locks them in order to make a backup. When the backup is complete, it unlocks the files.

This is well and good unless Cook'n is installing an auto-update. In that case, as soon as Cook'n exits, it launches again. When it launches, the app cannot access the database files because they are locked by the real-time backup software. As a result, the files become corrupted.

To solve this problem, simply change the Carbonite (or other backup software) settings and configure it to backup once per day at 2:00 am, for example, rather than in real-time. Not only will this resolve the problem with Cook'n but it will increase the speed and responsiveness of your computer by about 5 to 10x.