Inventory loss

This page is a compilation of information related to inventory loss, which has a number of possible causes which need to be distinguished in order to determine what's going on. For example, see SVC-242 for a now-fixed bug with a solid repro (series of steps needed to make the problem happen). Also be sure to see SVC-114 on the Issue Tracker, which is a "Meta-Issue" of various inventory loss reports we've keeping an eye on. We unfortunately can't do much without details, so we emphasize that the Issue Tracker should be used to report specific bugs — and you're looking for individual account help, please visit our Support Portal.

Sometimes, there's perceived inventory loss — "false positives" involving inventory simply not showing up (because you have to wait awhile) or need to clear your cache to refresh your items. Keep reading on for more info about things you can try to rule out actual inventory loss.

We (Lindens) are continuing to make progress on inventory loss issues: this includes initiatives such as better metrics (including quantifying how many verified losses are happening), improving the backend architecture of Second Life so that inventory loss is less likely to happen, and we plan to communicate further details on our Official Linden Blog.

Also see: Inventory_Types_Of_Loss

COMMON CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS

Clearing Second Life’s cache

Second Life uses hard drive space on your computer to store data, including a list of items in your inventory. If this cache becomes corrupted, items in your inventory may erroneously appear to be missing. In many cases, your items are not lost and will reappear after you clear Second Life’s cache:

• Go to Edit > Preferences on the menu bar
• Click the Network tab
• Click the Clear Cache button
• Exit Second Life
• Log back into Second Life
• Wait in place for 5 minutes; Second Life needs to reload much of your previously cached information.

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[IMAGE] Preferences window, Clear Cache button highlighted

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Region issues

The Region you are in may be experiencing technical difficulties, especially in high traffic areas. This behavior can prevent you from rezzing items from your inventory. If you are unable to escape to another Region, exit Second Life and log back into a different Region:

• Go to Edit > Preferences on the menu bar
• Click the General tab
• Turn on the option “Show Start Location on Login Screen”
• Exit Second Life
• Launch Second Life, but don’t connect yet
• Enter “Sandbox Newcomb”, or another known Region name, into Start Location
• Click Connect

Try to find a Region with a low Traffic score and relatively few objects- such Regions generally experience less strain, and are less likely to exhibit symptoms like inventory loss.

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[IMAGE] Login screen, highlight Sandbox Newcomb entered into Start Location

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SEARCH TECHNIQUES

Did the objects vanish after being returned?

The Coalesce feature may cause confusion by making it appear that objects have vanished instead of being returned to your inventory. When a group of objects gets returned, they are merged into a single, coalesced object. This object is then placed back into your inventory, in your Lost and Found folder.

For example, imagine you have a living room. Inside the living room there is a television, coffee table, sofa, rug and a remote control. Then, by accident, everything is returned! To locate the returned objects, you search through your inventory, but after searching, the only object you can locate is the remote control. Where did everything else go? The television, coffee table, sofa and rug have been merged with the remote control. Simply drag the remote control from your inventory onto the ground everything else that was returned with the remote control should appear.

Trivia: Icons are used to represent different types of items in your inventory. The icons used for objects and coalesced objects are similar, but different. The object has an icon that looks like a cube, the coalesced object has an icon that looks like a stack of cubes.

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[IMAGE] Inventory window, display object and coalesced object icon

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Use the steps below to locate objects that have been recently coalesced and returned to your inventory:

• Click the Inventory button
• In the Inventory window, go to Sort > By Date
• Locate the Lost and Found folder
• From top to bottom, work through the list of objects, dragging each object onto the ground until you locate the missing objects

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[IMAGE] Create new, better demonstration, used in existing KB article Missing Inventory: Coalesce Feature

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Inventory Filters

The Filters panel in your Inventory window contains a list of different inventory types. To learn how to use the Filters panel, follow the steps below:

• Click the Inventory button
• Inside the Inventory window, choose File > Reset Filters
• Choose File > Show Filters

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[IMAGE] Inventory > File menu, highlight relevant menu items

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Here, we make adjustments so that we only view Objects in the search results:

• Click the None button to turn off all filtering type options
• Go back and turn on the Objects option

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[IMAGE] Filters panel, highlight Objects option

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To view objects placed into your inventory within the last 7 days:

• Enter “7” into Days Ago
• Press the Enter key

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[IMAGE] Filters panel, highlight Days Ago

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To find your own filtering style, experiment with the options in the Filters panel. If you ever need to reset all options back to their defaults, simply go to File > Reset Filters.

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[IMAGE] Inventory window, File > Reset Filters menu

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Other Tips & Tricks

Use the Mini-Map to locate your objects

The Mini-Map can be a useful tool to help you locate objects inworld. To activate the Mini-Map, click the Mini-Map button at the bottom of the screen.

Can I resize the Mini-Map?

• Yes. Click and drag the mouse at the bottom-right corner to the Mini-Map window.

Can I zoom in on the Mini-Map?

• Yes. Right-click the Mini-Map window and choose Zoom Close. The Mini-Map’s default is Zoom Medium. You can also use your mousewheel to control zoom on the Mini-Map.

What do the different colors mean?

• Cyan (light blue) represents your objects
• Pink represents objects deeded to a group of which you are a member
• Gray represents objects that belong to other Residents

Select Only My Objects

The Tools menu has a useful option that allows you to select only objects that are owned by you. This can help locate all your objects in the immediate area; they may be hidden by other resident’s objects.

• Go to Tools > Select Only My Objects on the menu bar
• Go to Tools > Select Tool > Edit on the menu bar

Now that the Edit tool is activated, click-and-drag your mouse to make a selection. The only objects to highlight will be yours, possibly revealing the object you were unable to see before.

Locate items lost underground

Objects may be lost underground as the result of an editing mistake or by changes in the terrain. The following steps provide instructions to help locate objects that may be stuck underground.

• First, hide the ground in Second Life: Activate the Client menu on the menu bar by pressing Ctrl+Alt+D. Then, choose Client > Rendering > Type > Surface Patch.
• Press Esc a couple times to deactivate any open windows and close the chat box
• Hold down the Alt key and press Page Up or Page Down. This allows you to rotate your camera, locating any of your objects that may be buried underground.

Invisible objects

It may be impossible to see some objects if they are invisible. The “Highlight Transparent” feature allows you to view invisible objects. Transparent objects will turn translucent red once this feature has been enabled.

• Go to View > Highlight Transparent on the menu bar

Beacons

Often, object you are looking for may contain a script. Beacons make it easy to locate any objects that contain a script.

• Go to View > Beacons > Scripted Objects on the menu bar

If the beacons don’t appear to be working, make sure the “Render Beacons” option is enabled. This draws crosshairs over any beacons, making them easier to locate.

• Go to View > Beacons > Render Beacons on the menu bar

There is an option in Preferences that increases the line width used for beacons, making them easier to view. This is especially useful when Second Life is displayed at a high resolution.

• Go to Edit > Preferences on the menu bar
• Click the Adv. Graphics tab
• Enter “2”, or another value, into Debug Beacon Line Width
• Click OK

Request a replacement

Many vendors understand that items may be lost by accident or as the result of an unfortunate circumstance. If recovery efforts fail, contact the vendor and request a replacement.