10/14/2020
Ever have chronic XM8 crashes? After 19 years of adjusting, since the software was actually two separate programs, XM8-2002 then a Crawford only XM25, I've learned a few tricks. Consider the following and with intentions set, the software is just an extension of your needs to communicate the loss.
1. Max out your hardware memory for either your PC or your laptop. Then in addition, add either a USB or Memory Card dedicated storage device of at least 16GB. Right click on the drive using windows explorer and go to properties. Click on the ReadyBoost tab and toggle "Use this device". Maximize the space allowed on the drive. (Click Apply)
2. Hold down Control/Alt/Delete and select Task Manager. Select "Details Tab", scroll down to X.exe and right click. Select "Priority" and choose "High".
3. On the average camera/cell phone the photos are around 2.5 MB. Of course some basic settings are higher, some are lower. Download a program like Faststone Photo Resizer and pass your photos through adjusting to 50% resize. You can even add a date stamp if so needed. The reduced size of photos calculated over 100, 200 or 300 photos exponentially eases the constraints on your memory processes.
Each of the 3 tips above will work whether you're still on Win 7, 8 or 10. One last tip, if you're ever feeling nervous, just reach down and hit CNTRL "S" at any given time, then take a deep breath: your project is now saved. If none of this seems to help, consider building a dedicated computer strictly for work, without all of the "fluff software" that could be contradicting with Xactimate. (Always gotta love a good Yoda quote!)