Transfering Lifesaver to a different computer

AnneL

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God
Joined
Jul 11, 2001
Posts
15,946
Loc
Wautoma, WI USA
The computer I have Lifesaver on is starting to have issues. I have another computer I can use, but I don't have a disk for the current version of Lifesaver I have and all it's settings. What is the best way to transfer the program and all the data to the new computer before the old one dies? Is there a way to plug one computer into the other and do it?
 
I just went their thru this...you will have to download the latest version from the
LS web site and then get on the phone with their tech people to make sure you don't have any duplicate files.

Back up your current version and then you'll have to do a "restore" of the backup on the new computer.

Joel
 
Hi Anne

I'm sorry to hear that your PC is under the weather.
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This is a serious issue and one that you should probably call technical support for, once you have the new PC up and running. (antivirus scanner installed, internet access set up/working, printer drivers loaded, etc)

I would be very careful to make sure that you have a supply of daily backups from the system that is about to fail. I would also make sure that the old pc is up to date with the current version (currently 4.33) The daily backup includes all databases (tickets, users, mouldings, mats, prices, art items, etc) - but not the program files.

If the old machine has a CD burner, it might be a good idea to exit the program and burn a CD containing the C:\LifeSaver\ folder. (an extra backup, just in case, to get any logo or extra files)

The usual procedure is to install from the (older) CD that you have, do an online update to bring it to the current version, and then RESTORE your databases from your daily backup to the new machine. It's a quick process that they can walk you through over the phone, if necessary. If you don't have an install CD, they can mail you one or make a file available online.

If this is something you are doing Sunday while they may be closed, email and i'll be glad to help.

Best regards,

Mike
 
Originally posted by seido:
I just went their thru this...you will have to download the latest version from the
LS web site and then get on the phone with their tech people to make sure you don't have any duplicate files.

Back up your current version and then you'll have to do a "restore" of the backup on the new computer.

Joel
There in lies a part of the problem. I'm hoping to avoid having to download anything too large. We have a very slow dial up service and any downloads take forever.
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I was hoping there was a way to plug one computer into the other and just transfer Lifesaver. The computer I want to switch to is one I use at the house. I've only had it for a year and I mainly use it for internet and household bookkeeping. It's a much better computer than the one I currently have Lifesaver on.

Mike, I'm going to have to check which version I have on cd but I'm thinking it's one of the earliest versions. I was one of the first wave of shops to get the program. I'm not sure I can update a version that goes that far back which is why I'd rather transfer the newer version I have on my old computer and update from there.
 
If your original CD is from 1992, and you still use dialup internet, I agree that it would take a while to grab all the patches. :(

Is this something you plan to do this weekend, prior to Monday morning - when tech support opens?

What type of media are you using every day when you do your backups? (USB flash drive, 100mb zip drive, 250mb zip drive, cdr/w, dvdr/w, floppy diskettes, streaming tape, dat tape, external hard drive, etc)

Does the old machine have a CD burner?

Hooking them together would be a hassle and require purchasing some items, but there are other (easier) options.

Email me or jump into livechat(link is below), and I'll be glad to help. I'm available tonight and most of Sunday.

Mike
 
Thanks Mike.

I wasn't planning on doing this this weekend. I've been a bit busy. My inlaws 50th anniversary party was today and we have spent the last week getting ready for it which is why I was not a happy camper when I found out the old computer was having issues. Hopefully I can nurse it along till I find time to make the switch. I have to catch up with all the work I didn't get done last week while I was scanning pictures and putting together a slide show for my inlaws.
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Good thing we have 5 computers and this one wasn't the one I need to use for that. :eek:

Meantime, I'll try calling tech support at Lifesaver to see if they can send me a disk. The old computer has floppy, zip and a cd burner. I currently back up on zip but the newer computer doesn't have a zip drive. I might have to order an external one. It does, however, have a cd/dvd burner.
 
Some alternatives:

You can move the zip drive from one machine to the other, instead of buying a new one. (Before you do, make sure you copy c:\lifesaver\ folder to a zip disk) Zip drive technology is pretty much obsolete now.

USB Flash Drives (little chips that plug into the USB port on the face of of the computer) are what most folks are using these days. They're fairly inexpensive.

You can back up to CD's also, but I still prefer the USB Flash drives. (it's so much faster)

I wouldnt bother trying with a floppy disk.


I'm sure they'll be able to send you a CD if its not an urgent/immediate problem.

Best regards
Mike
 
The computer isn't quite dead yet but all week it's been a challenge for me keep it up and running. It started with an "unmountable boot drive" error. I was able to recover from that but it keeps telling me Windows Explorer has encountered an error and needs to shut down. There are some other error messages and I can't get the computer to turn off. That's why I'm thinking it's time to do what I have done with several other computers and replace the old one with a newer one and take the old one home to use there until it dies.

Our daughter got by for the first two years of college with one of our old machines that a friend of hers was able to get up and running for her. When it died, we decided she really needed something better than our cast offs and got her a nice laptop that hopefully will last through the last 2 years of college and into law school.
 
Too late! The computer appears to have died. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to ordering Lifesaver till this morning. I found out last week that I never got a renewal on my subscription this year so I emailed them. By the time I got around to calling the 800 number they sent this morning and getting a renewal and a new disk, the computer had died. I found out a few hours later when Gary told me he could put the orders he took for portraits in there because it was giving him an error message.

I tried getting it going again with the xp disk but when I ran a chkdsk it said that the were unrecoverable errors. I might try a using installing the old program temporarily on another computer and putting in my data to a least have something till I can get the new system working. Right now, taking a framing order is going to be reeeeally interesting. :eek:
 
Sorry to hear the bad news. :(

If you burned a CD last week of the c:\lifesaver\ folder, I can have you back online in about 5 mins on the phone.

If so, give me (or LifeSaver) a ring.

Mike
 
Unfortunately, I didn't get around to it. We were out of cds last week. Gary used them all to back up image files from the computer he does all his digital imaging on. He ordered new ones and they arrived today along with a new external harddrive so he can store files he is working on somewhere other than the computer's harddrive. It's really starting to drive me nuts how slow it's running.
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I can't wait till he gets the files transferred.
 
AnneL,

how do you feel about opening the case of the computer and removing the old HDD, installing it into the new machine as a slave drive and copying the files onto your working machine?

If you are comfortable doing this it may give you access to the folder with the files on it.
 
Well the files on the old machine are now damaged and not trustworthy. Its probably too late for that, imo.

She will have to install a clean copy, and then restore data from the last working daily backup disks.

The logo file will also have to be restored, from the original CD.

Mike
 
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