How to move a live project to another computer

[colli]

RE: How do I copy a project from one computer to another?

Hi,

This is my first interaction with the forum. Thank you for all the help I have received by trawling the forum.

My question:

My husband Pete and I both work on the same project at different times on different computers. I have been trying to copy a live project from his computer to mine. I am hoping that there is a way to tell the project where to find all the pictures as they will be in a different location on my computer. I can’t just reproduce Pete’s file structure as he took pictures from all over the place. We are both using PTE 5.52

How far I have got:

I backed up all the project pictures and music via "backup via zip" and transferred the unzipped file from Pete’s computer to the new location on my computer.

I then copied the project across to my computer.

I can see the project on my computer with the text, animations, timing etc but the thumbnails are blue and say can’t find picture. I know that I can go to objects and animations, properties, file, and then tell it the new path for each individual picture but I have 500 pictures in the project and many music clips. I dragged all the pictures into the project in the hope that it would recognise the numbers but it added them as numbers 501 -1000 but didn’t pick up the fact that the missing pictures 1 – 500 were the same. On the previous version to PTE I thought that we could drag and drop the missing pictures onto the blue thumbnails but I don’t seem to be able to do it in V5.5.2 It seems to put the picture next to the missing picture but not recognise it as the missing picture.

Is there a way to tell the project where to find all the new pictures without doing each picture individually?

I hope you can help us with this as it will be an ongoing process in all of our shows.

Please advise if I am not using this forum correctly.

Kind regards

Linda Collison

[Lin Evans]

Hi Linda,

The initial answer is quite simple. Do "not" copy Pete's PTE file (what you are calling the Project) to your computer. When an automatic zip file is created with PTE it "includes" all files including the PTE file (Project).

Just unzip all file in a folder, navigate to that folder with PTE and you will find the PTE file. When you open it all pointers will be correct and point toward the images, songs, etc., all zipped neatly and now all residing in a single folder.

Having said this, do your edits in a "serial" manner. That is you can make changes then send the zipped file to Pete. He then opens the zipped files and uses your PTE file and makes changes and sends it back to you. There is no way to "combine" the changes - PTE is not a networking program and I don't believe there are any presentation slideshow softwares which are.

Best regards,

Lin

[colli]

Hi Lin,

I can't tell you how grateful I am for your quick and efficient reply. I have spent many hours on this problem over the past month and you have managed to sort it out for me in five minutes. Much appreciated.

The current problem is that I cant seem to get this reply to you. It keeps giving me an error message.

Many thanks again

Linda

[JEB]

Linda,

Please don't get the wrong message what Lin has suggested is a fantastic tool. In deed I'm sure it was he who put me on to it and I use it frequently and successfully.

However there is another option you may wish to consider. It is one I have found myself using increasingly recently.

I have an external portable hard drive (they are dropping in price and size as we speak) on which I gather (copy) ALL the data used in the project. I can then use this on any PC or laptop, my own or somebody else's machine. I find this great when collaborating with other people (face to face). It also of course adds a further element of security by doubling up on back up. It may not work for you.

Anyway glad to see another convert to back up in zip.

Regards

John

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Lin,

I can't tell you how grateful I am for your quick and efficient reply. I have spent many hours on this problem over the past month and you have managed to sort it out for me in five minutes. Much appreciated.

The current problem is that I cant seem to get this reply to you. It keeps giving me an error message.

Many thanks again

Linda

Hi Linda

Yet another method is a USB transfer lead, this comes with a software CD and you just connect the lead between the two machines and transfer the file you want. You do however need to have PTE registered on both machines

Yachtsman1

[wideangle]

Zipping up to a memory stick of a suitable capacity is a quick, cheap and easy way of moving between machines as well.

Regards,

wideangle

[Conflow]

Pete & Lin,

In our Workshops we have gone over to 'SD-Memory Cards' (Camera type) of 1 and 2.Gb sizes.

All our Computers have a little external 'Combo USB2.0 Hub' giving us 3 extra USB Ports and all

the Camera Card Inputs (Approx $20). Slap the entire Folder on to the SD-Card and download it

on to the other Computer. These Cards are so cheap today its only necessary to have PTE on both

Computers.

Its an alternative that looses nothing over time with a Guaranteed 10 Year Memory retention factor

and over 100,000 Read & Write operations ~ that's better than most CD-Disc's which are so fragile

where as the SD-Card is a more permanent reliable Memory media.

Brian.Conflow.

[colli]

Hi Lin, Yachtsman, John, Wideangle and Brian, Thank you so much for your suggestions. They gave rise to an explosion of ideas.

Firstly, I transferred the PTE file from Pete’s computer to mine using Backup via Zip as Lin suggested. Very quick and efficient. I used an external hard drive to transfer the data, but in future will consider a memory stick or SD card. Excellent suggestions thank you. Yachtsman, I have not tried the USB transfer lead yet but will investigate that as well.

John, I am thinking of using the external hard drive as the location of the most up to date version of the PTE file so that Pete and I don’t get confused about which version is the most current. We could then work on them serially but without having to transfer the most recent PTE file from computer to computer.

The positive implications of backing up via zip, if I understand it correctly, is that we don’t have to get all our pictures and music into the correct file to start with. We can draw pictures from anywhere (including external drives) and then at the end of the process backup via zip and save the PTE file from the unzipped folder, resolving file location issues in one go. Is there any reason why I shouldn’t do it like that? We tend to get into a bit of a pickle with our picture locations as I am usually still editing pictures on my computer while Pete is working on different versions of the same pictures on his computer in PTE.

Pete and I sometimes go to remote fishing lodges where access to generator power is limited to a couple of hours a day, usually at times when we are out birding or fishing. Our laptop has limited available storage space so we use an external hard drive that unfortunately requires power. Consequently I have not been able to work on my pictures using computer battery power as I haven’t had access to the data on the external. The SD card and memory stick options will hopefully provided a solution to this in the future. Thanks Wideangle and Brian for the suggestion.

Yachtsman and Brian raised the point of PTE on two computers. We have a desktop and a laptop which we both use. For Pete’s convenience I loaded PTE onto both computers, but now realise that I am in breach of the licence agreement. When I first purchased PTE, I was responsible for the photography and photo editing, while Pete did the creative bit with the pictures in PTE, music etc. That is mostly how it works, but as time has gone by, and I have learned how to use PTE, I do some final editing of the PTE show once Pete has finished with it. This means that both of us are using PTE on two computers, albeit my input is marginal. Once I have purchased another copy of PTE, how do I change the key on one of the computers as the same key is lodged in the registry (?) of both computers?

Lin, thank you for your wonderful manual. It is very user friendly and most helpful. When looking for the solution on how to transfer a PTE file between computers, I did find your para on Creating Backup in Zip, but didn’t realise how to translate that into showing PTE where to find the newly ring fenced data so that I could, firstly, transfer the data to another computer, and secondly, remove all extraneous photos from my computer without corrupting the integrity of the PTE show. Would it be worth explaining further for newies like me, or is that beyond the scope of the guide? I asked around a lot before coming to the forum, and you would be amazed at the convoluted answers I received from old hands at the software.

Thank you all for this amazing forum

Sincerely

Linda

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Pete & Lin

I'm not completely sure, but I would assume if you are both in the same household, 1 licence is sufficient. I'm sure one of the moderaters will correct me if I'm wrong.

Your expression "going out birding" where I come from that means a night on the tiles looking for loose women

Yachtsman1

[fh1805]

Pete & Lin/Yachtsman1,

I also believe that your PTE licence allows you to install on up to three computers used by members of the same household.

regards,

Peter

[Conflow]

LAPTOP MOBILE POWER

Pete & Lin,

If you want Computer Power (on site) there is nothing to beat the little

"Maplin 75 Watt Micro Inverter" Costs about £10 (UK) or $15 (USA).

Model: A85HZ

You supply it with 12v.DC (Car Battery) or from a 12vDC.30AH.Battery

or from your Car Cigarette Lightei it converts this into 240v.AC

available an its 3 Pin Socket. (RadioShack USA have the 110v.AC type)

Plug in the Laptop 'Power Supply' and it also recharges the Laptop Battery

whilst operating your Laptop.

Maplin.UK or Radio Shack USA.

Link:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criter...r&source=15

(Screenshot below)

Hope this helps...

Brian.Conflow.

[colli]

Hi Yachtsman, Peter and Brian,

Brian, thanks for the Maplin Micro inverter link. Sounds like a good option.

Could a moderator please confirm or disconfirm what Yachtsman and Peter think about the licence regulations. We really don’t want to be in breach of copyright.

Yachtsman, I am dead certain that Pete would prefer your definition of “going birding” to mine! It would add a whole new dimension to his holidays.

Regards

Linda

[fh1805]

The following is taken from the Licence.txt file for v5.52:

" One registration key allows to use PicturesToExe:

- For one PC only (for any number of users).

- Or for one user only who has two PCs (home PC and laptop, for example).

In other cases you have to buy two or more registration keys."

I was in error in my previous post.

Regards,

Peter

[colli]

Thanks Peter,

Apologies, I didn’t realise that you were a moderator in my last post.

Am I going to run into problems trying to add the new key into the registry of our laptop which already has the other key installed? Do I need to uninstall the old key first, and is that complicated?

Regards

Linda

[Conflow]

Pete & Lin,

As an old Engineer was heard to say..."Why fix somethin' dat's not broke" ~ just copy your New Key

on to a Text Document (Use Notepad) and 'Save As' New-Key into a secure Folder other than and

apart from the PTE Folder.

Just simply hang on to it for 'safe-keeping'...its your receipt of purchase.

Brian.Conflow.

[fh1805]

Pete & Lin,

Not sure what you mean by "other key". If you have already installed a fully-licensed version of PTE on both computers then you should not have any further problems. If you mean that you want to upgrade from an earlier, and licensed, version of PTE to v5.52 the just run the software install. PTE v5.52 will find the key from the previous version and will use that.

Hope this helps.

regards,

Peter

[colli]

Hi Peter,

To clarify, Pete and I have a laptop and a desktop which we both use. I installed our first copy of PTE on both computers which is in breach of the license agreement, and I want to rectify that. My question related to the second license which I have now purchased.

I will do as Brian suggested. When I get the new registration key for the second license, I will file it for our own records, rather than trying to install it in the registry of the second computer which already has the first registration key illegally installed on it.

(The following is taken from the Licence.txt file for v5.52:

" One registration key allows to use PicturesToExe:

- For one PC only (for any number of users).

- Or for one user only who has two PCs (home PC and laptop, for example).

In other cases you have to buy two or more registration keys.")

This post started as one thing, but has meandered around a bit. Thank you all for your help. It is much appreciated by both Pete and I. We have loads of questions stored up over the past year, so you will undoubtedly be hearing from one of us soon!

Sincerely

Linda