Do I need to backup any databases when I install an upgrade?
I don't want to lose any music or setting for looping on hoedowns.
If you "re-install" (a.k.a., "upgrade"), you do NOT lose any database
that YOU have entered. All of your sequences, music information,
getouts, lists, snapshots, etc. are not touched. What is upgraded are: the program executable, help files, and MY database entries to the list, parse, getin, getout, and snapshot databases.
If you're paranoid, you can backup everything in the following folders,
but there is no need just to do an upgrade:
C:\SQDATA\MUSIC [the music database];
C:\SQDATA\SEQ [the sequence databases];
C:\SQDATA\SQUSED [the dates database].
Occasionally you should back up these folders in case something catastrophic and unforeseen happens to your computer.
I was unable to install the new version on my desktop from the internet download. I have installed previous versions of your program on my Compaq both from CD and from internet download. Would you have an idea why I can't do this one? I get an error message saying
"can't start install program"
"Bad command line".
Formerly I had your program on my C drive and the last time I installed I put it on the D drive, would that make any difference? Or is it just some strange thing with the Compaq version of Windows?
If the setup package was downloaded from the internet, it could be that the download encountered problems and is corrupted, and hence the error message. In this case, the corrective action would be to download the setup package again. If, on the other hand, the setup package works on one computer but not another, you have a different problem.
If the setup package is 'good', then try the following:
Create a folder on the destination machine such as C:\NEW
Make sure that the name of the folder does not contain any spaces and has 8 or fewer characters in it's name.
Copy the setup package to the folder (C:\NEW).
If the setup package is complete.exe or partial.exe, then execute the program from the folder (i.e., in the file explorer, double-click on C:\NEW\complete.exe or C:\NEW\partial.exe). This will uncompress the file creating 3 files: CSDS.cab, setup.lst, and setup.exe.
How to I copy CSDS onto a computer without internet access?
To copy CSDS2 onto a computer that does not have access to the internet:
Install CSDS2 onto a computer that has access to the internet.
Copy two folders from the internet computer to the non-internet computer.
Copy the CSDS data folder (usually C:\SQDATA or C:\CsdsData) to the other computer.
Copy the CSDS executable folder (it's in an obtuse location, or may
be C:\CsdsExec).
To find the location of the two above folders on the internet computer,
run CSDS2 on that computer and from the main menu, select 'Help | About Csds2'.
There are two buttons, one to "Open EXE Folder" and one to "Open Application Data Folder".
Open EXE Folder and copy to a thumbdrive folder named "CsdsExec".
Open Application Data Folder and copy to a thumbdrive folder named "CsdsData".
Copy both of these folders to the non-internet computer.
On the non-internet computer, open a Windows File Explorer, navigate to folder
"CsdsExec" and double-click on "csds2.exe" (or 'csds2 executable').
When prompted for the application data folder, navigate to "CsdsData".
If you've got music files, you will also need to modify the pathnames of the files
within the music database via:
Go to "Music | Edit Music Database".
Select "Tools | File Pathnames | Replace Folder Name"
Please send me info on using CSDS from a USB key (thumb drive)
This procedure is for existing CSDS users.
Copy your existing CSDS folder (usually C:\SQDATA) to the
portable drive (say to folder P:\SQDATA).
Download the latest CAB file from http://www.ceder.net/csds/ftp/
(select file csds13104.cab). Save it on your portable drive
(in folder P:\SQDATA as above).
Right-click on the CAB file, and select 'Open'
Copy all files from the CAB file to the portable drive (in P:\SQDATA).
These files are unnecessary in P:\SQDATA, and can be deleted:
ST6UNST.EXE
setup1.exe
Run P:\SQDATA\CSDS.EXE
From the CSDS main menu, select 'System | Settings | Miscellaneous'.
Check the 'Run CSDS from portable drive' checkbox.
Close CSDS. This creates file P:\SQDATA\CSDS_PORTABLE.INI.
These files in P:\SQDATA can either be deleted, or moved to P:\SQDATA\definitions
CsdsActiveX.CAB
CsdsActiveX.HTM
csds.css
WebDef.dat
WebDef.inx
DEF.MDB
These files in P:\SQDATA can either be deleted, or moved to P:\SQDATA\definitions\icon
icon_def.gif
These files in P:\SQDATA can either be deleted, or moved to P:\SQDATA\definitions\images
I'm now starting to work on 2 machines. I got a big fast system for home, and will use the laptop for calling & travel only. I need some guidance on moving CSDS database files (sequences, dances, ...) between the two systems. Is it as simple as copying them over?
Yes. Copying them over is what I do. If you have a big enough drive (e.g.,
a Zip drive), this is no problem.
I have CSDS installed on several machines. I designate one machine as the master machine
(my home desktop), on which I make sure to have all updates. My laptops, work machine, and
Debbie's machine get copies of files from the master machine. If I make a change on a
non-master machine (e.g., a laptop), I make sure that either I
make the same change on the desktop or I import the changes from the laptop.
Our new laptop does not have a CD or floppy drive. Can we install CSDS on our desktop, and then transfer the whole thing via the USB port cable to our laptop, or must installation be done via an external CD drive?
You must run the CSDS setup.exe program on the laptop.
The CSDS installation consists of the three files supplied on the CD: setup.exe, setup.lst, and CSDS.cab.
Copy these three files to the laptop using your USB cable, run setup.exe, then delete the three files.
My laptop has completely crashed and they are installing a new hard drive. The problem is that I canÂ't remember if there was anything special that I need to reinstall the CSDS program on the new hard drive. Can you help?
CSDS needs to be installed from our setup.exe program.
This program is included on the CSDS installation CD.
You can also download the complete installation from our
web site.
Can I transfer CSDS to my laptop by copying files from my computer?
My laptop does not have a CD drive.
To copy CSDS onto a laptop without a CD drive:
Create a temporary folder on the laptop
Load the CD on a computer with a CD drive and copy all files from the installation folder (usually D:\CSDSxxxx, where xxxx is the version number) onto floppies or a USB key (thumb drive).
Copy the files from the floppies (or USB key) into the temporary folder on the laptop.
Run the setup program from the temporary folder on the laptop.
Delete the temporary folder.
You can not just copy the program folder (usually C:\SQDATA) to the laptop because several system files need to be installed and registered.
computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
Highlight the line with ST6UNST #n and press the delete key.
I completed the installation, and created the icon on my desktop. When I clicked on the CSDS icon, however, I was not prompted to enter the 14-character user key. Instead I got a dialog box that says:
FATAL ERROR
User ID File Does Not Exist
C:\SQDATA\USERINFO.DAT
The program can not find the required file userinfo.dat.
There are (at least) 3 reasons why this error message may occur:
For versions of CSDS older than 1.00.02, this message occurs
if your system is missing file scrrun.dll, which is usually
located in folder c:\windows\system or c:\windows\system32.
To fix the problem, get a copy of scrrun.dll and copy it to one of the system folders mentioned above.
If you have a copy of scrrun.dll and still receive this error message, send me an E-mail message, and I'll send you the userinfo.dat file via an E-mail attachment.
File userinfo.dat should be placed in the CSDS installation folder (usually C:\SQDATA).
The shortcut to the CSDS program was created incorrectly.
The shortcut must have a command line similar to the following:
c:\sqdata\csds.exe dir=c:\sqdata
in which the program pathname is specified followed by dir= and the pathname of the CSDS data folder.
If you installed the program in d:\program files\csds, then the line must look like:
Note: if the folder pathname contains spaces, enclose the entire folder pathname in double-quotes (")
The program (or upgrade to the program) was installed incorrectly.
Check the pathname listed in the error message. The pathname
should usually either be C:\SQDATA\USERINFO.DAT or
C:\Program Files\CSDS\USERINFO.DAT. If the pathname is something else (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\DESKTOP\USERINFO.DAT) then
you've probably incorrectly installed the program.
If you've downloaded the "executable only" release from the web,
copy the downloaded file, csdszip.exe, into C:\SQDATA (or wherever it is that you've placed CSDS), then run csdszip from that location. There should already be a 'Userinfo.dat' file in that folder.
You probably need to clean up the stuff on your desktop. For example, the CSDS icon may need to be deleted and re-created.