Transferring files (solved)

I'd like to merge my recipes/etc., from my Winblows 10 laptop back to my Winblows 7 laptop which was my original install of BeerSmith. The reason I say 'merge' is that I still have the original install on the old laptop, so I'd like to merge my present install with the older one so that everything is updated on the older laptop. I will probably be formatting my hard drive on the Winblows 10 laptop due to Micro$haft's Nanny Plan which prevents you from blocking all of their updates. In doing so, they wiped out the Grub for my Linux OS, so I'll just load pure Linux on the Winblows 10 laptop. When/If Beersmith develops a stable version for Linux, I will purchase that for the Linux laptop - last time I checked, I was told the Linux version was kinda iffy.
If anyone has a step-by-step instruction/tutorial on how to do a bulk(?) transfer by setting the two lappy's next to each other and copying everything over from one laptop to the other, using either cables OR USB stick, I'd appreciate a copy of that - either by post or (if necessary) by email.
TIA, MTBrewer

Greetings MTBrewer - my suggestion is to make sure the version of BS you wish to copy to is current.  I believe the current version is *.*.12.  From their, I believe all you would need to do is copy your files from the Windows 10 machine to a stick.  Than, from the stick, copy the files to the Windows 7 machine into the BeerSmith2 folder under the My Documents directory.  Make sure you copy only the files and NOT the folder itself.  I would also recommend you make a full backup of the BeerSmith2 folder before you start this procedure just in case.

You will be prompted to ?over right? or ?keep both copies? of any files that are duplicates.  My suggestion is to ?keep both copies? for now.  Now, what Windows will do is place the (2) next to all the duplicates.  Now, one by one, check all the dates and keep the newest version of all the duplicate files and delete the older versions.

Hope this helps!

Edit: use caution NOT to delete any of the three sub folders (Archive, Reports, and Updates) in the BeerSmith2 folder. But you will want to copy any files within these three sub folders the same way you copied the others.

THX KellerBrauer; I took a look at my recipes, and I don't see how to get the files so as to put them onto a stick. I clicked on Export All, but there were a bunch of things listed as AGE1, AGE2, etc.. I didn't see any of the recipes, and I've probably got 50 or more in there. If I can get more details, I will give that a try.

I think I'll see if there are any videos that can help me out as well.

It's all the same version, I'd guess, since I just loaded the same DVD onto two different computers (with permission, of course). I just kept the old lappy around for a 'just-in-caser.' Turns out that was a good move! Now If I can keep both up to date with each other, I can keep one in the brew-room (no internet) and one in the 'office.'

Okay, I think we have some confusion here.  To transfer the files following the method I explained above, you will need to be working in MS Explorer.  BeerSmith software cannot be running.  Look for the BeerSmith2 file folder inside the Documents folder.  Then follow the instructions I outlined above.

If you can?t find the BeerSmith2 folder, do a search using the Search Command.  If the operating system from which you are trying to copy from is NOT a Windows operating system, I?m sorry, I will not be able to assist.

I've possibly changed my mind .... I have an old XP laptop:

I'm thinking of re-formatting my Win 10 laptop completely and making it a Debian Linux OS - OR, if the wife wants it, i'll swap her for an old D610 with Win7 on it. Either way, I will only have BeerSmith on one laptop, so I'm thinking about putting BeerSmith onto the XP laptop and use it in the brew-room w/o internet. I can bring it into the 'office' where the router is and use the internet  update it every so often if I need to.

Since BeerSmith will work on an XP laptop, the only question is whether the CPU/RAM is enuff to run BeerSmith. I'll hopefully be able to run music disks while I'm brewing (my spouse hates Bluegrass), so I can be entertained while I brew.

If I find that the XP isn't powerful enuff to run BeerSmith, I'll probably give it to the grandkids to play on/destroy ;>).

Any thoughts/ideas?

According to the FAQ, it should run on XP SP3. http://beersmith.com/faq/

If it's not SP3, you'll likely get an error message. I have never seen any RAM or HD space requirements and the FAQ is silent on the subject for all platforms.

It's a good idea to get away from XP for anything you even remotely want to keep confidential. So, using that PC as a dedicated BeerSmith and Bluegrass player is a smart idea.

brewfun said:

According to the FAQ, it should run on XP SP3. http://beersmith.com/faq/

If it's not SP3, you'll likely get an error message. I have never seen any RAM or HD space requirements and the FAQ is silent on the subject for all platforms.

It's a good idea to get away from XP for anything you even remotely want to keep confidential. So, using that PC as a dedicated BeerSmith and Bluegrass player is a smart idea.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it must not have been an SP3, becuz it installed, but wouldn't run. So, the grandkids get it for a playtoy the next time we go to Tennessee!

So much for a Brew-room laptop! Although, I may end up putting BeerSmith onto  an old D610/WinBlows7 Pro and use that as a brew-room laptop instead. The D610 will be Internet compliant, and has the right drive for playing my Bluegrass - and IF I connect to the internet, I can listen to the Bluegrass on Pandora. All is Well! I change my mind so often, my wife has to keep me up to speed on my last change!

New problems:
1) When I loaded antiX onto the second partition, I use Grub as a go-between for Winblows and Linux. I can no longer find my BeerSmith install, which had all of my recipes, etc. Is there any way of recovering them, since I can find nothing in the Winblows7 Pro search that is even remotely connected with BeerSmith?

2) If I have to re-install BeerSmith on my E6400, I have a lot of ".bsmx" files on my USB storage drive that I think are recipes, etc., from my Winblows10 BeerSmith install that was on my E7440 hard drive that I have given away ( I gave the laptop away!). Can those ".bsmx" files be added somehow to a new install of BeerSmith2 - to replace the install which has been deleted for some unknown reason?

3) NOTE: I will only have 2 installs on my 2 laptops after all of this boondoggle that I have experienced, one install on a Dell E 6400, and the other on a Dell D610, which will be my dedicated "Brew-Room" laptop. Just so that Brad knows that I'm not going hog-wild on BeerSmith installs ;>)

All of your recipes and custom profiles reside in the .../Documents/BeerSmith2 folder. Or .../MyDocuments/BeerSmith2.

The numbered duplicates are auto backups created by BeerSmith each time you close the program. The un numbered files are the most recent and the "5" is the oldest. Simply pasting your stored files into that folder to replace the defaults will bring them into the new install.

You'll need separate folders for each install. Although you could run both installs pointing to one directory, if you run them both at the same time, there is nothing that would prevent one version from overwriting what the other has saved. In short, it could cause the loss of all files.

Maybe I did this all bass-ackwards .... I copied and pasted all of the BeerSmith files onto a USB drive. I am attempting to load those files onto my BeerSmith re-install. The reason it is a re-install is that when I loaded Linux onto this laptop, I squeezed down the partiton that Windows was on and my BeerSmith disappeared. So now I have re-installed and am trying to manually move the .bsmx files off the  USB drive,  onto the C: drive and then onto the beerSmith install - as shown in the last half of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWJ16mTAxDs. This is the closest video that I could find that suited my purposes, since there isn't a video that explains how to take the .bsmx files from a USB drive and put them into my current BeerSmith install. I tried to follow the directions to the letter, but it refuses to accept the .bsmx files. Is this because the files are not BeerSmith 1.4 .bsm files? If so, is there any way to rectify the situation?
TIA, MTBrewer

MTBrewer said:

since there isn't a video that explains how to take the .bsmx files from a USB drive and put them into my current BeerSmith install.

Click to expand...

There is nothing encripted or permission based in BeerSmith's operation that would prohibit a simple copy/paste to replace procedure. Are you sure you're not creating nested directories?

I tried to follow the directions to the letter, but it refuses to accept the .bsmx files. Is this because the files are not BeerSmith 1.4 .bsm files?

Click to expand...

Whoah.... Have you been trying to move BeerSmith 2 files into BeerSmith 1.4? I'm very surprised that this detail is just now emerging.

BeerSmith 2 was a complete overhaul. Version 1.4 was never meant to read 2.0 files because the database structure is so different. However, the current 2.x.x version does have an import feature for 1.4 files.

Beersmith 2 can export files in 1.4 format which can be imported into 1.4.  I use this capability to export my brew log to 1.4 format, import into 1.4 then save as a web page.  That is a feature dropped in 2.x. 

As noted by Brewfun, you can also import 1.4 formatted files into 2.x  which I have also done. 

If you need more help with actually steps, let me know.

jomebrew said:

Beersmith 2 can export files in 1.4 format which can be imported into 1.4. 

Click to expand...

TIL! I was not aware of that feature. Good catch Jomebrew!

@ brewfun - No, I wasn't trying to transfer into a 1.4 version, I was following a 1.4 video .... so I was wondering if I was trying to do something that the 2.0 wouldn't allow, even tho the files were 2.0. Sorry for the confusion. I've pretty much decided to forget the whole thing and am just transferring one-by-one as new recipes. Since I screwed it up, I'll do the time!
Thanks to all.