I got a new computer! How do I move my DM data ?

Here are the most frequently asked questions about the Donor Manager. You might even find a few answers !

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jmuehleisen
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I got a new computer! How do I move my DM data ?

Post by jmuehleisen »

First of all, congratulations on the new computer!

Now, here are some ideas to help make moving your Donor Manager set up to a new (or another) computer.

The Donor Manager generally keeps its data files in the following folder:

Either: c:\donor6\data,

Now, if you choose another installation location when you initially installed the program, these locations may be different. But, the key is that the data files (there are a bunch of them!) are located in a folder called "data" under the place where the donor manager is installed.

So, the challenge is to move all of those files to the same location on the new computer.

You can manually put those files on a flash drive (thumb drive, usb drive ... whatever you call it), or a diskette (if they will fit!), or burn them to a CD.

The easiest way is to use "Pack and Go"

But, here's an easier way. On the Donor Manager main menu there is an option called "Pack and Go." This routine will make a single, compressed file (very much like a zip file) that contains all of the DM data files. This makes it very easy to transfer data from one computer to another, and, in fact, this is exactly what this routine was designed for.

It also makes a great backup routine!

Let's say that you put the pack and go data file on a USB flash drive.

So, let's go through the process of a new Donor Manager installation and then transfer the data from the older computer.

First of all, download the latest version of the Donor Manager from http://www.donormanager.com/download/ . For the new computer, you will need the "Full Install" which will give you the Donor Manager program itself and the "run time support" files (which need to be downloaded just once).

Once the new copy of the Donor Manager is installed, then, you will want to run the program on the new computer. It will ask you for your name, etc. If you have your data on a flash drive, you don't need to fill this out. Just skip this part.

Now, you are in the Donor Manager with an empty set of data files.

Chose the "Pack and Go" routine again on the menu, and this time choose the "Bring in Data from an existing Pack and Go file." The program will ask the location of your pack and go file. Point it to the file you just put on the USB flash drive from the older computer, and it should import the data for you and put things in the right place.

Then, the Donor Manager will restart with the data your just imported.

That ought to get you back in business with the new computer.

If you run into problems, feel free to ask questions here, or send me an email at support@donormanager.com. I'll be glad to help!
John Muehleisen
Mentoring Emerging Christian Leadership in Africa for Excellence / Integrity / Innovation
Misha
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but if I didn't pack before the computer went...

Post by Misha »

I clearly realize the value of pack and go to transfer data, but unfortunately that is not an option for me. My computer decided to go last week and I was certainly not yet packed! I have all the data files, but they are not pack and go files. My new computer is due to arrive soon, and I know one of the very first things I'll want to do is transfer all my data. How can I do this? I use Donor Manager almost every day and think it's the most helpful program ever for keeping everything organized and up to date. I don't want to lose this wonderful system just because my less than wonderful computer died abruptly.
Misha
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Post by guitarmanvt »

Misha,
Try taking these steps:
  1. Install DM on the new computer.
  2. Copy the files from the old computer onto your new computer. Especially important are the files in the "C:\DONOR5\data" folder.
  3. Start DM and see if your old data is now available.
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djklord
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problems with pack and go

Post by djklord »

I am trying to setup DM on a second computer. I just installed the lastest download, ran liveupdate and also entered my personal info (Name, Org, address).

Then I clicked on Pack and Go, told it I wanted to restore my data, told it where to get the data, imported it all. I was told everything was fine and I need to restart DM. Then I see an error msg: file 'c:
donor5\prefs.dbf' does not exist. Line Number 74, Module: frmpackandgo.pgfmain.page2.cmdrestore.click.
You can try again....

When I select "ignore" I am asked to locate the prefs.dbf file. It doesn't seem to exist. Eventually, I have to exit DM - and the next time I try to start it, I see other error msgs.

This is on Win XP Pro.

Any idea what's amiss?
Dan Lord
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Post by guitarmanvt »

What version is the Donor Manager on the first computer? If it's older than the most current, then it might create Pack & Go files that are missing stuff the newer version requires. (I'm guessing here. :?) Try this:
  1. Update the first computer to the latest version.
  2. Create a new Pack & Go file.
  3. Copy that new file to the second computer (which already has the latest version).
  4. Restore the Pack & Go file.
Let us know what happens. :wink:
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problems with pack and go

Post by djklord »

Thanks for the suggestion, but both computers are using the same version - the latest.

I DID notice that on my source computer, I have a "Donor Manager Data Backup" folder in "My Documents". Inside this folder is the prefs.dbf file which DM seems to be missing. When I import the pack and go file on the target computer, this folder is not created and there is no prefs.dbf file anywhere to be found.

I may have to simply recreate both the c:\donor5 and the "c:\documents and settings\[profilename]\My Documents\Donor Manager Data Backup" folders on the target computer - and not depend on Pack and Go.
Dan Lord
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jmuehleisen
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pack and go problems

Post by jmuehleisen »

Dan, the pack and go is pretty reliable, so I'm not sure what is causing the problem here.

Send me your pack and go file (to support@donormanager.com) and I'll take a look at it here and see if I can figure out what the problem might be.
John Muehleisen
Mentoring Emerging Christian Leadership in Africa for Excellence / Integrity / Innovation
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