#Q1025 - Transferring Data Between Two Non-networked Computers.

Sometimes artists like to keep WorkingArtist data on a main computer and also on a laptop when traveling or another computer at the studio. Following are instructions about how to do this:

1. Install WorkingArtist 3.0 from the Installation CD onto both computers.

2. Both computers should have the same version of WorkingArtist - so if you upgrade one, upgrade the other.

3. Copy your artdat30.mdb file from the WorkingArtist 3.0 directory on computer 1 to the WorkingArtist 3.0 directory on computer 2. The directory is probably C:\Program Files\WorkingArtist30. On Vista/Win7 computers, the directory is probably C:\ProgramData\WorkingArtist30. C:\ProgramData may be a hidden directory on some PCs. Set you folder options appropriately to make it visible.

Both computers now have the same data in their WorkingArtist programs.

Viewing Artwork Images on Both Computers

WorkingArtist does not store images. WorkingArtist only stores the "path" to the image. The path is a description of the folder/file location on the hard drive. For example, if you store the image in a folder called "Slides" on your C Drive, the path will be "c:\Slides." When you page to an artwork record, WorkingArtist links to the image file using the path location of the file.

1. To view artwork images on both computers, you will have to load your images onto both machines.

2. To avoid "image file is invalid" error messages, the folder containing the images should be at the same location on both machines.

Please note, you should not enter new data or edit current data on both computers at the same time. There is no way to merge data between the two computers. You must work on one data file and copy it to the computer you are currently working on. If you make changes in WorkingArtist while your data file is on computer 2, do not make changes on computer 1 until the artdat30.mdb has been copied back onto it and both computers have the same information.

How to Copy your artdat30.mdb file from the WorkingArtist folder on one of the computers:

To copy your file use one of these options:

1. Burn it onto CD. href=http://www.workingartist.com/Q1018.html>Basic instructions for burning onto CD using Adaptec.

2. Copy it to a flash drive.

3. Send an email with the file as an attachment to yourself from one machine. Pick it up on the other. You may need to compress the data file first, depending on the restrictions of your email provider.

4. Upload the file to your website from one machine and download it to the other.

Copy your artdat30.mdb file from a CD or flash drive to the WorkingArtist30 folder on one of the computers:

To copy your artdat30.mdb file from your CD or flash drive to the WorkingArtist30 directory.

1. Insert the CD or flash drive.

2. Right click on the MyComputer icon on your desktop and then click on Explore to go into Windows Explorer.

3. In the left section of Windows Explorer locate the device drive letter where the old copy of your artdat30.mdb file is, for example, the CD Drive or the Flash Drive letter. Double click on it to open it.

4. In the Right section of Windows Explorer, click once on artdat30.mdb to highlight it.

5. Click on the Copy button on your toolbar or select Edit/Copy. This copies the file to the Windows Clipboard.

6. In the Left section of Windows Explorer, locate the "C:\" drive (if this is where you installed WorkingArtist30)

7. Double-click on the C drive and scroll down to Program Files.

8. Double-click on Program Files and scroll down to WorkingArtist30.

9. Double-click on WorkingArtist30 to open the folder.

10. Without clicking on anything else, select File/Paste or simply click on the Paste button on your toolbar. This will copy the artdat30.mdb file from the Windows clipboard to the WorkingArtist30 folder.

11. You will get a prompt that asks you if you want to overwrite once file with another. If you are sure that the file you are copying from is the correct file and the one you are overwriting is the old file, then say "yes.".

12. If you have copied from a CD, right click on the artdat30.mdb file. Then click on Properties. Uncheck the Read Only attribute. (Burning a file onto a CDR makes it Read Only).

13. Close Windows Explorer and open WorkingArtist. Your data file should be there.

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