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Reservation Software for RV Parks and Campgrounds
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Copying Campground Master to a New Computer
There are a few reasons you may need to copy your entire Campground Master software and data to another computer. Perhaps you bought a new computer, or want a backup on a home computer, or you're adding another computer to the network. In any of these cases, just follow the steps below.
Restoring to a new computer: If you already have a backup and just need to install it to a new computer, start at step 6.
These are given in general terms because specifics may vary, but only basic computer knowledge is required. If you're not sure how to do a particular step, consult your computer support person (or resident teenage computer expert!).
| 1. Make a backup of the current database using the Maintenance / Back Up Database function, and save or copy the backup to a floppy disk, CD, or other location where you can get to it from the new computer. Be sure to correctly select the "Save in" at the top to specify where it's saving it when you do the backup.
Tip: We suggest using some unique filename you'll recognize when restoring. It's easy to forget where it was saved and accidentally try to restore the wrong file later, so using some unusual name like "John's Friday the 10th backup" will ensure that you are selecting the correct file later.
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| 2. Use Maintenance / Restore from Backup to verify that the backup copy is readable. (Don't worry, if it's not readable then your current data won't be altered.)
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| 3. If you're using a version prior to 4.0: Also copy any map image files (.bmp files that are located in the same folder as your database) onto your backup disk. If you're not sure what folder that is, go to Maintenance / Program Options / Database, and look at the current database path. The map images are not part of the normal backup in older software versions, so these need to be copied separately, using normal file copy functions in Windows Explorer or My Computer. If you're not sure which .bmp files are being used, go to Maintenance / Park Setup / Maps an check the Filenames (not the map Names). Also if you use any "bitmaps" on custom Forms, for instance a company logo for your receipts, those BMP files need to be copied separately.
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| 4. If you're using the Export to Web function: Copy any template files (.htt files) that you're using. These might be in a different location -- see File / Export / Export to web vacancy grid(s) to check the template file location.
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| 5. Check Help / About Campground Master to see what version you're running.
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| 6. Locate an installation disk or download file for the same version you're currently running. All major versions can be downloaded from our web site if necessary. If you can't locate the exact version then use the next higher version, assuming you're authorized to upgrade to it -- but be sure to also update any other computers that will still be using Campground Master.
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| 7. Install the version of Campground Master (from the disk/download in step 6) onto the new computer.
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| 8. Run Campground Master. It doesn't matter whether you load the sample (demo) database or not.
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| 9. Go to Maintenance / New Database (clear all). It will ask you for a database name, so enter the same name as your database used before.
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| 10. Go to Maintenance / Program Options / Database to determine the current database location, and copy any extra files from step 3 and/or 4 above from your backup disk to that folder (using Windows Explorer or My Computer to copy the files).
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| 11. Go to Maintenance / Restore from Backup to restore from the backup -- you'll probably need to select the location of your backup in the Open dialog ("Look in").
Note: If you don't see the file you backed up in stap 1, then it's most likely that you didn't restore from the correct file. This is most often due to not selecting the correct "Save In" in step 1, or not selecting the correct "Look In" in step 11. Likewise, if you don't see your data after restoring, and/or your login doesn't work, then you are not restoring from the correct file. Review steps 1 and 11.
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| 12. If all looks OK, go to File / Save to make sure it's saved to the hard disk.
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That's the basics of setting up on a new computer. If you're setting up for networking, you'll also need to set the appropriate network settings.
Important networking note: If you're changing which computer is going to be the Master, be sure to refer to this article fo rthe proper way to do this: Changing Network Master computers.
Also keep in mind that the printer selection and options in File / Printer Setup are computer-specific, so you may need to do some tweaking there also if you don't use the default printer settings for everything.
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us.
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