Transferring All Access To New PC

johnmsch · 16:21 - Jan 25#12024-01-25T16:21+00:00

I am an All Access user and need to move everything to a new PC. I know how to back the settings for UltraEdit and restore it to the new machine, but what about the other applications?
Do I have to do the backup/restore for each one individually or is there a way to do one backup/restore for all the apps?

Mofi · 18:25 - Jan 25#22024-01-25T18:25+00:00

UltraCompare has since v20.20 also the Cloud sync feature (at least for Windows version). See also the forum topic UltraCompare Backup Settings.

All UltraEdit, Inc. applications store on Windows the settings in an application specific subdirectory of %APPDATA%\IDMComp. Copying that directory from one PC while no application is running to another PC works in general if the same user account name is used on the other PC too. Otherwise a search and replace in files must be executed on destination PC to replace absolute paths with account name A from source PC by account name B on destination PC.

Settings can be stored also in the Windows registry, especially on having configured UC, UE, ... for storing them in the Windows registry. The existing settings on source Windows PC can be exported by running the following command in a command prompt window:

Code: Select all

reg export "HKCU\Software\IDM Computer Solutions" "%USERPROFILE%\Settings.reg"

The import on the destination Windows PC can be done by running following command in a command prompt window after copying or moving Settings.reg to the other PC:

Code: Select all

reg import "%USERPROFILE%\IDMCompSettings.reg"

Export and import UE settings including FTP accounts describes the procedure for UltraEdit for MAC. The configuration files of the other applications like UltraCompare for MAC can be copied in the same manner. The directory path is the same for the other applications with the difference of the application name at the end of the path. There should be used the same directory paths on Linux as on MAC.

johnmsch · 22:25 - Jan 26#32024-01-26T22:25+00:00

Thanks, as always, Mofi. Lots of great info here. Fortunately, my username on the new PC is the same as the old one, so the path to IDMCOMP is an exact match.
Fired up UE and everything looks good, except all the tabs I had open in UE are not there and I can't see where those would be stored.

23:15 - Jan 26#42024-01-26T23:15+00:00

Curiously enough, the list of Recently Opened files is up-to-date.

Mofi · 10:35 - Jan 27#52024-01-27T10:35+00:00

%APPDATA%\IDMComp\UltraEdit\volatile contains ue.in0 with the workspace settings, i.e. which windows are opened, where they are positioned on screen, the windows sizes, the window type (floating, docked visible, docked auto-hide). In same directory is ue.rb0 with the ribbon configuration, ue.vod with all other volatile data like recently opened/closed files, favorite files/folders, data about some resizable dialog windows, scripts and user tools, etc. Important is copying and pasting the files in directory volatile while UltraEdit is not running. The directory volatile is excluded from the Cloud synchronization of the configuration as far as I know without having ever used the Cloud feature (not possible in my case due to license and used Windows versions).

johnmsch · 17:27 - Jan 27#62024-01-27T17:27+00:00

I copied the entire %APPDATA%\IDMComp folder from the old PC to the new one again and still, when I open UE on the new PC, none of the files I have open on the old PC are there. Just an empty "Edit 1" file. Then, after doing the copy again, I brought up UltraCompare on the two volatile folders and got an exact match. Started UE and only have the blank Edit 1 file again.
The only difference I see is the old PC is running UE 2023.1.0.23 and the new one is 2023.2.0.27, both 64-bit. Both were not running at the time of the copy-overs.

Mofi · 18:29 - Jan 27#72024-01-27T18:29+00:00

There are either the files to re-open by UltraEdit on startup not on the new PC or are in a different folder or there was opened a project/workspace on last exit of UltraEdit on old PC and the project file or the workspace file of the project is not on the new PC.

The difference in version does not matter in this case because of these two versions are very similar regarding to the application data files.

The settings as customizable at Advanced - Settings or Configuration - File handling - Session options are stored in the file %APPDATA%\IDMComp\UltraEdit\ue.ini with Remember Files=1 in section [Open Files] and the settings Reload …=1 in section [Settings]. Please note that a configuration setting is not in file ue.ini on having the default value like the settings Reload … with default value 1.

johnmsch · 21:57 - Jan 27#82024-01-27T21:57+00:00

I have reviewed all the open files on the old PC, and the 3 folders that they are in were copied to the exact same location on the new PC. I had opened a project file a couple months ago, but there are about a dozen more files opened since then that are not in a project. I did not yet save the project file with those new files. FWIW, all the prj files are in the same Documents folder on both PCs.

Thanks for verifying that this is not a version issue.

In the configuration Save state, it is checked to reload files on startup, including unsaved Edit files (never knew that setting existed!). I do have a few of those.

Regarding the "Remember Files" and "Reload" parameters, I'm not finding them in the config.

Mofi · 10:40 - Jan 28#92024-01-28T10:40+00:00

The session options as shown on the attached image are set all to default. The Remember Files and Reload … settings are not stored in ue.ini for that reason. If you would uncheck, for example, Remember and reload unsaved changes to saved files, exit UltraEdit and look on file ue.ini, you would see now in [Settings] the setting Reload changes to saved files=0.

Please note that a project user interface (project workspace) file ProjectName*.pui does not only store the data about opened files which belong to a project according to project configuration, but all files currently opened on closing a project which of course occurs always on exiting UltraEdit. The ProjectName*.pui stores according to configuration which files are opened on closing the project/workspace in which order with which window state (normal, maximized, minimized), position, size, current active line, bookmarks, folds, etc.

The ProjectName*.pui file can be stored in two different directories with two different file names depending on the last two configuration settings at Advanced - Settings or Configuration - File handling - Advanced. Please see the help for these two configuration settings for details. The default with Save project information for use on multiple systems and Store project user interface (pui) files in profile directory both not checked is ProjectName.%COMPUTERNAME%.%USERNAME%.pui which means the ProjectName*.pui from the old PC is never loaded by UltraEdit on the new PC as the two PCs have definitely different computer names. UltraEdit created in this case a new ProjectName*.pui on the new PC on starting and reloading the remembered project/workspace which means no files are re-opened automatically if there was opened a project/workspace on last exit on old PC and for that reason the opened files information is stored in the ProjectName.%COMPUTERNAME%.%USERNAME%.pui of the old PC. I prefer a checked setting Save project information for use on multiple systems as the two mainly used PCs have the same screen resolution and I have files opened by default with maximized windows and therefore the same user interface can be used for a project stored on both PCs in the same directory.

However, no project/workspace is currently opened if on ribbon tab Project in the first group Project the command Close project is grayed out. In toolbar/menu mode with contemporary or with traditional menus a disabled Close project respectively Close project/workspace in menu Project indicates also that no project/workspace is currently opened and therefore UltraEdit remembers the opened files in ue.vod and not in a *.pui file.

johnmsch · 22:02 - Jan 28#102024-01-28T22:02+00:00

One more thing. I see all the .prj files in the Documents folder on the new PC, but when I try to open any of them, I just get a blank screen as shown below. They all open fine on the old PC.

Mofi · 9:05 - Jan 29#112024-01-29T09:05+00:00

You have to change the %COMPUTERNAME% part in the *.pui file names as the new PC has a different computer name as the old PC.

johnmsch · 2:15 - Jan 31#122024-01-31T02:15+00:00

My apologies, but I forgot to mention that I had already run a quick PS script to change the %COMPUTERNAME% part in the *.pui file name to reflect the new PC.
I have just been back through the entire process again and it still just gives blank screen as above when attempting to open a project. What else could I be missing?

I have a backup of the c:\users\myname folder from the old PC and each time I test, I use the following procedure:
On the new PC, I delete the C:\Users\myname\AppData\Roaming\IDMComp\UltraEdit folder
Copy the C:\Users\myname\AppData\Roaming\IDMComp\UltraEdit folder from the backup to the new PC
Delete all the prj and pui files from the Documents folder on the new PC and copy them from the backup
Run my PS script to do the rename: ls *.pui | Rename-Item -NewName {$_.name -replace "OLDPC","NEWPC"}
BTW, I see uec and uew files in the Documents folder that appear to be binary. Are these related to UE/IDM?

One other thing I that's driving me nuts! In the Save State configuration settings above, the top 3 items are checked (Reload files previously opened on startup -> Remember and reload unsaved changes: -> to saved files & to unsaved "Edit" files.) Where is that information kept when exiting UE? When I open UE on the old machine, sure enough, all the files I had open, including the unsaved Edit files are there. When starting UE on the new PC, there is only a blank Edit 1 file.

Mofi · 7:28 - Jan 31#132024-01-31T07:28+00:00

It looks like you are doing all right. The user account name is identical on both PCs. The Documents folder with the projects/workspaces should have therefore the same path on both PCs too. It should be enough renaming the *.pui files by replacing the old computer name by the new computer name to be recognized by UltraEdit on new PC on opening a project/workspace.

*.uew files are UltraEdit wordfiles (syntax highlighting files) which are usually not stored in the Documents folder but in the folder of which full path is displayed in the configuration window at Advanced - Settings or Configuration - Editor display which is by default %APPDATA%\IDMComp\UltraEdit\wordfiles. These are plain text files and not binary files.

*.uec files are UltraEdit configuration files created by using Backup/restore user customizations by the user. Their storage location is by default the Documents folder but can be changed by the user on creation of a backup. These are indeed binary files.

There could be used the free Windows Sysinternals (Microsoft) tool Process Monitor and let it record all file system activities done by Process Name is uedit64.exe. It should be quite easy to see on the not found files in the log created by Process Monitor on startup of UltraEdit after restoring the configuration from old PC what is the cause of not reloading the files on startup of UltraEdit or on opening a project/workspace.

All the session options are stored in the file %APPDATA%\IDMComp\UltraEdit\ue.ini with:

[Open Files]
Remember Files=1

The value can be also 0 on having not checked Reload files previously open on startup.

[Settings]
Open from Explorer also loads file list=1
Prompt to save Edit files=0
Reload FTP Files=1
Reload changes to Edit files=1
Reload changes to saved files=1

The configuration settings in section [Settings] can be never seen in ue.ini on having the default value 1 respectively 0 for second setting as shown above as UltraEdit does not store these settings in this case in the INI file for faster startup. These settings can be seen in ue.ini only on being unchecked in the configuration window respectively Discard unsaved "Edit" files with no prompt on application close is checked and having therefore the value 0 respectively 1 for Prompt to save Edit files. In other words all the settings in [Settings] as posted above will be never written into the file ue.ini. There can be seen in this file only:

[Settings]
Open from Explorer also loads file list=0
Prompt to save Edit files=1
Reload FTP Files=0
Reload changes to Edit files=0
Reload changes to saved files=0

What does happen if you simply open the files on new PC as opened on old PC, exit UltraEdit on new PC, and start UE again on new PC? Are the previously opened files reloaded on startup?

You could pack ue.ini and volatile\ue.vod and one *.prj file with its *.pui file into a 7-Zip, RAR or ZIP archive file and attach that archive file to your next post if I should investigate the files and look for corruptions causing malfunctions. The data in the files will become of course public. If you need to keep them private, report the issue to UltraEdit support by email with attaching the archive file and let UltraEdit support analyze the cause of the issue with reloading files on first startup after copying the configuration and project/workspace files from old to new PC.

johnmsch · 4:07 - Feb 02#142024-02-02T04:07+00:00

Finally got this working, after spending at least 1 - 2 hours a day for the past week trying figure it out.

Uninstalled UE
Fresh install
Started UE to see how everything looked, shut it down
Restored the UE configuration backup from the old PC
Deleted the C:\Users\myname\AppData\Roaming\IDMComp\UltraEdit folder
Copied the C:\Users\myname\AppData\Roaming\IDMComp\UltraEdit from the backup of the old PC
Deleted the contents of the Documents folder (before taking a backup) and copied everything from Documents on the old PC
Ran the PS script to rename the %COMPUTERNAME% part of the PUI files

Started up UE and all the open files, including the Edit n tabs are there!!!!!

I had done variations on that process so many times, except for reinstalling UE, I have no idea why it worked this time. Its hard to believe doing the reinstall had anything to do with it working now.

@Mofi - As always, words can't express how much I appreciate your time and all the info you provide. You have helped me so many times, whether directly from my posts here, or indirectly when I search for answers on this board and you have provided the answers to someone else.