Upgrading

 

Posted: 27 Feb 2006 06:36 pm

 

When upgrading 2006.2 to 2006.4, I assume I'm reinstalling the silver version 2006.4, right? The instructions are to use the Add and Delete option in the control panel and remove the 2006.2 version. But, it seems like that would remove all my data input. If I save the .TPS files before reinstalling, how do I know which ones to put back in? And will I write over to replace, or delete and replace?
. . . . . lu.root
Joined: 24 Feb 2006  Posts: 7

 

Hi Lu,

All good questions. First, both the Free and the Silver Edition use the same code base, so their version numbers will always be the same. If you've originally installed MF Silver, the upgrade file is MFSetupS.EXE. For the Free Edition it is MFSetupF.EXE. Both editions can co-reside in the same directory without interfering with each other, but since the Free Edition is merely a subset of MF Silver, there is really no need to install them both. Especially since they both use the same set of data files.

Uninstalling either version will not delete the *.TPS files. It will delete the application (MFlightF.EXE or MFlightS.EXE) and all other files, but not the data files. If you wanted to remove all traces of Morning Flight from your computer, you would first Uninstall using the Windows Control Panel, then delete the MorningFlight and PrintFire directories. The reason we're doing it that way is because once the *.TPS files are gone, they're gone, along with possibly years' worth of data. The program itself can always be downloaded again and reinstalled.

Anyway, that's how it's designed to work. Murphy's Law says it probably won't always work that way (which is why we make backups), so it's a good idea to precede any upgrade or reinstallation with a backup of the *.TPS files. If all goes according to plan, there will be no need to restore. The Uninstall program will delete all but the *.TPS files, and when the new version loads it will read the existing files. Of course, the upgrade has to be installed in the same directory as the original installation, or else a set of new *.TPS files is created by MF and loaded with defaults.

Only if there was an unforeseen glitch during the Uninstall would you have to restore the *.TPS files from your backup. It hasn't happened yet, but there is always a first time. If you ever do need to restore, you can simply let Windows overwrite the old files. No need to first delete them.
. . . . .  Hal Heindel