Migration Question

[Guest]

I have made my feeling known on the migration issue, so for your input.

 

Is it time to drop the option of migrating your settings?

 

It seems to cause more problems that is helps.

 

Then perhpas a standardized installation directory could be created.

 

I have seen X2 installation in the mcamx folder, X2 MR1 folder, X2 MR Folder.

 

I think it's time for X3 to default to an X3 folder, and X4 and so on, if you pick a side by side, then the option should become X3 MR1, if the X3 install is present, X3 MR2, if the MR1 installation is present, if no other installation X3.

 

Create a users setting folder outside of the Mastercam structure so setting may be kept separate from the installation.

 

What do you think? Inherent problems?

[Colin Gilchrist]

Sounds great to me, I never migrate...

[Leigh @ Kodiak]

I know that people have had major problems using version migration, both in the past, and with the release of X3. I would just like to state for the record that I used migration both from X to X2, as well as from X to X3, and have encountered ZERO problems so far.

 

That being said, I agree with what you are proposing. Seems to me that it could be pretty simply done within the Control Panel Applet just by having a field to select the location of the user settings.

[?Mark]

quote:

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It seems to cause more problems that is helps.

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Agree.

+1 to either completely reworking it or dropping it altogether.

[DavidB]

I Migrate and don't have any problems.

I wouldn't like to Install X3,X4 and then have to do all my toolbar states again.

[gcode]

I've had migrate work perfectly and had migrate turn my computer into a flower pot..

 

The pain caused by a disaster far outweighs the convenience of a successful migration so I don't use it..

 

there are just too many variables and people installing in odd locations for the code guys

to anticipate all the possible problems

[Guest]

quote:

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I wouldn't like to Install X3,X4 and then have to do all my toolbar states again.

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With what I am proposing you would not have to David. The settings would be there for use of the system.

[Kyle Waters]

+1

Then for those of us that use both until we are comfortable enough to uninstall the old, this would leave all user config files unharmed. Did I understand the question right John?

[Reverend Turk]

I am all for this idea. It truly is a pain in the butt to have to have re do all my settings each time I upgrade.

 

I have never actually used the migrate because of all the issues I have read here.

[Mgrenier]

I migrate and always did and never had any problems.

[Guest]

So, to you guys who "don't have any problem".

 

Do you have to go in and remap ALL of your directories to the new installation?

[ToolMan184]

I used migrate once and will never ever do it again. I had a mess from HELL.

[shazam/TPP]

when i installed x3 i used migrate and will not use it again. like gcode said to many variables for the code guys to catch.

[strabe]

No more migrate here either. Pain in the A$$!

[#Rekd™]

I would rather keep everything separate.

 

John

[Tim Johnson]

quote:

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So, to you guys who "don't have any problem".

 

Do you have to go in and remap ALL of your directories to the new installation?

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If I remember correctly the answer would be almost all but it's still quicker.

[Guest]

Tim,

 

While it may be quicker for someone who know what and HOW to change it. It is a nightmare installation issue for those who just click migrate and try to move on their way.

 

The "average" user will get burnt big time and by time he/she realizes it, not only is the X3 installation toasted but the X2 MR2 installation is going to be blown up as well.

 

That's why a user folder installation "outside" of the main installation is a better way go I think. Instead of pointing the configuration to the system, you point the system to the configuration.

[strabe]

Okay, so now that I've "migrated" my files, what specifically do I need to do to get X3 running with all the same configurations and settings I had before? I've been reading all of the X3 threads and probably need to consolidate them into one. I haven't had the time to go through my system yet and fix all that got blown up and I'm not sure I fully know how. Any advice is apprieciated.

 

Ken

[?Mark]

quote:

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That's why a user folder installation "outside" of the main installation is a better way go I think.

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+1

 

This subject didn't get much love in the "other" forum from what I see though

[HEAVY METAL]

john i did a side by side install and migrated my x2 files to x3 and so far have not had too many problems other than remapping a couple of directories. I still have my x2 files intact.I guess I don't understand how this would screw up your previous x2 install. From what I see it just coupies the files from x2

[?Mark]

quote:

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what specifically do I need to do

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You need check and remap all the folders in you config file, machine definition and control definition. Make sure that you copy the original files from old installs (x2mr2 or so) to the x3 installation. Very often you'll change a custom file in x3 and think it'll affect only x3 but in fact you're messing up files affecting x2 (all depends on how you went about migrating your files).

Prime example is your old x2 .mcx files. Once you open them with x3 and save, you can't open them with x2.

It takes me a good few hours going thru that setup...

[Nils N]

+1 To John, I used migrate for X3 from X2 MR2 and it blew my X2 MR2 away. X3 worked but had funny things happening and a few things did not work. I deleted everything yesterday and reinstalled X2 MR2 from the ground up, took some head scratching for me, but I finally got it in and I think it's better than when I migrated form X to X2,( Or I'm just to happy my ground up install worked ) I'll install X3 when I have some time later in the week. No migrate on this one.

[Tim Johnson]

John,

 

Migration works for me personally but if others are having problems (in which you would have first hand knowledge) I have no issues about dropping it. It's not like were using it every other week...

[Jim Evans from CNC Software]

All,

 

Some notes on migration and installation that may help clear up some of the confusion.

 

First. Migration does nothing but copy your user customized files (Posts, MDs, tool libraries, MTBs, config, etc) from a previous version to the X3 installed folders. It only copies files that are actually in the Mastercam folder structure. If you have files on the internet, nothing is done with these.

 

Second. Migration will make a copy of your mastercam registry from the version just migrated from and rename that copy to your X3 registry. This is ONLY done for the user that is logged on at the time of the install, so if multiple users use the same computer, they will not have this feature done for them. By doing this all your dialog settings, positions and other customization options that you set up in the previous version is carried over to X3.

 

Third - One problem with using the registry from a previous version is that the registry contains a list of machines that the user has selected with manage list to make them available for selecting via the machine type menu. When doing so it does NOT modify the path so right off the bat your machine list is pointing to the old file which will cause the upgrade dialogs to appear. see below for more information on updating your files below.

 

Fourth. Migration with then edit your config file and try to get your migrated config file to now point to the new X3 folder structure that you just installed. Unfortunately this isn't always perfect, not going to get into the reasons now, and this does require some user interaction at times to fix the paths migration missed.

 

Migration DOES NOT update your files to X3 format, so when using files from an older X2 version, they need to be converted to X3 format. There are 2 methods to do so. The first and preferred method is to use the File / import directory function prior to even using masterm. This will convert all the old to new. A note here is to make sure you are pointing to the correct folders for the files to be converted and the folder where you want them. Now in the case of migration, these files already have been copied to X3 folder structure so it is safe to overwrite them. Were people make mistakes is overwriting the files that are still in the previous mastercams install or on a network before backing them up.

 

The second option for updating is what we call "on the fly" updating. This occurs when you try to use a file from a previous version before updating it. You are prompted with a dialog that it need to be converted and you can choose yes or no. If you choose yes, another dialog lets you set the settings for conversion. Once again, be careful here as it is easy enough to overwrite the file in the wrong location as normally this file is still pointing to the old file structure. so what normally happens here, people just click the green check and it has just overwritten the file in the X2 folder and then they try to use X2 and get a corrupt or invalid warning. PLEASE read all dialogs and inspect the paths completely if overwriting as file.

 

Installation. By default we try to install every version of Mastercam into the MCAMX folder if there is no other version of mastercam installed already there. If there is then we install into an enumerated folder (c:mcamx3, c:mcamx3 mr1, etc).

 

The new express isntall will install only the mastercam product using your registry settings for units, hasp, company name, etc and will ALWAYS do migration from the previous version. If you don't like this option, please use CUSTOM.

 

At CNC we install, uninstall and reinstall every single day during our test cycle as we have new builds daily. During our personal installs, we often switch from migration/no migration, inch to metric and location to location. We do so trying to duplicate many of the possible environments we will run into in the real world, when realistically we no there is no chance of hitting them all. We do also perform specific test designed to test out the migration process and we normally don't run into the problems or confusion that we hear about, but that doesn't mean there isn't a problem. We do try to duplicate and resolve all issues presented to us from our testers and customers so please keep that information coming.

 

Some of the folks having problems with the config file not being updated completely during migration and still pointing to the older folder structure are still troubling us and we have NOT been able to find a solution. For the most part, many of these folks are in our beta testing program and it may be more prevalent here then in our released suer base.

 

We are listening and working on addressing many of the issues and concerns raised in this thread and others. Things like getting into a more windows like install where our customized files are located in our program file structure, to taking migration and updating from previous version out of the install and into Mastercam where more direction and control can be given to the user. even things like finding ways to take new files like Defaults, MTBs, etc and merge the new with the old so users can keep all their work that they did configuring their old files but still gain the new information. there is plenty of things to work on and improve and unfortunately we won't get to them overnight, but we are listening and working on them so please keep the information coming.

 

I'm sorry this is long, but I hope some of this helps with the confusion surrounding the migration and installation. And please, please read the installation and transition guides before installing and running mastercam and if there are any questions at all please contact your resellers, the forum members here or our support staff.

[mikeqes]

Just a note...

I had problems using migration....it messed up both x2 and x3. So the next time I installed with out migration...and brought the files over manually.

This still screwed up both x2 and X3

 

The next install I renamed my X2 directory and brought the files over manually, and this kept it from altering anything in x2.

 

I can now get X3 running but it starts up with a

corrupt file warning that gives me this message:

 

Part_file>T

Corrupt or Invalid file. Contact your local Mastercam dealer

 

It still starts after the warning, but it is very slow to respond and pretty much unusable because of this.

 

My x2 works ok except that ever since I did my first install of X3, every time I try to get into the machine def it crashes. I tried a repair install but it did not help.

 

Mike

 

Mastecam wire X2