Use Database from External Hard Drive?

[Mtn4Mike]

I'm using version 2.16.02b

My PC hard drive is nearly full and I have cleaned it out as much as possible. The biggest burden is my PT database files. I have an external hard drive and would like to have PT look for database files there. I tried to simply move them from C: to E:, then add the new database in E: using the Maintain Database Names function, open the new and close the old, and rename the old so it didn't try to use them anymore. PT gives an error that says it can't find my database. Is there a way to do this, short of reinstalling from E:?

Thanks,

Mike

[ptrack pat]

What email did you use to purchase PT2? I have no record of this one used for the site.

[Mtn4Mike]

It was probably [removed by ptrack pat]. I'm sorry, it's been a while since I have dealt with any issues. I can give you the product ID number if that helps.

Mike

[ptrack pat]

See this old forum thread
archives/PT2/viewtopic.php?t=23098&highlight=external+hard+drive

[Mtn4Mike]

Thank you! That "mostly" worked. Now when I open PT I get the error "The Microsoft Jet database engine stopped the process because you and another user are attempting to change the same data at the same time". What's up?

Mike

[ptrack pat]

was PT closed when you moved these files to the external hard drive.

What files exactly did you copy to the external drive?

[Mtn4Mike]

Hmmm, can't remember if it was closed, but pretty sure it was.

I moved ptrack.mdb and hhdb.mdb from C: to E: The original files are still in C:, but renamed to ptrack old.mdb etc.

When the error comes up, if I select OK, it brings up a Login window with "admin" as a default for the Login name. There is a Password entry but I have not used it. If I select the "Database..." button it gives me the option to select a database, and if I browse to E: and select hhdb.mdb PT works from there. But I don't want to have to do that every time.

One thing I can think of...when I went through the procedure you sent, I initially started in the "User DSN" tab instead of the "System DSN" tab, by mistake. So if I now click on the User DSN tab then double click the "MS Access Database" name, it's linked to the E:\ptrack.mdb file. It does not give the option to remove it in that tab. I could remove "MS Access Database" from the User DSN tab, but I wasn't sure that was a good idea?

Mike

[ptrack pat]

On the System DSN tab, the PTRACKHH entry there should be associated with the hhdb.mdb file on the E drive. Is it setup like that? If it is, I don't know why it would be giving you this prompt at startup and then work correctly when you manually select the file, that doesn't make any sense.

[Mtn4Mike]

Yep, that's how it's set up. And PTRACK is configured to the E:ptrack.mdb. There are two other entries in the ODBC window, one for PTRACK2 and one for PTREG2. Does that help?

[ptrack pat]

What is the PTRACK2 entry pointing at? If it's pointing to a file on the C drive that isn't there then you need to configure that entry to point to the corresponding file on the E drive (ptrack2.mdb most likely).