Installing Thumbs Plus 9 alongside 7.0-sp2

[Rich Pasco]

If it matters, this pertains to my Windows 7 64-bit system.

For years, my production engine has been Thumbs Plus 7.0-sp2.  It works well enough for me, and I've not wanted to interrupt my workflow to fuss with a new version.

But tonight I had some spare time, so I thought I'd install Thumbs Plus 9.0 build 3922 into a separate folder, so I could experiment with it without disturbing my production work.  I downloaded and ran its installer, being sure that the programs were installed into separate folders:

  C:\Program Files (x86)\Thumbs7
  C:\Program Files (x86)\ThumbsPlus9

In both cases, I had chosen "separate database and settings for each user."

That, it turned out, was my downfall, because version 9 put its database and settings right into the same folder as my cherished version 7 settings:

  C:\Users\pasco\AppData\Roaming\ThumbsPlus

The first clue I got that something was wrong was when I first launched Thumbs Plus 9.
Before it came up, it gave the error:

  Database error: The selected database is not a ThumbsPlus database.  If you
  are connecting to a client/server ThumbsPlus database ... (I'm not.)

The next screen offered to create a new database, which I certainly would have done if not for the awareness that I was working in the same database and settings folder as my production TP7 system, whose settings I did not want to disturb.  The last thing I'd want to do would be to jeopardize the functioning of my TP7 system.

Is there any way to install TP9 so that it uses a different folder for its database and settings than the one already used by TP7?

  C:\Users\pasco\AppData\Roaming\ThumbsPlus

Thanks in advance for any help.

     - Rich

[Rich Pasco]

If I can't use separate folders for the Thumbs 7 and 9 settings and databases, I can at least try to make sure that there are no file name collisions.  For example, I noticed that TP7 used thumbs.ini whereas TP9  uses Thumbs9.ini.  At least that one file is given different names.

So I threw caution to the wind and forged ahead, invoking "Database/Convert" to import my old database.  I just hope that it doesn't break anything....

     - Rich

[Rich Pasco]

One valuable aspect of my production TP 7.0 installation is the collection of batch scripts (*.TPB files).  However, TP 9.0 finds none of them (either under Image / Batch Process or under Image/Quick Batch).  How can I convert/import them for use with TP 9?

[xcn]

I think that the right option in your case is to Install Version 9 all in the same folder(old style) instead "separate database and settings for each user.". That way it should'nt interfere with the settings of your other versions.

[Rich Pasco]

Well, maybe an "old style" installation would keep it from stepping on my TP7 data, but it would also share my database and settings with other users, which is certainly not acceptable, either.