3/28/2017 8:25:13 AM

Recently we have had a couple computer hiccups which required deleting the
SongShow Plus folder which contains a lot of the setup info. It was a real
hassle remembering what all the setting were and then putting them in. Is
there some way to save all  the setup info in one place so that, in case of
a crash, they could be easily restored? Also I would like to do the same thing
across different computers. For example, I would like my home computer
setup (with only one monitor and no projection) to be the same as the
church computer (with projection and a stage monitor). That is, "slide
properties" on the home PC to be the same as "slide Properties for monitor # 1"
on the church PC.

3/28/2017 9:28:41 AM

Two thoughts.
1. I just had a major computer crash, but thankfully, I had a program that I had used to clone the drive onto an external HD. Cloning, some call it Mirroring, backs up all the software programs and settings as well as the files. It was a lifesaver to restore. Everything was back to what it was before the crash.
2. I have also just used the backup program in SSP and backed it up to my external HD. I checked all of the boxes in SSP's backup program. Does anyone know if that includes the SSP program itself and the settings. If not, it would be a great idea for the wish list.

3/28/2017 10:20:57 AM

Posted By Wayne Taylor on 28 Mar 2017 09:28 AM
Does anyone know if that includes the SSP program itself and the settings. If not, it would be a great idea for the wish list.

Maybe just add a check box for all default settings.

4/3/2017 10:27:31 AM

All,

The Backup/Restore tool does not backup the SSP installer/program itself - this is readily available for download from our site - both current and past installs.

The Backup/Restore tool does have an option to save any or all of the saved  Slide Properties.  Important note - these must be saved.  Just setting/changing the current Slide Properties does not save them.  You will need to set your desired options in the Slide Properties settings then select the Save To... option and give them a meaningful name.  Once saved these can be restored or transported on the same or other install.

The Backup/Restore tool does not currently have an option to save/restore more detailed SSP settings like layout, credentials, folder preferences, etc.  This would be a good Wish List item.

Wayne - to your comment - Imaging your SSP machine is an excellent and highly recommended backup/restore practice.  I use it consistently on my machines.  I recommend doing this after initial setup and at set intervals after that.  There are several free tools available to do this with.

4/4/2017 8:49:00 AM

There are several free tools available to do this with.

Are there some you would recommend?

4/4/2017 8:55:43 AM

I've used clonezilla to back up, but haven't had to restore. http://clonezilla.org/

4/4/2017 11:06:15 AM

Macrium Reflect Free

4/4/2017 2:28:39 PM

4/23/2017 7:17:10 PM

In the Display Properties (Theme) there is a save button that can save your default settings to a file. Once done, copy that file to a thumb drive, network share, CDROM, another computer, etc. You can then "Load" those settings on any SSP installation.





gap

EDIT: The file is saved in the Root SSP folder.

4/24/2017 6:36:48 PM

That's handy; Thanks Gary.

5/4/2017 1:48:10 PM

+1 for Macrium Reflect... use it often.

It's handy to copy all of your SSP data before you revert to a stored image, or depending on setup, have your data permanently on a second drive, so it remains after the reinstall.

5/5/2017 9:41:01 PM

Macrium Reflect free
I understand about backing up -- the question is: what to back up in order to re-establish SSP or to
mirror it on a different computer?

And Gary said to use Display Properties (Theme). Where is that? And will that answer the
question above?

5/13/2017 7:18:34 PM

I haven't loaded SSP on my home PC since I last rebuilt it, so I am going by memory. In Slide Show Builder it uses the term "Theme" to set default display settings. I don't know if this is the same for the main display properties for SSP. I think you used to be able to bring up the Display Properties with the F11 key, but there is also a 'button' for it near the top of the SSP Control Panel, as well as a menu option. Once in Display Properties there is a Load button and I think a Save button. This will allow you to save your current setting. You can then copy that file and paste it to any other SSP computer, load it in the Display Properties, and it will allow all your default settings to be the same.

5/16/2017 6:11:49 PM

Posted By Dick Akins on 05 May 2017 09:41 PM
 -- the question is: what to back up in order to re-establish SSP or to
mirror it on a different computer?

Dick/All - I wanted to clarify a couple of things here since the conversation seems to be wandering back and forth between cloning/imaging an SSP system and backing up/transferring the "preferred settings" to another machine -- those are two completely different things.

cloning/imaging:
As discussed, a user can clone/image the entire SSP machine for catastrophic failure recovery using the tools mentioned.  This is best for drive failure recovery or replicating on a duplicate system.  This *might* work on a slightly different machine but every tool's tolerance for this is different so your mileage may vary.  Some imaging tools will also let you mount the image to extract specific files but in my opinion this is a secondary use - you should be backing up important files separately.

backing up/transferring the "preferred settings":
This would be a completely separate and possibly unavailable process, depending on what you consider "preferred settings".  If what you want is just the Slide Property settings, that is easy (procedure below) but if your "preferred settings" are to capture all settings in SSP like window position, SSP layout, last folders visited, online services credentials, Preferences, Display settings, etc (as another user suggested) - that is completely different. At this time, there is no "button" or backup selection that will capture any of this data. In addition, this info can, and does vary per user.  The places where this stuff lives should not be explored by the end user.

The OP (Dick) seems to be asking for just the Slide Property settings: 

As mentioned before, you have to explicitly save these before they can be backed up:

Open SSP
From the main toolbar click Slide Properties.
Select All Media (If you have more than one display enabled this will be available for each one)
Set all property groups to the settings you would like to save.
Once complete, click Save To... and select the User Properties Files folder.
In the file name field, enter a meaningful name that describes the settings, ie  "Display 1 - All Media - Main Service".
Click Save.

Repeat this process for all the Media Types and displays that you want to save settings for.

From the main toolbar select Tools > Backup / Restore...
Click Backup Files >
From the list on the left, check Slide Properties.
Click Next.
Select destination (desktop recommended - transfer later) and name the file - click Next.
Backup operation will commence and complete - Click Next to close. 

Once complete, transfer to destination system and restore.

I hope this will sufficiently address this for everyone....

5/16/2017 7:14:56 PM

I was thinking of something along the line of the information contained in (for my PC):
C:\Users\Richard\AppData\Local\R-Technics|SongShow Plus\8.3\
All the setting seem to be there; why not provide a simple way of
copying all the settings to a file so that we could re-establish SSP
just like it was in case of a crash or for a new installation,, or even
(for non-machine dependent settings) so that we could easily
set up the projection and workstations identically.