Has anyone tried running Sidekick on a USB drive? 1

[Frank10]

As I muddle about continuing to use Sidekick 98 (database use only, not using the calendar or to-do's), having not yet bitten the bullet to migrate to another alternative, this question hit me:

Has anyone tried to get Sidekick 98 running "from" a USB drive, with the program itself and the database files residing on a "pocket" USB drive?

I would be interested to learn of successes or failures in attempting this, thanks in advance for any info!

(I have also been curious how Sidekick 98 might fare under Vista (new MS operating system), but looking at the early size-ups on Vista I think I'll be staying with XP for several years...)

Frank H.

 

[james33]

Dear Frank10,

The problem with that idea would be that the program would not have available to it the Registry entries installed with the program if you moved it to another Computer apart from the one you installed it on.
Though I guess if you packaged ALL the registry entries in a ###.Reg file you could double click on it and install them but I still think the registration of the .dlls might defeat that too....

I want a 'VERY' small laptop/palmtop with my palm keyboard fitted, that runs a desktop version of windows and then I would install it on that...

Regards
Jim

 

[Frank10]

Thanks as always for the "real deal" info Jim!

Your description did give me one idea, it's not the usual concept for a USB drive (re: total portability and full self-contained functionality), but if one were primarily moving between one's own PC's (like home / work / mobile laptop etc), one could have just the database files on a USB drive and at least one could bring up the current data files that reside on a USB drive once the basic program is "up" on any given system.

Maybe when a manned craft lands on mars there will be a version of Sidekick 98 still running on somebody's future operating system brought along in the craft, with people still muttering about the program being abandoned, LOL...

Frank H.

 

[james33]

Frank,
If that is the case, have Secondcopy

http://www.centered.com/download.html

on both machines and then just plug in the USB key and double click(run) a profile to copy the files over onto the machine that you are about to use and then when you have finished updating them/using them on that machine have another secondcopy profile to copy them back on to the USB key. Include the label template files too.
That way you always have the latest one backed up on the Home or work computer (whichever you used last)
You could keep a copy of the SK98 Install program and the SK2k patch and install sidekick on any machine that has not got it on already.
It avoids the problem of the key coming out and the data getting garbled! which could happen if you ran it from the key.

Regards
Jim

 

[Frank10]

Jim as always thanks for the great tips! You touched on "label template files" which is a topic I wanted to know more about, so I just did a search through your FAQ's you've done on this forum and the FAQ pages you've done on your own site (links provided in a moment here), I want to Thank You again for all the tremendous help and guidance you have provided through all of your forum posts here and all of your terrific info you've put up on those web pages.

Truly stellar! You are an extremely valuable and helpful person, Thank You!

Here are the links referred to, for others who may benefit as I have from James's work:

http://siderealb0x.250free.com/

And especially the FAQ pages;

http://siderealb0x.250free.com/FAQPage1.html

http://siderealb0x.250free.com/FAQPage2.html

You are a saint!

Frank H.

 

[Jimh149]

Hey Guys:

Just wanted to thank you both for your posts. I was able to load SK98 on my new laptop following your directions and I'm a very happy camper. The expense module of this little program is going to save me a whole bunch of money, since I won't have to purchase a new one. The USB idea is something that I'll be considering as well.

Again Thanks.

Jim

 

[Frank10]

Awesome Jim! This obsolute drifting in the water program does things for me that I need done that nothing else out there does as well, for any amount of money (my database needs, the way I need it). Salutes again to James33 for helping keep the "life support" hooked up, LOL...

Frank H.