Re: st: re-installing and downloaded program files

[Richard Williams <Richard.A.Williams.5@nd.edu>]

At 04:29 PM 3/5/2004 -0500, Steve Harvey wrote:
> Dear stata-listers:
>
> My computer is undergoing neural disturbances and may need to be sent back 
> to the mfg. for repair.  This will likely result in a need to re-install 
> all software and datafiles.  Since installing Stata 8 about a year ago, I 
> have done periodic updates on the web and also installed a variety of 
> extra "third party" ado files and programs (pscore, swor, hotdeck, etc.) 
> using the "findit" command.
>
> Is there any way to preserve all this before I send my computer off for 
> repair (e.g., burn all the .exe and ado files onto a CD & copy them back 
> later)?  Or will I have to re-install the original version of Stata from 
> CD ROM and then find and re-install updates & additional files one-by-one?
If you are using defaults, then copying c:\ado, c:\Stata8, and c:\Data will 
probably leave you in good shape.  (If not using defaults, just find the 
right directories; from within Stata, the command -sysdir- should tell you 
where the program-related stuff is).  At a minimum, c:\ado will save you 
the hassle of having to *findit* everything again, since everything you use 
findit for goes into there.  I don't think you'll have to reinstall from 
scratch, but even if you do, it should just be a matter of installing, and 
then doing an update all command.

The -findit- and -update- commands don't work on one of my machines for 
some reason, so I periodically copy c:\Stata8 and c:\ado from one machine 
to the other, and all seems to work fine.

If you've done a bunch of quirky customizations, you will want to jot them 
down.  Of course, that is true for all the software you are using.

Good luck.  Reinstallation is never pleasant, but hopefully you won't have 
to do too much searching around for all your old installation CDs.


-------------------------------------------
Richard Williams, Notre Dame Dept of Sociology
OFFICE: (574)631-6668, (574)631-6463
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EMAIL:  Richard.A.Williams.5@ND.Edu
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