Frequently Asked Questions About
Now You're Cooking! 

 

Upgrading to a New Version of NYC

 

When I install an 'update', it seems to leave the previous version still installed.  Should I manually remove older versions?

 

Yes, new NYC installations do not touch any previous installations.  Even when you run the new version and use File... Upgrade... to bring over/upgrade user files from a previous version, NYC only works with copies of your previous user files.  This is done to make sure your previous user files are left intact, in case you need to do a clean reinstall of the new version or some other issue arises.

 

When you are completely satisfied that you have everything you need from your previous version, you can uninstall the previous NYC (removes the desktop icon), then manually remove its folder.  For example, if you want to remove your previous version NYC 5.96, then delete this folder:

 

C:\Users\Public\Documents\FFTS\Nyc596

 

If you used Tools… Options… User Folder in NYC 5.96 to move its user folder to a location other than the default (C:\Users\Public\Documents\FFTS\Nyc596\user), you can delete that as well.  For example, if you used NYC 5.96 to move your user folder to another drive as “G:\Nyc596user”, then delete that folder.

 

Why can’t the user folder remain in the same user-defined location from one version of NYC to the next?

 

Here is why we do it the way we do it:

 

Occasionally, we change formats on user files as improvements are made to NYC, so user files must be checked and upgraded with each new version.  We could try to do that upgrade in place (in the folder where they exist), but that risks destroying your files if our upgrade code contains an error.  The way we do it, user files in your previous version are always safe and intact, because the Upgrade process only works with copies as they are “brought over/upgraded” to the new version.  Your previous installation is untouched.

 

How do I get all my NYC user files from my old XP computer into a new NYC version on a Win8/7/Vista computer?

 

Let’s pretend that your old NYC version is v5.77.  We will start from scratch here (skip steps you have already done):

 

To get NYC installed on your new Win8/7/Vista computer:

 

Download and install the LATEST NYC version from http://www.ffts.com (see Download link).  The latest NYC version was designed with Win8/7/Vista in mind.  Do NOT install NYC 5.77 on your Win8/7/Vista machine.

 

Run the latest NYC version on your Win8/7/Vista PC a couple times to make sure it is working properly with the shipped files before you bring over your previous user files. 

 

To get your NYC user files from your previous (e.g., NYC 5.77) installation onto your new computer:

 

Step 1:

Locate your NYC user folder location on your old computer.  If you can still run NYC on the old computer, do so and use Tools… Options… User Folder… to find the user folder location.  If you cannot run NYC on the old computer, then use File Explorer to check default NYC user folder locations on your old computer’s hard drive.  Copy the entire \NYC5xx folder that contains your user folder from your old computer to a flash drive (where 5xx is the version, so the folder would be \Nyc577 for NYC 5.77). 

 

Step 2:

Run the latest NYC version that you just installed and use File… Upgrade… to bring over/upgrade user files (including reg info and cookbooks) from your previous folder (now on your flash drive).  Afterward, use File… Open Cookbook… to see all cookbooks in your folder.  Note that incoming cookbooks may be slightly renamed to avoid name conflicts (e.g., RECIPES may be changed to RECIPES1, etc).  After a couple weeks, when you are sure you have everything, you can remove your previous version's folder.

 

I just installed a new version of NYC on my computer.  I still have my old NYC version on the same computer.  How do I get my user files from my old version onto the new version?

 

Run the new version and use File… Upgrade… to bring over/upgrade user files (including registration info and cookbooks) from your previous installation.  Afterward, use File… Open Cookbook… to see all cookbooks in your folder.  Note that incoming cookbooks may be slightly renamed to avoid name conflicts (e.g., RECIPES may be changed to RECIPES1, etc).  After a couple weeks, when you are sure you have everything, you can remove your previous version’s folder.

 

When I try to upgrade using File… Upgrade… then Browse… to “nyc/cookbook/user” (or whatever), NYC says it is not the old version (but it is).  Any ideas? 

 

When you use File... Upgrade... , NYC expects you to tell it the main folder where your previous version was installed.  NYC will then find your official user folder (based on what is displayed in Tools... Options... User Folder...) and will bring over/upgrade files from that user folder (and no other). 

 

Thus, if you have your user files stored in a folder OTHER than the official user folder, then the upgrade process will not work on those files.  You might try simply importing those cookbooks into copies that are stored in your new version’s official user folder.

 

After installing a new NYC version and I use File… Upgrade…, NYC brings over files from a previous user folder to the local \user folder under NYC as it upgrades them.  Why not just upgrade the user files in place, so I don’t have to move my upgraded data back to my data drive?

 

Our philosophy of File... Upgrade... has been that we NEVER TOUCH your previous user folder, so that we never can be blamed for such.  So if something goes awry in the upgrade, you still have your original user folder untouched.  In other words, we avoid "upgrading in place" to minimize the chance of corrupting your information. 

 

So the way the upgrade works now is best in the long run.  It upgrades files from your previous user folder as it brings them into your new NYC \user folder.  You can then move the user folder where you want it using Tools… Options… User Folder… . 

 

How do I let you know my new email address so I can continue to get upgrade notices?

 

To get NYC upgrade notices, you need to join the email group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYC_Updates/ .  This is the only mechanism for update notifications that we use.

 

I just got a new computer and installed NYC on it, but my previous NYC installation and all my cookbooks are on my old computer.  Now I want to get your cookbooks onto my new computer, but even zipped my cookbooks are over diskette size.   What to do?

 

You should really use File… Upgrade… to bring over user files from a copy of your previous NYC folder that you put on your new computer.  This will upgrade file formats as necessary.  However, if you are using the same NYC version on both computer and want bring over a cookbook or two, the most common method is with a USB flash drive (see 1. below).

 

If all you have is diskettes, you could put all the .zip files into one .zip file that spans multiple diskettes using WinZip.  In other words, create an “allcookbooks.zip” file on your A:\ drive, then use WinZip to Add all your .zip (zipped cookbook) files to it.  WinZip will prompt you for additional diskettes as it needs them to span the “allcookbooks.zip” file across how every many diskettes it needs.

 

If you need to make your cookbooks smaller for a transfer via diskette:

 

 

 

 

Here are a few other more ways to get your cookbooks from your old to your new computer to get around a 1.44MB diskette size limit.

 

  1. Purchase a USB flash drive (also called “jump drive” or “thumb drive”) to put into a USB  port (it looks to your computer like another  hard drive).  Then copy the data and put the flash drive into your new computer’s USB port to retrieve it.   These are VERY handy because almost every computer has a USB port, and the flash drives are small and can be easily carried anywhere. (THIS METHOD IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

 

  1. Network the computers.  If both computers have a network interface card, you don’t need a hub or anything fancy to network them.  Just plug a “crossover” cable between them and set up a little 2-computer network.  Then share the drive on the old computer (rt click the drive in Explorer and use Sharing…), and map it on the new computer (Tools… Map Drive…).  Then use File Explorer to copy-paste from your old computer to the new one as if the shared drive on your old computer were another hard drive on your new computer.   

 

  1. Email your cookbooks to yourself (File… Email Cookbook(s)…) and retrieve them on the other computer.   With large cookbooks, this works best with a high-speed broadband connection like DSL or cable but it will work on 56K dialup too (it may take a while if the cookbooks are large).

 

  1. Install your old hard drive into the new computer (make it slave to your existing hard drive).   See your computer manuals on how to do this.

 

  1. Hook up an Iomega ZIP drive to the old computer, copy the zipped cookbooks, then hook up the ZIP drive to your new computer and retrieve the zipped cookbooks.    

 

  1. Use a direct PC-to-PC connection (see your Windows Help on this) using a direct PC-to-PC parallel cable between the parallel ports on both computers.

 

  1. Burn a CD (640MB) on your old computer and transfer to your new computer using its CD drive.  We don’t recommend this method because you will have to uncheck "read only" on all the files transferred this way.  Files copied to CD usually get labeled “read-only” during the process.    

 

Where there's a will there's a way... 

 

What is best way to transfer NYC from desktop to laptop, or from an old computer to a new computer?

IF YOU HAVE THE 2 COMPUTERS NETWORKED:

Download and install the latest version of NYC on your laptop/new computer.  Run the new version on your laptop/new computer and use File... Upgrade... to bring over/upgrade user files (including registration info, cookbooks, user lists, etc.) over your network from the NYC folder on your desktop/old computer.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE 2 COMPUTERS NETWORKED:

Here are 2 methods you can use, depending on your preferences:

 

Transfer only your cookbooks…

Download and install the latest version of NYC on your laptop.  Then run your desktop NYC and zip up your cookbooks using File... Zip Cookbook.…  Doing this from within NYC will ensure that all your cookbook indexes get zipped up with the cookbook itself.  Copy the .zip file for each cookbook you zipped to your laptop's NYC \user folder (use your ZIP drive, diskettes, CD burner, or email them to yourself), and unzip them there.  You will need to reenter your reg info into the new version using Help... Register...  (email sales@ffts.com for your reg info if you don’t have it).  If you use a CD for the transfer, remember to undo the 'read-only' attribute that the CD transfer gives to each file after you restore them from the CD.

 

Transfer all user files (registration info, cookbooks, meal plans, shopping lists, store aisles, user-defined lists, etc.)…

Copy your entire NYC folder from desktop/old computer to your laptop/new computer using your backup media (ZIP drive, diskettes, CD burner).  Then install the latest version of NYC into a different folder.  Then run the new version of NYC and use File.. Upgrade... to bring over/upgrade user files from your previous installation.  This will bring over your reg info as well.

 

If more than one person will be using the software on these computers, you will need to purchase an additional license (registration code) for the other person.

 

When I installed NYC v5.45 and ran File… Upgrade… the suggested path to upgrade from was given as C:\Cook Books\Nyc545, not C:\Cook Books\Nyc544.  It always does this – why?

 

NYC sets the default to the new folder if it cannot find your previous one -- thus, NYC is not finding your old one.  Here is why.  NYC only looks in first level folders under your root directory and first level folders in your \Program Files directory (on all drives, including network drives).   Thus, in your case, NYC is not finding your old version because it doesn't look under secondary folders.   Install NYC under the root directory or under Program Files and it will find it when you upgrade. 

 

I just installed the latest version of NYC.  How do I get my cookbooks and registration into the new version?

 

Whenever you install a new version, run the new version and use File... Upgrade... to bring over/upgrade user files (including your cookbooks and reg info) from your previous installation.  Afterward, use File… Open Cookbook… to see all cookbooks in your folder.  Note that incoming cookbooks may be slightly renamed to avoid name conflicts (e.g., RECIPES may be changed to RECIPE1, etc).  After a couple weeks, when you are sure you have everything, you can remove your previous version's folder.

After a few weeks, when you are sure you have all your user files, you can uninstall the previous version by executing the "unwise.exe" file in your previous installation's NYC folder.  This will uninstall all files whose names match those originally installed by NYC.  You can manually delete remaining files in the old folder.

If you are upgrading from NYC 4.xx to NYC 5.xx, please note that you will need an upgraded reg code and you will have to enter it manually (Help... Register... Reg Code button).

I downloaded the latest NYC 5.xx and tried to upgrade from my previous version.  NYC asks for my previous version but it's confused because it thinks I want to put the old and new in the same spot.  Can you help?

You should install new versions of NYC into their default folder, which is a new folder each time.  Then run the new version and use File... Upgrade... to bring over/upgrade user files from your previous version.  You must dbl-click in the directory listbox until your previous NYC folder appears in the blue textbox.  When that blue box shows your previous installation, you are ready proceed with the upgrade (press Proceed).

After a few weeks when you are satisfied that you have all your files from your previous installation, you can uninstall the previous version by dbl-clicking the file "unwise.exe"  in your previous version's folder.

I have NYC Lite.  Can I upgrade to NYC for free?

No, these are two separate programs.  The upgrade from NYC Lite to NYC is $18.  You can order it online (see product #3192) on the NYC registration page .

If I want to copy over my critical user files myself without using Upgrade, what files should I include?

This is not recommended, because you may copy over a file that needs upgrading.  However, if you are a brave, independent cuss, then you can give it a shot on your own.  You should copy your cookbooks and indexes (*.gcf, *.cdx, *.idx, *.cli, *.tag, *.ima, *.imx, *.rdx, *.rli); all lists (*.lst), meal plans (*.mnu), shopping lists (*.shp), additional price lists (*.pls), and user preferences (nyc.ini).

Does NYC work with any Windows operating system (e.g., XP)?

The 32-bit version (v5) works with Windows Vista/XP/Me/2000/98/95/NT4.  If you use Windows 3.1x (yikes! where you been?), you must use the 16-bit version (v4).
 

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Last Updated:  12/2/2013

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