Re-installing TFP will I lose materials I created?

[keyboardman]

For some reason my help menu is now blank. I was wondering if I re-install TFP will I lose the materials that
I have created. Or is there a fix to this? Version 14.0.C2.662

[Allan Chesney]

It depends where you have saved the textures. If they are saved randomly on your PC, the program will find and link them if they are in the same place. If you saved them in theTFP Textures folder (best place) then just save it elsewhere first and copy it back afterwards. Do the same with your catalogue if you have customised some elements.

Allan

[Doug.S]

before you do a re-install, try close/restart TFP if not fixed, try shutdown/restart your PC

may save a lot more work

If you have issues with other programs too, maybe something got installed recently? Maybe you will want to do a "system restore"?

[keyboardman]

So far the only problem is TFP. I recently installed Kapersky Anti-Virus Internet Security 2012 and that's when
the problem seems to have started. Everything else seem to work fine.

[Allan Chesney]

Sometimes installing a new program will change a DLL file and this can affect another program.  If you reinstall TFP it will hopefully restore the changed file to the one it expected and everything will be back to normal hopefully. There were some problems with the Help menu on V14 but according to your first post you have build 662 and they were fixed in that update, so it should be OK.

You may already know this but if you do reinstall, turn off the virus scanner before you do, have nothing else running and select "Run As Administrator" from the right click menu on the TFP.exe file.

Hope it all goes OK.

Allan

[Doug.S]

So far the only problem is TFP. I recently installed Kapersky Anti-Virus Internet Security 2012 and that's when
the problem seems to have started. Everything else seem to work fine.

Anti Virus programs can also block certain files from loading; suspecting they are a virus....but you can usually set an AV prog to "allow" all files of a program to "pass thru" without checking as you know to trust them.  Check how to do so in your program.

I use Norton and had to do so for one program (not TFP) and it is a safe approach. Kapersky can probably do so...see their help file or their forum/FAQs

[keyboardman]

One more thing, will I lose my .bld files?

[keyboardman]

Oh an yet another thing, what will happen to the materials that I've created?

[Allan Chesney]

One more thing, will I lose my .bld files?

BLD files normally save in the Projects folder, make a copy of it elsewhere just in case. If you saved them elsewhere on you PC, they will not be affected.

Oh an yet another thing, what will happen to the materials that I've created?

As I said earlier, Textures are in the TFP Textures folder unless you saved them elsewhere on your PC. Copy the Textures folder and the Catalogue folder (if you have customised or imported objects into your catalogue) so you can copy them back in place of the reinstalled ones. You can find where these folders are on your PC by going to Settings / Program Settings / General. When you reinstall, I think it asks if you want to keep your old catalogue but it is wise to make a copy regularly elsewhere anyway.

Allan

[keyboardman]

Okay, I un-installed and re-installed the program and still, no help menu. I also noticed that I'm not getting
the tutor as well, any help with this?

[keyboardman]

During the re-install I did not lose any of my materials that all worked fine.

[Allan Chesney]

Thanks for letting us know - we often wonder how things went.

If you have created your own textures and have saved them to various places on your computer it would all be fine - TFP will still have the connection in the model that is using the texture.  The only problem with this is if you later rename a folder or move it - that will break the link and the texture would disappear.

Saving the final textures you create to the TFP textures folder is the best way to avoid that happening, but you MUST then remember to keep a copy of the folder elsewhere, especially if you re-install.

I assume the reinstall solved the original Help menu issue.

Allan

[keyboardman]

Thanks for letting us know - we often wonder how things went.

If you have created your own textures and have saved them to various places on your computer it would all be fine - TFP will still have the connection in the model that is using the texture.  The only problem with this is if you later rename a folder or move it - that will break the link and the texture would disappear.

Saving the final textures you create to the TFP textures folder is the best way to avoid that happening, but you MUST then remember to keep a copy of the folder elsewhere, especially if you re-install.

I assume the reinstall solved the original Help menu issue.

Allan

No it did not fix the help menu problem. What's happening here, any idea?

[Allan Chesney]

I know you have quoted in your footer the version number and it presumably is right, but can you please just go to Help / About (if you can) and confirm that this is the full version number?

Allan

[keyboardman]

That's the full version. Version 14.0.C2.662 Build date: Friday, June 5, 2009