Hello Jeff:

I am confused and hope you can help (as you have in the past).

I have been using BD3.5 for 4+ years. During the last eighteen months or so I have gotten far behind in entering sightings into BD. During times such as these, my wife and I write out our sighting information on paper slips and place them in a notebook. I am ready to begin the “catch up” effort but have found that the BD reports I printed eighteen months ago included about ten sightings that no longer seem to be in the current database. This implies to me that I may have two databases floating around on my computer – a bad situation! So today I started looking around using Windows Explorer and got more confused. I am on an 64-bit Windows 7 (Ultimate) system. All this is background information – my three questions are below:

1)… where is the BD database located and what is the file name? On my machine, I have found two possible locations:

First … C:\Birder’s Diary\data\database.mdb_save

Second… C:\Program Files (x86)\Birder’s Diary\data\database

Presumably, the second location is the active database?

2)… if this is true, I presume the first location was created during installation for backup purposes. I prefer to store all my backup files (from all my different applications) in a central location which I back up on a regular basis to off-system hard drives. I specify this path (to my own central location) when I back up BD. In my case, do I need the first path and folder structure at all? Can I delete them?

3)… (and here is where I’m really confused) … I added a few sightings today to BD. I also edited a couple of report formats. I exited the application. But when I look at the Access database file (second path cited above), I see a “Date modified” of January 23, 2010. Huh? Why not today?

Thanks for any help you can give. I am not asking for ideas on the “missing” sightings, that was really just background information.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Confusing isn't it.

This has to do with Vista and/or 7 and installing any program (e.g. BD) into the "/Program Files" directory tree - which you may or may not have done. On Vista and/or 7 - always install BD into the root C:\ directory.

Here's the deal:

If you install BD into the "/Program Files" directory, then Vista/7 hides the copy of the database you will use under "C:\users\\...", I forget the exact spot. It keeps the copy that you installed under "C:\Program Files\Birder's Diary\data", but does not use it normally. It instead uses the copy of the database it stashed under C:\users\...

Except, if you right-click on your BD icon and choose "Run as admin", then it uses the database found under "...\Birder's Diary\data\". Clear as mud yet?

Now - all of this only applies if BD is installed under "/Program Files".

Now that you know where all your databases are stored and when/how they are used, here are my suggestions.

1. Install BD into the root directory.
2. Move your real database into the /data directory there
3. Always activate your licenses using the FAQ at the top of this page for activating licenses on Vista/7.

That should do it.

On the road today birding. Back tomorrow.

Jeff

Hi Dave,

BD looks for and opens the following file "<location of BDV36.exe>\data\database.mdb". That is it. But, Vista and 7 hood-wink it and if the installation location is under "\Program Files\" will move it to C:\users\<current-user>\... somewhere down there a few levels. If you have the feature from Windows for turning off the file extension for known file types, then you will not see the ".mdb" when looking inside Windows Explorer. You will only see "database" for the filename and "Access database file" in the description.

Any database.mdb_save would be a file created by you via backup or some other mechanism.

If you are having trouble locating your file - no problem - simply run BD, backup your file to your desktop, and now you have a copy of the actual database file on your desktop.

Then, if you have BD installed into the root directory, simply run the BDV36.exe you find there and restore the database from the desktop. Be sure to change all shortcut icons to point to this BDV36.exe.

Jeff

Jeff,

OK, thanks. I finally understand.

I used the search feature on Windows 7 and found the database file being accessed by Birder's Diary. I know it is the current one because, unlike the others on my system, the "Date modified" shows the correct day and time. For the benefit of anyone else on the forum that runs into this situation, here is the location that Windows 7 wrote it to:

C:\Users\my user name\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Birder's Diary\data\database.mdb

Pretty straightforward ...

Thanks again,

Dave