topic Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine in Installation & update

AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

David Bearss — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 09:18:43 GMT

I had AC9 and AC11 on my machine for some time with no problems. I needed to re-open an old AC7 project and so re-installed AC7. All worked fine however now AC9 operates as default version. I.E. clicking on an archicad file should open up in AC11 but now file opens with AC9. AC11 works fine if I start from start menu however I would like AC11 to be default again.

I went to do a repair install for AC11 and stopped because did not want to have installation revert back to default state and lose all my preferences, shortcuts.

Can anyone recommend how to preserve my preferences?

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:44:56 GMT

To set the default program used to open a pln file on XP, right click the file, then select Open With and you'll get a dialog similar to the screenshot below.

(This is from a VM that does not have ArchiCAD installed, so just pretend.)

If you do not see ArchiCAD 11 (or whatever), click Browse... to find it, and then be sure you put a checkmark in the box for "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file".

Note too, that some times installing an older ArchiCAD version will also install an older WIBU driver. So sometimes you'll find that you'll need to go to the GS web site to download the current WIBU again if you find that newer versions will not run.

Cheers,
Karl

PS The process is identical on OS X ... the Open With leads to Choose Application ... and that dialog has a checkbox at the bottom for "Always Open With".

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

David Bearss — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:06:34 GMT

Hi Karl,
Forgot to mention that I tried that. File still opens with AC9.

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Link — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:37:57 GMT

This may help.

Cheers,
Link.

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

David Bearss — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:56:38 GMT

Nope. Must have hit the change button 50 times.
Very interesting workaround attempt though.

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

vistasp — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:10:18 GMT

David wrote:
Can anyone recommend how to preserve my preferences?

Don't know if reinstalling/repairing AC11 will solve your file association problem but if you want to back-up your preferences, have a look at this thread.

HTH.

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Laszlo Nagy — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:08:05 GMT

vistasp wrote:
David wrote:
Can anyone recommend how to preserve my preferences?
Don't know if reinstalling/repairing AC11 will solve your file association problem but if you want to back-up your preferences, have a look at this thread.

HTH.

I think that uninstalling then reinstalling AC11 should again restore file associations to AC11.

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:03:55 GMT

I should add that I am a firm supporter of Djordje's sage advice over many years that one should not open an ArchiCAD file by double-clicking it anyway. Maybe your own machine does what you want, but then you do it on someone else's machine. What version of AC will open? Will the user notice? Will they accidentally save the file?

It is not so much harder - and much safer IMHO - to just open AC and choose the desired project from the recent projects list, Favorites, etc ... or to drag the project file onto the icon for the desired version of AC.

Cheers,
Karl

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

David Bearss — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:02:30 GMT

Thanks all. Did a repair install and it re-set AC11 back to default. Now just have to re-set my saved preferences. Not too difficult from there.

Probably good advice Karl. By the way I just noticed you are now in Bozeman. I used to have an office in Big Sky and got my masters from MSU. Be interesting to chat.

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Aaron Bourgoin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:11:16 GMT

I add my name to the list of those who think opening any data file from the application is a good thing.

I have ArchiCAD 6.0 through 12 installed on my Windows machine (really just to see if I could). I would have installed older versions if I had some way of using floppies again. All versions work without messing each other up. I would love to look at ArchiCAD 4.55 again.

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:12:19 GMT

David wrote:
I used to have an office in Big Sky and got my masters from MSU. Be interesting to chat.

I saw the Big Sky ref on your web site (I lived there for a few years). Look forward to getting in touch offline. 😉

Cheers,
Karl

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:17:39 GMT

Aaron wrote:
I would have installed older versions if I had some way of using floppies again.

Hey Aaron,

I've kept an older computer around with a 3.5" floppy drive just for that purpose. Have a 5.25" floppy drive in a box somewhere, and some old tape backup units (mountain, travan, etc) and Iomega disk drives too that I can put into it if I have to. Just discovered some old files on a 5.25" disk, so might have to do that one day. Thankfully, my archives don't include 8" disks. But, I've got a bunch of old 9 track tape that would be nice to read some time.

If you want to send me your disks, I'll try to get it converted for you...assuming customs doesn't get their hand into it. I've never seen 4.55, so it would be kind of fun, as nerd-fun goes. We're overdue for getting in touch offline anyway!

Cheers,
Karl

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

David Maudlin — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:25:08 GMT

Karl wrote:
I've never seen 4.55, so it would be kind of fun, as nerd-fun goes.

Will 4.5 run on the current USB dongle? I can't remember if the early versions ran in demo mode without the key. Enjoy.

David

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Aaron Bourgoin — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:09:11 GMT

David,

Good question. Will it even run? Wasn't System 7 the OS back then? The Windows 3x version might be an option and wasn't ArchiCAD 5 the first NT (32-bit clean) version released.

Another one would be running ArchiCAD 2x on an emulated Apple LISA machine.

Does anyone have the floppies for that?

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Erika Epstein — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:37:07 GMT

Karl & Aaron,
Somewhere I believe I still have the emergency 10 hour pre-usb dongle key from I believe 6.5. Let me know if you would like it.

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Karl Ottenstein — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:23:02 GMT

Erika wrote:
Karl & Aaron,
Somewhere I believe I still have the emergency 10 hour pre-usb dongle key from I believe 6.5. Let me know if you would like it.

Thanks for the offer, Erika! Funny to think about what we each might have in our closet and the back of our file cabinets! (I've been shredding files from the 80's and 90's lately ... somehow kept putting it off .... so have been in office anthropology mode...)

I had forgotten about the switch to USB for AC 7 when we returned the old keys. The Wiki has this list of what versions require which key protection:
http://www.archicadwiki.com/ArchiCAD%20versions

And indeed, the USB key only lets us run back to version 6.5R5. Your 6.5 key will run back to Windows version 4.16 or Mac version 6 according to that page ... so Aaron would actually need at least a Mac ArchiCAD 5 key to run 4.55...or just put Windows in a VM.

Cheers,
Karl

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

David Maudlin — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:11:29 GMT

Aaron wrote:
Good question. Will it even run?

Just for grins, I booted up an old PowerBook G3 running System 9.2.2 (288 MB RAM). Using a USB adapter card (this machine had no USB ports), I was able to launch ArchiCAD 6.0, 6.5, 7 & 8 in full mode. ArchiCAD 4.55, 5.0 & 5.1 (TeamWork) do not recognize the USB dongle. ArchiCAD 5.0 & 5.1 would not launch (Warning: "The protection key is not responding.", no demo mode). ArchiCAD 4.55 would launch, and then give the option of going into demo mode (no Save, Save As, Copy, Print etc options) or quitting, so you should at least be able to look at and play with the 4.55 version.

David

Re: AC11, AC9, AC7 on same machine

Erika Epstein — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:55:50 GMT

It was a bit scary going into my closets, but I found that key; its for 6.0.
What a mess.