Current brain and 5.0

[Ponnfar]

Here is another easy question from a beginner. I am waiting for 5.0 cd. When I install it, how do I transfer the knowledge base of learned .brn's and the .brn's I have downloaded from this site into 5.0?
P

[Don Ferguson]

Hello,

Before you install, copy your personal brain-database files into a totally different backup directory somewhere else on your PC.  Make sure that you have ONLY copied files that contain your databases of interest, NOT the Hal "operating" or "engine" files from Zabaware.

You can make sure that you are only backing up YOUR files by sorting by "date modified," and only choosing files that were recently modified due to your conversations with Hal.

After your successful installation, talk to Hal for a while, then go into Windows Explorer and find where Hal is putting the new conversational files that you are generating.  Copy and paste your backup files into whatever directory-folder that you have identified, and your new Hal will have all his old knowledge.

AGAIN, make sure you are only copying database files that have resulted from YOU, since you don't want to mess up your new Hal 5 by mistakenly copying old Hal 4 "engine" files into his directory!

Sincerely,

Don

[Larry]

Aren't they mostly *.brn files - which are mostly in a sub-folder?
C:program filesUltra Hal Assistant 5DefBrain
You could perhaps copy the defbrain folder someplace safe - course I'd rename it to something else, so when you brought it back after you upgrade it won't overwrite the newer stuff... just make a new brain and tell it the new folder you want it to look at...

Man, this sounds really confusing... hope you can figure it out...

[Don Ferguson]

Hi,

If you copy the entire list of .brn files from the default folder into a backup folder, you will accidently capture some of the "big database files" provided by Zabaware.

Then, if you install the new Hal, and copy all your backed-up files into the new Hal's folder, you might easily PASTE a smaller/older Zabaware database, OVER-WRITING and ERASING a newer/larger Zabaware database with the same name.

That's why I recommend looking at the files and only backing up the ones that:

1.  Obviously have the user's name as part of the file name.
2.  Obviously have a newer "modified date" than when you installed your "old Hal."

Yes, working with file names and file dates is confusing to the typical computer user, because Microsoft tries to disguise and hide the computer's file structure from users to make computing seem "simple."  (This includes hiding file extensions and pretending that files and folders physically exist on the "desktop," which they don't; they're on a drive.) In my opinion, their strategy causes more confusion than it prevents!  

Sorry, but if you want to avoid losing out on good database content, you really need to look at what files you're moving, and look at what they are.

Sincerely,

Don

[Larry]

You are exactly right of course… I had done the same thing, but from memory and knowing what’s in each file, and which ones tend to change the most from experience. Again the obvious escapes me – looking at the time stamp! And it’s easy to sort via time stamp too!