I would like to warn anyone thinking of purchasing and using VSD to design and maintain a medium to large file website. After spending many hours designing my website. I have been told, that if I ever want to transfer my website files to any other computer. Or if my computer crashes, and I need to purchase a new computer. The time to do this would take as long as desinging my website all over again. Read this response from a Coffee Cup Reprosentative who awnsered my question, "How do I transfer my Website to another computer using VSD?":

(This can be a little complicated since VisualSite Designer doesn't embed all the images into the VNU file. The VNU just links to the original images where they're stored on the hard drive. If you want to copy the site to another system you'll need to send the VNU and all the original images over. Once the VNU is opened an error message will display stating that the images could not be found (since they're not in the same location anymore). Click the input box and highlight the file path to determine which image the VNU is searching for (C:\....). Once you know what image the VNU is searching for, you can tell VisualSite Designer where to find it by clicking "Try Again". You'll need to do this for each image on the site.)

Now, This will take you forever especially medium to large file websites. In VSD everything you create except text will be saved as an image file. My website is approx. 100 pages and my total website file has over 5,000 image files. You can imagine how long it will take you to find and click on all your images to add to your new vnu file in your new computer.

If you are designing a church website or personal or family website this is an easy website design software to use (Not a very good one). If you want a business website with multiple pages, take my advice and look for a better program.

I sure wish I would have read this before I spent the money on VSD. More importantly to me, I wish I had spent the long hours designing my website with a better program.

Good luck

I don't see how this is a problem.

C:/MyWebsiteFolder/MyWebsiteImages/image1.jpg is the same path on two computers.

Why wouldn't VSD be able to find the files?

I don't see your problem. I've backed up everything I've done in all of the CoffeeCup programs with just one backup command
If you design the website and have all the related files in that directory or a sub-directory just back up the directory and all sub-directories and everything is right there for you to copy to a new computer, intact and ready to go.

All my programs and files are in sub-directories of CoffeeCup so I just backup that direcotry and all the subs. The only thing I have to remember is to put EVERYTHING to do with a project into one place and everything else takes care of itself.

I can't think of any piece of software out there that has ever been able to read my mind and know what I'm going to do and then protect me from myself.

If I could I'd buy it in a minute. And if you do find it please let me know ASAP!

Yeah, there should be no problem. Just make certain that your VNU and accompanying folder structure are backed up regularly via the backup program of your choice. In the envent of a hard drive crash or a computer upgrade, restoring to a new computer shouldn't be a big deal.

Alternatively, directly copying your "working site" (ie, without using a backup/restore technique) over from your old computer/hard drive to your new computer/hard drive should be a simple matter. Copy it in the manner that you would use to transfer any of your other files. Make sure you maintain the proper file structures/organization between the VNU and its accompanying folder and (I would think) that everything should work fine on the new computer/hard drive.

I have no problem backing up my files or transfering the files to another computer. If I do this, the files are all there. The problem is, when I try to open my Website vnu file in the new computer, an error comes up saying "a particular image file does not exist". It then will ask you to browse your hardrive for this image. once you find the image and click on it, it will load up on your website vnu file. Then you will be asked to do the same routine with all image files on your website. In my case there are over 5,ooo image files on my website. note: I do not have alot of pictures,(as you know) it is common to have this many images in VSD, becouse almost everything you create is saved as an image file.

With this process it will take me as long as it did to create my website.

Have either of you tried to transfer your websites to another computer using VSD?

Thanks for your suggestions
Dustin

I didn't restore from a backup of my directories, but I did copy them to a flashdrive then copied them from the flashdrive to my laptop and had no problems what-so-ever.

Well, that isn't entirely correct. Several times I tried to access something only to remember that I did it on the other computer.


For this reason alone I wouldn't recommend trying to work from multiple computers. What I finally had to do was sync them thru my network before doing anything and that helps, but I still find things 'missing' once in a while.

My problem could be that my wesite is on my desk top, wich is Windows XP and I am trying to transfer it to my laptop wich is Windows Vista. Not sure. If this is the problem and I try to upgrade my desktop to Vista will I still have the same problem?

Dustin

That is a question I can't answer, sorry. Both of my computers are Vista.

Are your directories the same on both computers?

The only idea that I can come up with to try would be to install the programs on both computers, in the same directories, then just transfer the files you've created and see if that does it. Might be that some of the INI or config files are different between the 2 operating systems and by installing them you create the proper chain of information so to speak.

Good luck, hope this helps.

One other thing comes to mind. I've installed several updates and at one point the default changed from

C:\Coffeecup_software\VSD
\HTML Editor
\Flash Font
\ etc.

and became

C:\Cofffecup\VSD
\HTML Editor
\Flash Font
\etc.

Might just be the thing causing the glitch

Thanks for trying to help.

I will just hope nothing happens to my desktop.

I will Check, thanks