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Transferring CostsMaster to a new PC

This guide describes the recommended method for transferring CostsMaster to a different PC.

1. Ensure you are running Version 5.3 or later

These instructions assume you have at least version 5.3. If you are running an earlier version please upgrade before proceeding.

2. Make a backup of your settings on the old PC

Start CostsMaster, go to the Tools menu and click “Backup Settings”. Your will be prompted to save your settings files. By default this will be in the CostsMaster Files folder which will ensure they are copied over in a later stage and will be found when needed later. The settings files will be saved as a zip file and the default name is “CostsMaster Settings” with todays date.

3. Deactivate the licence on the old PC

Individual Product Keys

You will need to deactivate the licence on your old computer. In CostsMaster go to Tools > Licence Management, select the Local Activation tab if it is not already showing. Make a note of your product key  and click the Deactivate button.

Network Licences

If you have a network licence (either a network product key or a network dongle) or an online licence you can skip this step.

4. Install CostsMaster on the new PC

Download the latest version of CostsMaster from our website and install it on the new PC. Start the program. For product keys the program will start in trial mode and you will need to activate the software (below).

5. Activate the licence on the new PC

Individual Product Keys

When the program starts, click the Activate button on the Trial window to go to the Licence Management window (if you’ve already gone past this to the main program window go to Tools > Licence Management to do the same thing.) Select the Local Activation tab, then enter your product key and click Activate. The program will verify your licence with our remote server.

Network Product Keys (including Online Licences)

When the program starts, click the Activate button on the Trial window to go to the Licence Management window (if you’ve already gone past this to the main program window go to Tools > Licence Management to do the same thing.) Select either the Network Activation  or Online tab as appropriate, enter the IP address of the machine running the licence server and the port on which it is listening (you can obtain these details from your IT department) and additionally the password for online licences, then click Request Lease. The program will contact the licence server and allocate a licence to you if there is a free one available.

If you are setting this up as an administrator and you are running CostsMaster with admin privileges, you will see an Admin button enabled at the bottom of the screen. Clicking this gives you the option to apply these settings to all users on the machine to save entering the details for each user individually. This is particularly recommended for online users to avoid having to divulge the password.

Network Dongle

The program should detect the dongle server on the network and obtain a licence. In some cases it fails to do so automatically and it is necessary to direct it to the location of the server by creating a file called CM3.ini in the same folder as the CostsMaster program. Your IT department may have done this for you on your old PC in which case they can simply copy the file to the equivalent location on your new PC. If the file does not already exist instructions on how to create it can be found in the Licensing User Guide which can be found on the downloads page.

6. Copy your files and templates from the old PC

Copy your CostsMaster files, program templates and exported documents from the old PC. For details of how to locate them see this page.

We recommend copying them to the My Documents\CostsMaster Files folder with program templates stored in a sub folder with the same name. Wherever you copy them to make a note of the locations as you will need them later.

7. Import your settings from the old PC.

If you saved the zip file containing your settings to the CostsMaster Files folder on the old PC they should have been copied with the other CostsMaster files in the previous step. If not then ensure they are copied to the new PC.

Start CostsMaster and go to Tools > Restore Settings. This will open in the (My) Documents/CostsMaster Files Folder. If this is not the location where your zip file is located navigate to it and open it. Your settings will now be imported.

8. Verify your settings and locations

9. Import any Custom Export Templates

If you had created any of your own Export templates you will need to manually import them into the new version. Before doing this you should have copied the templates from the old PC in the previous step, unless they are on a shared network drive.