WatchDirectory 4.5.5 beta + wdNotify 1.3 beta

Please note: this is a beta release!

This new beta release of WatchDirectory and WdNotify fixes an issue where WatchDirectory can not properly communicate with WdNotify.

The issue that is fixed is most noticable on Windows Vista, but earlier Windows versions with enabled Terminal Services or "Fast User Switching" could also be affected.

Furthermore, the following are "new":

• you can set the font-size of OSD messages
• WdNotify didn't recognize "upper-left" for OSD messages

Normally we would release this new version "immediately", but as this new release causes a few incompatibilities, it is released as a beta first.

To use this new beta, you need to download and install *BOTH* the new WatchDirectory *AND* the new WdNotify release.

See this forum post (English) or this German post for the download links.

Incompatibilities

The new WdNotify v1.3 will *not* work with previous WD versions (WatchDirectory versions 4.5.4 or below). WatchDirectory v4.5.5 will *not* work with previous WdNotify versions (WdNotify v1.2 or below).

So, when you upgrade to WD 4.5.5 (or higher) and you use WdNotify, you must also upgrade WdNotify.

Check for Updates

Please note that if you install these beta versions and a "check for update" occurs, WatchDirectory will tell you a new version is available. Please make sure to check the version-numbers carefully to make sure it actually is a new release.

WatchFTP v1.0.6

We have just released a (minor) new version of WatchFTP. This is a free upgrade for all customers. Just stop all your tasks and install the new version "on top" of your previous install.
This release contains the following fixes:

• If an incorrect FTP directory was entered, the task mistakenly used the root directory of your FTP server. (thanks for reporting this, Markus)
• The option "delete file after download" did not work properly for files containing accented characters. (thanks for reporting this issue, Jari)

You can download the current release here:
http://www.watchftp.com/download.html
or here
http://www.watchftp.de/download.html

Move your Task Directory

In a previous post I showed you how to move your tasks and settings to another computer. This post will show you how you can move the directory with all your settings to another location on the same computer.

When you first run the WatchDirectory Control Center after installing WatchDirectory, it asks you where you want to store your settings and tasks. The default location for this directory is

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\watchDirectory

If you later decide you want to have another location for this directory, follow these steps:

• Stop all WatchDirectory tasks
• Stop the "System.Mail" component (wdPostman program)
• Inside the WatchDirectory Control Center, press the undocumented key-sequence CTRL+SHIFT+9
  This will open Windows Explorer in the directory where you have installed WatchDirectory, normally
  C:\Program Files\WatchDirectory
• Switch back to the WatchDirectory Control Center and close it
• Inside the directory that opened Explorer, you will find a file called watchdirectory.ini, open this file with notepad
• The file contains just the following 2 lines:

  [watchDirectory]
  configdirectory=C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\watchDirectory\

  The second line tells WatchDirectory where it should store its settings and tasks

Change the directory above to the directory where you want to store your tasks and settings, for example

[watchDirectory]
configdirectory=C:\WatchDirectory\

And copy the original directory to this location.

Some important notes

• Use a "plain text" editor to change watchdirectory.ini
• The directory must be on a local drive, do not store your settings on a network drive!
• Make sure the directory-name in watchdirectory.ini ends with a backslash (\)
• Do not store the directory under a user-specific folder, for example the following folder is not a good idea:

  C:\Documents and Settings\John Doe\Application Data\watchDirectory\

Troubleshooting

Start the WatchDirectory Control Center again. You should see all your tasks. Select the menu "Tools -> Explore Task Directory" to verify WatchDirectory now uses the new directory.

Have a good look at the tasks that show in the WatchDirectory Control Center. Do all columns show appropriate information? For example, do you see the correct directories under "Monitors Directory"?

If "yes", congratulations! You have successfully moved your task directory.

If "no", it means WatchDirectory isn't able to read the settings of your tasks. This can be caused by 2 things:

1. If you see no tasks at all, you have misconfigured the directory in watchdirectory.ini, please try again
2. If you do see all tasks, but they have missing descriptions etcetera, it means WatchDirectory doesn't have permission to read the task settings. Follow these steps to correct it
   • Close the WatchDirectory Control Center
   • Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the new task directory (C:\WatchDirectory)
   • In Explorers' left pane, right-click the directory name and select "Properties" from the popup-menu
   • Open the "Security" tab
   • Make sure the "user" called "Everyone" is listed and make sure it has all privileges.
     If "Everyone" is not listed, add it and select the "Full Control" option under privileges.
   • Press Advanced and make sure the option to replace "inheritable permissions on all descendants" is checked
   • "OK" out of all the dialogs, saving the permissions

The above should fix 99% of all permission problems for the new task directory.

Move your WatchDirectory Install to another Computer

This post shows how you can move your WatchDirectory install to another computer, making sure all settings and tasks are the same.

This post is also available in German language / Blog auf Deutsch lesen

On the old computer

All your settings and tasks are stored in the WatchDirectory Task Directory. So basically, you need to copy that to the new computer.

• Stop all your WatchDirectory tasks
• Stop the "System.Mail" component (wdPostman program)
• Select the menu "Tools -> Explore Task Directory"
  This will open Windows Explorer in your task directory, which normally is
  C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\watchDirectory
• ZIP the above directory, including all sub-directories

If you use the "Automatically Run a Batch File" or "Automatically Run a VBS script" tasks, you should also copy the required scripts.

On the new computer

• Install WatchDirectory and run the Control Center once so it will setup the task directory.
• Make sure all tasks (if any) are stopped.
• Select the menu "Tools -> Explore Task Directory"
• Exit the WatchDirectory Control Center
• UNZIP the archive of the old computer

How to run...

The above will have made all your tasks available on the new computer. However, the "How to run..." settings are not effective yet. For example, if your task was set to run as a Windows Service on the old computer, the new computer will not have a service for this task yet. Also, if your task was set to run from the Windows "startup menu", it will not yet appear on the Windows menu.

To correct the above, edit each task, change the "How to run..." setting to something else and press OK. Edit the task again and change the "how to run" setting back to the original setting.

Windows Services

If your task ran as a Windows Service on the "old computer" and you configured it to run as another user (not the default "LocalSystem" user) you must redo that setup again on the "new computer".

Your License Info

Your license key is not transferred, you will need to enter it again. Look for an email with the subject "Your permanent registration key for watchDirectory" in your email client. Alternatively, visit this page to have it emailed to you again.

Troubleshooting

Please read the Troubleshooting section in Move Your Task Directory.

See Also

Move your File Viking install to another Computer
Move your WatchFTP install to another Computer (soon)