Backing up the CB Classic

[Lord Ernie]

Has anyone figured this out? My version is a bit different: I just got a spiffy new laptop and want to port the Character Builder over from my old one. Is this at all possible? My old laptop is still usable, and I suppose I could keep it around as my "Character Builder Laptop," but I'd rather have it on my new rig. Any ideas?

As I said before, the only real program I know of that can restore installed programs, is Norton Ghost, which would create a backup of your entire system. Not sure that's what you're looking for.

I realize that there are "other ways" to go about this, but that is a bit of a hassle in that I think I'd have to download the original CB plus every update, or maybe just one later update? (Not sure if they're all folded in). Of course I would never ever ever do such a thing, but hypothetically speaking, of course...

The ones I've heard about had one combined update patch, with all the updated data contained within, so it shouldn't be a problem, should you end up resorting to such things anyway. You'd have to find such a package, however.

 

[Kafen]

You should be able to use your registry tools to find the information required to run it on a clean install after backup. If you do a backup image, the registry information would be intact as well. So, you have those two options.

 

[luide]

Well, WoTC hasn't actually pulled the plug on CB Classic. You can still find the installer from http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/tool/characterbuilder/DDI_CB.exe and the update servers worked just fine last weekend.

I'm currently at work, but if you wish I can check out from home which registry entries you need to move to get CB Classic working if/when WoTC actually pulls the plug.

 

[Mercurius]

Thanks luide, that worked - or at least the installer did, which has everything through PHB 2 but nothing after that. I tried downloading the update(s) twice but it seems to get stalled late in the process. Any ideas about that?

 

[RLBURNSIDE]

Backing up a

computer program you paid for IS legal, don't let any of these people tell you otherwise. Since you paid for it, they have no legal leg to stand on. E.g. you buy a CD, make a backup of it. This is legal. Then, let's say you lose your original, and your backup. Do you have a right to re-download it? Of course you do, you paid for it. Just keep the receipt.

Only in bizarro world would it even be possible to be charged for this.

I re-subbed to DP Insider to get access to the cavalier article in Dragon 393 compiled version, because I plan on using it and the ten bucks IS that worth it for my happiness. But I still use CBLoader and the hacked offline builder, because I hate using the online one, and have no intention of keeping DP Insider going when there is no article worth having for me. As I said, I paid for the program's development over the last two years, you're damn well right that I am going to use it and try to stop me.

Wotc doesn't have jurisdiction over my hard drive, my windows registry, or the suns and the heavens either. Even worrying about what they think / say / do about your own personal use of software you paid for legally is so beyond the pale, it makes me flush with rage.

This is Wotc trying to force people to think they cannot keep using the old builder, because there is no "legit" way to backup your windows. Oh wait, there are a million ways to backup your windows installation, or even just the registry entries. Or, just hit a torrent site and sleep clean!

You don't need to pay for the White Album again and again and again and again no matter what the record companies tell you, either.

 

[Mercurius]

So I can't seem to update my offline CB, which using luide's link got me the PHB2 iteration. If one were to hypothetically download the updates from "somewhere else," how would one get them "into" CB?

 

[Kralin Thornberry]

Hypothetically, they would be a self-installing program type .exe file, or so some have hypothesized.

 

[Mercurius]

Thanks for your hypothesis . Now, hypothetically speaking of course, if one were to download such a file in extracted or other form, what would one do with it after extracting it? Where would one put it? Such a file would not automatically update CB.

 

[Peraion Graufalke]

You'd need to extract the patch to the CharBuilderFull_p directory, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Kralin Thornberry]

Thanks for your hypothesis . Now, hypothetically speaking of course, if one were to download such a file in extracted or other form, what would one do with it after extracting it? Where would one put it? Such a file would not automatically update CB.

Hypothetically, you would just have it find the CB directory, and click "run" and let it (hypothetically mind you) self-extract the last update (or the one you picked, if they hypothetically existed) and would update the CB, again hypothetically.