Hi Zenju:
8.5 still suffer this.
Please help us to solve this, we need to be able to install it potable in a USB stick or at a cloud drive (Dropbox for example).
8.5 and all previous versions up to 8.0 are not working, after Installing portable yo a USB stick or cloud drive, and the copying the folder to another computer results in the install.dat error
So due to this I'm stuck with version 7.9
Please please fix it
Thanks
8.5 still has the install.dat issue/problem
- Posts: 31
- Joined: 4 Nov 2008
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- Posts: 23
- Joined: 12 May 2012
same here, also keeping version 7.9
FFS is a great program (maybe the best sync software you can get), giving little or -in my case- none errors in its use, so it's a real pity that the only troubles/complaints come from a forced install method (install.dat, etc.), and/or a rather "unlucky" donation scheme, all independent from the program itself
please Zenju, reconsider your distribution method, i think most users will be happy to pay your (fair) price for FFS as a *clean* commercial software, but nearly nobody is happy with "bundled offers", etc.
again, this with all respect to your great programming work
FFS is a great program (maybe the best sync software you can get), giving little or -in my case- none errors in its use, so it's a real pity that the only troubles/complaints come from a forced install method (install.dat, etc.), and/or a rather "unlucky" donation scheme, all independent from the program itself
please Zenju, reconsider your distribution method, i think most users will be happy to pay your (fair) price for FFS as a *clean* commercial software, but nearly nobody is happy with "bundled offers", etc.
again, this with all respect to your great programming work
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 4 Oct 2016
This "install.dat" bug started surfacing for me after upgrading from 8.3 to 8.5, so I went back to 8.3 for that reason. I hope a future release fixes the problem. I thought it was a corrupt install, but then I realized it is a bug.
The new version installs without error, but then when launching the application, it opens with an error about not being able to find install.dat, even though I can see the file exists in the application folder.
The new version installs without error, but then when launching the application, it opens with an error about not being able to find install.dat, even though I can see the file exists in the application folder.
- Posts: 31
- Joined: 4 Nov 2008
Zenju:
Please help your beloved users
Please help your beloved users
- Posts: 1038
- Joined: 8 May 2006
install.dat is specific to the specific FFS version.
So FFS 8.4 install.dat is different from FFS 8.5 install.dat ...
From what I found (if I'm remembering correctly) install.dat is also specific to ... perhaps something along the lines of ... specific to a machine.
But that said, that (initial) install.dat is able to be used, lets say, on the same local network, allowing that (initial) install.dat to also work on the first run from a different machine, at which time it is modified, specific to that machine ...
I've yet to get around to looking at the foreign computer or "flash drive" aspects.
(And not that I have any particular need for that, simply curiosity.)
So FFS 8.4 install.dat is different from FFS 8.5 install.dat ...
From what I found (if I'm remembering correctly) install.dat is also specific to ... perhaps something along the lines of ... specific to a machine.
But that said, that (initial) install.dat is able to be used, lets say, on the same local network, allowing that (initial) install.dat to also work on the first run from a different machine, at which time it is modified, specific to that machine ...
I've yet to get around to looking at the foreign computer or "flash drive" aspects.
(And not that I have any particular need for that, simply curiosity.)
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- Posts: 13
- Joined: 19 Oct 2006
I also have a problem with the install.dat file, but slightly different one.
I use FFS mainly from a portable drive, to sync the drive's contents with three different computers. On all of the computers there is also a local installation of FFS that is used to sync stuff locally. When I upgrade FFS to the newer version I install it only on the portable drive, and the main sync scheme will upgrade local FFS installations from it (it's much easier than upgrading each one manually).
Now the install.dat file seems to change (or have its time stamp modified) each time FFS is run from the portable drive, so it always shows the file on the sync list to be replaced form the portable drive to the computer's local installation, or a conflict if both local and portable FFS installations have been run since the last sync. It doesn't break anything whether I will let FFS to copy the file over or not. It's just annoying to have the file always appear on the sync list. I can't add it to the exclusions list, because then it wouldn't be upgraded along with the rest of the files on the computers when I install a new FFS version.
The perfect solution of course would be not to modify the install.dat file on every run of the FFS. If that's not possible, then a setting whether to use or not to use the install.dat file at all would be welcome (default could be to use it). Or perhaps an install_static.dat file, that if present, FFS would use it for consistency checking without modifying its contents or time stamp, and if not present, it would use the current install.dat in the way it does now.
I use FFS mainly from a portable drive, to sync the drive's contents with three different computers. On all of the computers there is also a local installation of FFS that is used to sync stuff locally. When I upgrade FFS to the newer version I install it only on the portable drive, and the main sync scheme will upgrade local FFS installations from it (it's much easier than upgrading each one manually).
Now the install.dat file seems to change (or have its time stamp modified) each time FFS is run from the portable drive, so it always shows the file on the sync list to be replaced form the portable drive to the computer's local installation, or a conflict if both local and portable FFS installations have been run since the last sync. It doesn't break anything whether I will let FFS to copy the file over or not. It's just annoying to have the file always appear on the sync list. I can't add it to the exclusions list, because then it wouldn't be upgraded along with the rest of the files on the computers when I install a new FFS version.
The perfect solution of course would be not to modify the install.dat file on every run of the FFS. If that's not possible, then a setting whether to use or not to use the install.dat file at all would be welcome (default could be to use it). Or perhaps an install_static.dat file, that if present, FFS would use it for consistency checking without modifying its contents or time stamp, and if not present, it would use the current install.dat in the way it does now.
- Posts: 31
- Joined: 4 Nov 2008
Hi Zenju:
Please solve this, As I have expressed before, I'm willing to make a donation if that makes me have a version without the install.dat
Please solve this, As I have expressed before, I'm willing to make a donation if that makes me have a version without the install.dat
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 19 Oct 2016
Same here...
This is very annoying indeed.
I hope you can find a way to fix it and make it really portable.
Thanks !
This is very annoying indeed.
I hope you can find a way to fix it and make it really portable.
Thanks !
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 19 Oct 2016
Simple fix for me what giving the FreeFileSync folder full read/write access.. Problem went away..
Hope this all helps you.. Solved my problems...
Hope this all helps you.. Solved my problems...
- Posts: 31
- Joined: 4 Nov 2008
Hi trekken73,
this is not working for me. the program opens but immediatly the install.dat error/message appear.
Zenju: please, please, please, help us!
this is not working for me. the program opens but immediatly the install.dat error/message appear.
Zenju: please, please, please, help us!
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 19 Oct 2016
The portable version seems to work only if there is an Internet connection when you first run it.
I tested it in Windows safe mode without networking and from a Win PE (bootable USB for troubleshooting purpose) and was not able to make it work... same install.dat issue. But when trying again from scratch (FFS just extracted from the installation file) with an Internet connection, it worked.
Could it be related to this : viewtopic.php?t=3925 ? Is that necessary before creating the install.dat properly?
I tested it in Windows safe mode without networking and from a Win PE (bootable USB for troubleshooting purpose) and was not able to make it work... same install.dat issue. But when trying again from scratch (FFS just extracted from the installation file) with an Internet connection, it worked.
Could it be related to this : viewtopic.php?t=3925 ? Is that necessary before creating the install.dat properly?
- Posts: 31
- Joined: 4 Nov 2008
In my case even with internet it's not working.
