Hi, I have a mac but it just unstuffs the .zips but doesn't put the subfolders anywhere so I have to install them manually. I'm trying to use my husband's computer to install all my.zip files into a single runtime folder that I can then take across to my computer and convert to mac then use from poser 5. the problem is that when I use winzip although some of the .zips seem to install hapilly into the right places, some of them just create a folder with all the subfolders inside it that sits inside the runtime folder, instead of in their correct subfolder places. I don't know if I've explained the problem very well. I'll try again. Basically some .zip files install themselves into my runtime normally and some just make their own folder and the subfolders aren't installed. Love esther

Some people make zips that don`t automatically install into the runtime, they have paths like joesstuff:runtime:libraries So when you install the things they go into a folder called joesstuff instead of the proper place. In your zip program look at the path of the files, if the first drawer name is runtime then they should install correctly. This happens with the pc too, there is no real solution apart from asking the people who make the things to make them install properly.

I see. What do you do when that happens. do you rezip them or just install them manually. Love esther

I usually just install them manually.

I believe it is better to install everything manually,this will create less chaos on your runtime...

I don't think I'd do it personally, but in the above example, if you extract them as is and end up with: joesstuff:runtime:libraries then renaming joesstuff to 'Poser 5' and dragging it to whichever folder contains your 'Poser 5' folder should work. You'll get warnings that any duplicate files will be overwritten. It would save a little time perhaps but on the whole, I agree with doing it manually. Unfortunately, I haven't seen an unzip program that will let you start from an arbitrary folder in the archive and maintain the directory structure from there down.

The built-in XP zip handling will - just navigate down to the folder you want and drag it to the destination.

Well, leave it to Microsoft - though I'm not planning on upgrading from 2K 'til Longhorn straggles in :-)

I have had alot of problems with winzip too and suggest loading files manualy if for no other reason than i can rename the files as i install them whice makes it easier to find and also to keep all the stuff that i really don't need out of the program. Alot of the zipped files have alot of empty folders and pictures etc. that you don''t need to use the item! I just deleted about 450mb of useless files from my poser 5 folder!

Message edited on: 09/13/2004 20:24

thanks everyone. love esther

You also have to be carefull, on mac's if you drag like named folders on top of another it can overwrite it, and not add to it like on windoze. I've extracted zip files into my runtime folder only to find out that that is the only thing left in there. I install everything manually now.

Ouch! I'm not even sure you can force 'windoze' to trash your data like that. Even if you move an empty folder onto a full one, nothing gets deleted. Are you saying that the Hackintosh :-) doesn't even warn you?

Yes, you get a warning that there's a same named file. Well I won't overwrite - touch wood. But I'm trying to use my husband's non mac PC to unstuff and install and make a runtime folder from a whole lot of .zip files that I have, then I can point poser 5 at it. So are you telling me if I put a same name file like poses into my library file it won't overwrite the poses that are already there on a PC but just install the contents of the folder in the same folder with the contents that were already there inside the poses folder? Love esther PS I've only had one glass of wine - a small one. I'm just inarticulate.

If you copy a folder on top of another folder of the same name the contents will be combined, with only any identically named files being overwritten.

Yes. If you drag a folder named 'Pose' into Runtime->Libraries (which already contains a folder with that name), you get the warning dialog. You'll get a warning for each duplicated sub-folder as well unless you select 'yes to All.' As the dialog says, only files in 'Pose' (and duplicate named sub-folders) with the same file name will be overwritten - nothing should be deleted. I've done this many times and never had a problem. The only potential gotcha I see would be if you had say a 'gold.jpg' in 'Reflection Maps' or 'Tesxtures' and an identically named but different file in a zip. In such a case, you'd get an overwrite. Since you're trying to create a runtime to transfer, I'd just create an empty runtime folder somewhere and add empty folders for textures, libraries, etc. inside, and unzip to there, that way, you're 100% sure of not damaging anything. Once you're done, if you need any files from the real runtime, you can copy them to the created one - assuming that's not what you're doing already.

Thanks. Yes I think the only potential problem would be say, if I had a subfolder inside my poses folder called MATV3Catsuit and the product I was installing was an addon. I'd have to be careful not to overwrite the subfolder then. Love esther

Even then, say if the zip contained a Runtime | ----Pose | --------MATV3Catsuit folder type structure, only duplicate filenames will be overwritten, not the subfolder itself. Folders don't get overwritten per se. You can confirm this with a simple test. Create two folders, both named 'X' or whatever, you'll have to create them in different places, of course. Put some files in one and leave the other empty. copy the empty one to the same place the other one is located. You'll get the warning - click yes. Open the folder with the files and they are still there. Put some different files in the empty folder and copy again. The new files are added to the original files in the target folder...etc. So really, you need to think in terms of the folder's contents as potential duplicates, not so much the folders themselves, if that makes sense. The main difference between copying an entire folder rather than opening it and copying the files is that with folders, once you click 'Yes,' you get no further warnings. If there are 10 duplicate names, then all 10 get overwritten. If you just selected the files themselves and copied them, you'd get a warning for each duplicare file about to be overwritten - unless you click 'Yes to All' at the warning dialog. As I said, IMO this is probably only a concern with things like reflection maps where everybody and their sibling has their own version of 'gold.jpg' for some reason. Even then, they're usually in a uniquely named subfolder. It seems fairly rare for folks to dump things in the root folder - not when you can create your own folder with '!!!!' in front of it to get top billing :-)

!!!!!Thanks. Well that sounds like a great system. I think i'll take my chances that the file names inside the subfolders won't be the same and just install. Wish the mac did that instead of overwriting the subfolders. I'm going to try it as soon as I get some days off and computer time. Love esther

Have fun!