Help!!! after installing office XP, I cant download material files for Bryce4. The problem is that Office "Access" (the database) uses the same file extention (.mat) as Bryce4, All material files are converted to Microsoft Access Tables whan downloaded. The materials I already had before I installed Office XP all still work (even though their icons have changed to Microsoft Access Tables Can anyone suggest what I can do?
(other than un-installing Office)
Cheers
Steve:(

You can custom install Office and leave Access out if you don't need it.

Thanks creations, unfortuanatly access is in use. I dont suppose I could temporaly dissable it when I download mats?

Right click on the link and save as.. should do the trick. And only open Bryce-mat files with Bryce and Office-Mat files with Office only.

Cheers Robertj, will give it a try.

shouldn't be a problem, actually. I actually have Access, and it tries to identify the files as Access files. However, you add the files from within Bryce, which works fine. Just Pull up an object, choose 'm' for materials, then Import (I think, I'm not in front of Bryce) and direct the directory to wherever the mat files are..

Message edited on: 09/12/2005 13:33

The files are reconised as access files as soon as they are un-zipped so the above wont work (just tried it)as I said all themat files work fine, its just any mat file I download. Access hijacks them the moment they are un-zipped!

I know what you mean. Try creating a file with a .lnk extension sometime [used by my linker program, but windoze changes all my link files to shortcuts, actually reformatting the files to be unusable]

You should be able to fix this in any of several ways.

1. I bet if you re-install Bryce it will re-take the mat file extension for itself.

2. Easier, you could manually edit the file associations to change .mat from Access to a Bryce file. [folder menu - tools - folder options... - file types tab]

3. Easiest, you could manually edit the file associations and delete the .mat file association. That way neither Bryce nor Access owns it.

4. You could have your zip program unzip the .mat files into a different extension. Pick one not used by Windows. Then just tell Bryce which files to open manually. Don't know how happy it will be with this.

4a. If the new extension bothers you, drop into a DOS command window and you can rename the files to .mat there without Windows complaining. it's what I do when I need to use my link files.

hth,

Sonia

? I've had access II through Access 2003, and aside from showing up as Access files in Windows themeselves (outside of Bryce), they import fine.. Hang tite..;)

Good point pakled, Star4mation do the new .mat files you unzip actually not work? If they still work, then just ignore the file description column...

I have winXP and Office XP with Access and haven't run into that problem. Maybe after you download the .mat file, go to explorer and find a .mat file, right click it, and choose "open with". Choose Bryce, if it's on the menu, or custom to choose Bryce. This may not work because I have Powerdesk Pro and it modifies some of the explorer menus. Good luck.

You should be able to right click on the file and choose open with and associate the .mat files with bryce. I don't have access installed but other extensions work like this.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, tried all your suggestions. Darn thing still don't work!!! Think I might have to get rid of Access! Art is far more important to me than some crummy database!!! Cheers Steve:)

unless you're keeping track of your downloads with the same database..;) 20,400+ since '01..;) Ya got me stumped, I can't think of a single reason it shouldn't work. I've been through 3 versions of Access, and aside from Windows thinking it's an Access file, Bryce hasn't had any problems with it (I have all my spare mat files in a directory, and just point there when I'm loading).
to be honest, you might check with Microsoft about this..I dunno.

If in windows explorer, you right click on a .mat file and then click on "properies", does the "opens with" line show "Microsoft Access"? If it does, I can see Access interfering if you try to open the file by double clicking it. Also, as mentioned in a post above, you should save the file (.mat or .zip) to disk, not use the "open with". Another thing you might check, using the Task Manager, see if there are any MS Office processes running. I don't remember the name, but I do remember using the program Starter by Codestuff's to disable several programs, and one had references to OfficeXP.

I thought the "open with" solution would work but the .mat file is turned into a shortcut to Access the moment it is un-zipped, so clicking on properties only brings up Open, not open with.

I have the same problem with this, and I want my nice red shiny ball icon for the Bryce mat file back!!!! Waaaaa!

I've come to the conclusion, the easiest solution is to un-install Office, then re-install Office without Access! I can live without access, but I cant live without Bryce!!!

I was beginning to think that would turn out to be my only option too. As you say, a world without Bryce just ain't livable, but Access - pooh!

I have had this happen to me before. All I had to do was to reinstall Bryce.

Cheers swade. I'll try that.

I may have to do that anyway since it seems the new DazStudio v 1.0 release will only work with Bryce 5.5 version c, and I hadn't bothered to update to 5.5 v.c as it was buggy. Only to use DSv1.0 you also need to download the updated content files as the older ones - although they contain the same stuff - won't work with DS v1.0. The only good thing seems to be this new "Power Pose" thingie. Only being in Oman, it took forever to download DS1.0, gawd knows how long the rest of it will take. Anyone know how to get B5.5 vc? Does it cost? Cos if it does I'll forget it.