Fair Computers

Moving FairPlus! to a computer for use at the fair
Revised 6/29/2005

Many county offices desire to take a computer, loaded with FairPlus! to their fair grounds, especially if there is a significant distance between the fair grounds and the Extension Office. Advantages to doing this include:

Being able print item tags for late entered exhibits
Produce reports, such as an Item Counts report, to assist in managing the fair
Print show catalogs after the animals have been weighed in, so that the animals weight and/or Rate of Gain data can be included in the catalog
Enter judging results while the results are still "fresh", and the exhibits are available for inspection, in case there are inaccuracies or other issues to resolve
Print premium checks for distribution at the fair grounds
Make use of staff time available at the fair grounds to enter fair data
Produce forms and reports for running a 4-H Livestock Auction

NOTE:

For the purposes of this topic sheet, the computer that normally runs 4HPlus! and FairPlus will be referred to as the "main" computer. The computer that will be running FairPlus! at the fair will be referred to as the "fair computer".

If you run the Plus! software from a file server, then your file server is your "main computer".

NOTE:

In order for FairPlus! to run on a computer, 4HPlus! must also be installed and properly functioning. The following instructions reflect that requirement.

The process of moving FairPlus! involves the following:

Choosing the right hardware
Installing 4HPlus! and FairPlus! system files
Transferring the current data sets for 4HPlus! and FairPlus!
Bringing the data back to the "main" computer
A reminder about saving and backing up your data

Choosing the right hardware

Memory
The primary consideration for 4HPlus! and FairPlus! is the amount of RAM (memory). C&K Ventures recommends 512 mb of RAM, although the software will run on less. The amount of RAM needed will depend upon the size of your fair. The amount of RAM available will have a big impact on the response and processing speed of FairPlus! (More is better)

Other
Nearly any Pentium class process will be able to successfully run FairPlus!. However, a minimum processor speed of 266 Mhz is recommended. The Plus! software will run on Windows 2000 or XP ONLY. The software and data for 4HPlus! and FairPlus! will consume about 50 to 100 MB of hard disk space.

Printer
The next most important consideration for successful operation is a printer. Laser printers are highly preferable over ink jet printers. HP printers have worked out well, although other brands can also work fine. If in doubt, the ideal situation would be to test a printer with the Plus! software prior to taking to the fair grounds. Be sure to do this on the fair computer. In any case, it is imperative that the correct printer driver be installed on the computer. Although some programs can print satisfactorily with a "close" printer driver, FairPlus! will almost assuredly not.

Installing 4HPlus! and FairPlus! system files

NOTE:

If the fair computer was used to run FairPlus! in the past, then this step can be skipped - simply go directly to the next section, "Transferring Data from the old computer to the new computer".

In order to get a fair computer set up for the first time, a full install should be done. A full install will create the necessary directories, make the registry entries, create the desktop shortcut, etc. The install files can be downloaded in the next step, or from the Other Downloads page.

NOTE:

If for some reason, an install CD is required (i.e. if the computer does not have Internet access, or the Internet access available is slow, contact 4-H Software Support for information on acquiring an install CD. Do not use any existing old install CD's that may still be in existence.

To proceed with the installation process, download the install files to any location on the fair computer's hard drive, (i.e. the Desktop, my downloads, etc.):
- 4HPlus! install file - mn4hsy.exe
- FairPlus! install file - mncfsy.exe
Close all open programs - including any virus scanning software
After downloading, Run (i.e. double click in Windows Explorer or use the "Run" window) the the 4HPlus! installation files, which will bring up Winzip
Click on [Unzip] to proceed with the unzipping and installation procedure. Accept default options suggested by the installation program. Do not choose to "run" the software from the installation dialogue - simply "finish".
Repeat the process for FairPlus!

NOTE:

4HPlus! and FairPlus! will NOT properly install without at least one printer driver installed on the computer.

At this point, the software will be fully installed. Depending upon individual computers, you may need to create one or both of the destop icons (shortcuts). To do this:

Close or minimize all running program, so that the desktop becomes visible
Do a right-click on an empty area of the desktop - anywhere is fine, the shortcut you are about to create can be moved later.
Click on [New] [Shortcut]
On the resulting window, click on [Browse], then navigate to the following files:
- 4HPlus! - C:\CKV\4hplus\mn\win4hp1.exe
- FairPlus! - C:\CKV\fairplus\mn\fairP1.exe
Click on [Open], then [Next]
Rename the shortcut if you wish
Click on [Finish]

You should now have completely functioning installations of 4HPlus! and FairPlus!. You may not have to actually run the software you have just installed, depending upon which of the instructions below you follow. If you do want to try running the software, be aware that when you start them up for the first time, you will be prompted for setup information. FairPlus! will also prompt you to register the computer that will be running FairPlus!

It is also possible that you will get a "demo period expired" message. Do not worry about this issue at this point in the process.

Alhthough the software is fully installed on your fair computer at this point, and it may or may not be set up, it won't contain any of your existing data. The next steps will accomplish that.

Transferring the current data sets for 4HPlus! and FairPlus!

Once the system files exist on the fair computer, either from a fresh installation or from a previous year's use, you can then take the next step, getting a copy of all your existing enrollment and fair data from your main computer to your fair computer.

NOTE:

As with ANY data handling procedure, it is highly advisable to make a backup copy of all your data as a first step.

The simplest approach to getting your 4-H data from the main computer to the fair computer is to simply place a copy of the data folders from the main computer onto the fair computer via a network or a Zip disk. If transferring these data folders (they can be pretty big) is not possible, then the backup and restore process can be used (read on for more details).

Transferring via a network or Zip disk

If a shared network or Zip disk is available between the main and fair computer, then you have about the best possible situation. Because of the way that 4HPlus! and FairPlus! are designed, ALL of your data, (including setup info), along with the appropriate "executables" exist in the CKV folder, which resides at the root level of the main machine (or at the root level of a mapped drive on a file server).

The "goal" is to copy the CKV folder from the main computer to the fair computer, replacing the ckv folder on the fair computer.

NOTE:

Exercise caution when handling the CKV folder. First of all, keep in mind that it contains ALL your 4-H data, and therefore be careful never to accidently delete the CKV folder with the "current" data.

To proceed, use Windows Explorer to delete the CKV folder from the fair computer, including all files and subfolders.

Then, depending upon your local setup, use one of the following procedures to get a copy of the CKV folder from the main to the fair computer.

If there is a peer to peer connection available, use Windows Explorer to copy the CKV folder from the main to the fair computer, putting it at the root level.

If the computers share a common file server, and peer to peer networking is NOT set up, use Windows Explorer on the main computer to copy the CKV folder to the file server. Then, from the fair computer, use Windows Explorer to move the CKV folder from the file server to the fair computer, again taking care to get the folders in the correct location.

If 4HPlus! and FairPlus! are normally run from a file server, then simply copy the CKV folder from the file server to the fair computer.

If NO network connection is available, a USB flash drive or CD/DVD can be used to copy and transfer the CKV folder - if that's a common capability between both the main and the fair computers. Floppy disks are too small for the job of transferring the CKV folder. If you use a CD, and the Windows versions are not both Windows XP, you'll have to change the file properties for all the copied files (on the fair computer) to NOT "Read Only".

Bringing the data back to the "main" computer

NOTE:

At this point in time, be aware that your county 4-H data now exists in TWO places, the main computer and the fair computer. Because you will be deleting the data on the main computer when you return from the fair, any changes made on the main computer (since the time the data was moved to the fair computer) will be lost. In other words, make any and all changes to your 4-H data on the fair computer only, until you transfer the data set back.

The process of returning the data from the fair computer back to the main computer involves reversing whatever process was used to transfer the CKV folder to the fair computer.

To be on the "safe side", it might seem wise to re-name the CKV folder on the main computer, prior to copying over the CKV folder from the fair computer. However, having two data sets (even if they are in differently named folders) will confuse the system. 4HPlus! and FairPlus! "locates" it's data via locator files, not via folder names. Therefore, if a copy is made (a good idea) the copy must be deleted to the Recycle Bin or moved to another computer before the software is actually run.

A reminder about saving and backing up your data

As with any computer operation, the importance of backups cannot be over-emphasized. Especially when running a fair, due to the huge amounts of data involved. There are two basic points to remember:

Save your work - every so often go back to a "picture" screen, and click on the [Update Disk] menu item. This will save your work. If your computer crashes or the power goes out, any data entered will be lost unless you have performed an "Update Disk". The "Update Disk" occurs automatically when FairPlus! is closed.

Backup your data - it is highly advisable to create several backups during any "data intensive" periods. The backup files created by FairPlus! easily fit on a floppy disk, and take only moments to do. Click on [Goto] [Archive] [Backup] to create the file. Also note that an automatic backup file is placed on your hard drive whenever you have worked for more than 20 minutes in any "data" screen - the backup is created when you return to a "picture" screen. You may notice that the mouse turns into an hourglass at that point, while the backup file is created.

This page updated 06/28/05