Can you transfer data to another computer? If, how?

kaw4014

Member
I am planning to get Trainz 2019 on a different computer. I already have Trainz 2019 on my home computer, with all my routes and progress. Is there a way to copy/transfer that data to another computer once i've gotten Trianz on the new computer? I want to be able to work on something at my home computer and then move to the other computer in a different location and be able to work on the same route there, with the progress I just built. I'm sure that's possible, I just have no idea how to do it.
 
Just copy the installation and user data folders to some storage you can move from one to the other. A USB stick will work if the capacity is sufficient. On the target machine you will need to check the location of the user data folder in the splash screen settings.
AFAIK Trainz doesn't do anything special with installations such as changing the registry. I sometimes move installations between hard/SSD drives on my PC and the last time I updated my PC I just copied the lot and I have several Trainz installations.

If you are going to work on your route on different machines I'd back up the route to a CDP and just import from one to the other. I'd probably take a couple of backups just in case something goes wrong.
 
Your best bet is probably to go to your launch window - Trainz Settings - Install tab - "Instructions for moving your content...". Under "Copy\Move\Archive your Local Data Folder, copy your current data folder, then in place of step 3, paste it in place of the data folder for the new install on the new computer. (Make sure the launcher on the new system is NOT open). As long as the launcher is NOT open on the new computer, it should just pick it all up when the launcher is started. Now for a caveat, I have never actually done this except to move the data on a single install, so am not speaking from experience. I hope anyone that has actually done this will correct me if I am wrong about this!
 
If you put the whole thing on an an external hard drive. Then you could just move to the other computer and connect the drive and have a short cut to start it.
Cheers, Mike
 
Ok, then one more question, I've put all my files on a flashdrive. Once I plug it in my new computer and start doing stuff, will that progress load on the other computer? Like say, I built a yard in one of my routes at my home computer (A). Then I save and turn off the game. I then travel to my other computer (B). When I turn on the game at computer B, will that yard that I built on computer A be there?
 
Ok, then one more question, I've put all my files on a flashdrive. Once I plug it in my new computer and start doing stuff, will that progress load on the other computer? Like say, I built a yard in one of my routes at my home computer (A). Then I save and turn off the game. I then travel to my other computer (B). When I turn on the game at computer B, will that yard that I built on computer A be there?

You would have to move the flash drive to computer (B) and it should work. Make sure you shut down Trainz and safely eject the flash drive first.
 
Ok, then one more question, I've put all my files on a flashdrive. Once I plug it in my new computer and start doing stuff, will that progress load on the other computer? Like say, I built a yard in one of my routes at my home computer (A). Then I save and turn off the game. I then travel to my other computer (B). When I turn on the game at computer B, will that yard that I built on computer A be there?

This sounds a bit confusing... This is the method that many of us use all the time and it works 100% of the time.

1)Install TRS2019 on the new computer and make sure it's up and running.

2) Copy your user-data folder, found by default in C:\Users\App Data\Local\N3V Games under a folder called build-something from your old computer.

The something is a series of letters and numbers.

Once you've copied that, paste that folder somewhere on your hard disk. It doesn't even have to be in that location where it came from, and it's better to place that elsewhere such as on a separate drive if you have one. I place my data-folder on my E: drive and named it TRS2019_DATA in caps so I know what it is.

After that's done...

3) On your new computer, start up your new TRS2019 install, and at the Launcher:

4) Go to Trainz settings.

5) Click on Install tab.

6) Click on the ... on the far right.

7) Browse to where you copied your old data to.

8) Highlight that folder.

9) Click on Select.

You're done...

TRS2019 will run a "updating translations thing", and will want to restart.

Since you already have your username, password, and other settings done, everything will be in place.

Many of us do this all the time for development and testing. We setup a second data folder so we can break things, or even a beta-testing environment so we don't ruin what's working. You might want to tweak the performance settings to match that of your new video card and other things, but everything is done and ready to go.

That's it. I hope it helps.
 
Ok, then one more question, I've put all my files on a flashdrive. Once I plug it in my new computer and start doing stuff, will that progress load on the other computer? Like say, I built a yard in one of my routes at my home computer (A). Then I save and turn off the game. I then travel to my other computer (B). When I turn on the game at computer B, will that yard that I built on computer A be there?
You will have 2 totally separate installs after the move is complete, however they will not sync with each other. To manually sync the route on both computers; work on PC 1 save and exit route, go to content manager and right click on the route file and select 'export to cdp', transfer the resulting CDP file to a flash drive, open content manager on PC 2 then drag and drop the file onto content manager. The same progress will now be on both computers. Any 'locally modified' assets from the first PC that are not synced to the second can be moved in bulk with the same process by selecting CTRL while clicking on the appropriate assets, then making a cdp file and transfer.
 
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You will have 2 totally separate installs after the move is complete, however they will not sync with each other. To manually sync the route on both computers; work on PC 1 save and exit route, go to content manager and right click on the route file and select 'export to cdp', transfer the resulting CDP file to a flash drive, open content manager on PC 2 then drag and drop the file onto content manager. The same progress will now be on both computers. Any 'locally modified' assets from the first PC that are not synced to the second can be moved in bulk with the same process by selecting CTRL while clicking on the appropriate assets, then making a cdp file and transfer.

So your saying I have to use a flashdrive every time I want my progress on both computers?
 
Perhaps on a networked drive? But maybe not a viable solution here.
I did consider that, but thought it might add too much complexity. A USB3 external SATA drive to hold the database would be easier though more expensive as a solution
 
I did consider that, but thought it might add too much complexity. A USB3 external SATA drive to hold the database would be easier though more expensive as a solution

The directly connected hard disk is a much faster solution even though it's more expensive. The external hard drive too can be used in the future for backups and for other use in addition to the Trainz copy.

In the past, I have used both methods for copying my database between machines, and found the hard drive method to be the quickest due to over-network data transfers requiring opening and closing files a bit differently than a direct write to a hard disk. With a local hard drive, the data is copied up into memory and transferred quickly, while a network, the read-write session is sent in message blocks that require multiple protocols, and I/O threads.

There are other issues too with a network copy that normally don't affect most people. Us Trainz users deal with thousands of small files. Each file copy requires a network copy session to be opened up then closed, and this extra overhead slows things down a lot. On a local hard drive, the files are cached and written in a single copy session.

The other issue I remember from my network administrator days is if a copy is started from the connected computer, the client computer, then there's extra overhead as that computer initiates the file transfer process. In that scenario, we have data copies being initiated by the client and processed over the network on the client rather than the machine holding the data. This process eats up a lot of time especially when there are lots of small files involved.

This may not be an issue if the data is small, but given how large Trainz content-sets can be, not counting the assets.tdx file and relations, an over the network copy can take many, many hours more than a direct write to a $100 hard drive.
 
Life can be easy. First, as a computer owner you should have a complete backup of ALL your computer data, not just Trainz. Your disk WILL fail at some point. You NEED a FULL backup. Get a Hard disk for Backup and Backup your current drive! At some time you will be sorry if you don't.

Now to your question... Do you have Routes and sessions that YOU have made? Do you have 3rd party assets? Or, do you only have items downloaded from the Store (DLC - Paid items) and DLS/Content Manager (Free items/assets).

If all your stuff is downloadable just install a new TRS19 on the new computer and download your DLC and DLS items. This will give you best results. Optionally, if you created Routes/Sessons/Assets and or installed 3rd party stuff, install a new TRS19 app on new computer and then using your new backup from paragraph one above, find and copy your user data folder to the new computer. Point the new TRS19 to the data folder. Rebuild database. Done. (A TRS19 install is basacially two things. The APP folder [TRS19 and all "built-in" and required files] and the "user-data" folder, the path of which is found in Launcher "Trainz Settings" > "Install" > "Local Data Folder".

It's not magic. Especially if you have no personal or 3rd party assets to worry about. I have several installs and on each I did a fresh install of the app and downloaded all the DLC and DLS I wanted (N3V Payware and Freeware). All my personal stuff and 3rd party stuff is maintained in storage folders as CDP files so I can just drop those into an install as I want them.
 
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