SEPARATING CHEMTRAK YEARS INTO
DIFFERENT DIRECTORIES

Overview: This is our recommended procedure as an alternative to purging old application records. It has the added advantage of keeping data for previous years handy on your computer in very little space.

If using the purge method, if you need to view a previous year's data you must 1) make sure you have a current and reliable backup for your current year, 2) restore from your previous year's backup diskette (which overwrites your current data), 3) view the old information you need, then 4) restore from your current backup to return to normal.

Using the separate directory method, you simply keep each year in its own directory, then quickly switch between them whenever you want to review a different year's records. The typical way to name these directories is:

Example One
C:\CHEMTRAK> Current Year
C:\CT98> 1998 Records
C:\CT97> 1997 Records (and so on...)

-or-

Example Two
C:\CHEMTRAK>
|_ C:\CT99> Current Year
|_ C:\CT98> 1998 Records
|_ C:\CT97> 1997 Records (and so on...)

Concept Summary: Create separate directories for each year, remove all application records in new year, and reset counters to zero (see below). This offers a big advantage over purging, in that old records remain on the hard drive for quick review.

Procedure: Create an exact duplicate of your ChemTrak directory and all of its contents. You can use Win95 Explorer, or if new to Win95, you may prefer to just do it from a DOS prompt as follows (this follows the directory structure in Example One above, adjust accordingly if you prefer Example Two or your own structure):

1. Click on Start, Programs, MS-DOS Prompt

2. C:\WINDOWS> CD  \ +Enter

3. C:\> MD CT98 +Enter (name can be anything, placed anywhere)

4. C:\> COPY  \CHEMTRAK  \CT98 +Enter (files will copy)

5. C:\> CD CT98 +Enter

6. C:\CT98> CHEMTRAK +Enter (test that everything looks OK)

7. C:\CT98> CD  \CHEMTRAK +Enter (return to the current year)

8. C:\CHEMTRAK> DEL CT_APPL.* +Enter (remove applications)

9. C:\CHEMTRAK> DEL CT_CHEM.* +Enter (remove applications)

*If you do not have the Recommendations version, skip to Step 12.

10. C:\CHEMTRAK> DEL CT_RECS.* +Enter (remove recommendations)

11. C:\CHEMTRAK> DEL CT_RECOM.* +Enter (remove recommendations)

Now start the program:

12. C:\CHEMTRAK> CHEMTRAK +Enter

*If the program will not start and you see a 'cannot create' error message, do the following (otherwise skip to Step 13):

a. In the same directory, type CFIL +Enter

b. Touch +Enter on the Source line and select FILES431.CLA (FILES432.CLA if using CEDTS)

c. Touch +Enter on the Label line and select CT_CHEM

d. Delete everything on the Input File line (make it blank)

e. The Output File line will read CT_CHEM.DAT

f. Touch Ctrl+Enter

g. Repeat Steps 12b-f for CT_APPL

h. If you have Recommendations, repeat for CT_RECOM and CT_RECS

i. Type CHEMTRAK +Enter to start the program

13. After the program starts, select Utilities at the Main Menu, then select 'Highest Record Counter' and reset the top 2 items to zero, like this (Note: skip this step if you prefer to continue your application counters where you left off last year):

Application...: 0

Recommendation: 0 (if using Recommendations)

Touch Ctrl+Enter to save

Touch Escape to the Main Menu

Done! All growers, crops, enterprises, products, mixes and groups (ChemTrak Plus), and precautions and remarks (Recommendations) will still be there, but all applications (and recs) will be gone.