Fall99.zip - what do I do now?

Subject: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: GUEST,Terry
Date: 18 Feb 00 - 12:09 PM

I downloaded the Fall99 database and got an Icon on my Desktop. Can any of you clever guys tell me how I can access it? I just get a RealPlayer message telling me something is missing and to get it from their Website. then it tells me it won't open this file anyway. Help please!!

Regards Terry

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Amos
Date: 18 Feb 00 - 12:19 PM

It needs to be unzipped, or uncompressed. This is done using PKUnzip, a freeware utility, or some other similar utility. You may have it already. Try navigating tothe download directory and doubleclicking Fall99.zip and see if a decompression process starts up.

A

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: SeanM
Date: 18 Feb 00 - 12:22 PM

Best thing to do to open the file is download a trial version of WinZip from their site: www.winzip.com.

If you like it, and can use it (as you doubtless will be able to, if you do any degree of file transfer around the 'net), then you can pay for it. If not, well, that's why it's a free evaluation copy.

M

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: GUEST,Terry
Date: 19 Feb 00 - 01:08 AM

Thanks guys that was really useful. I went the clicky route to WinZip and it did everything perfectly, just until I wanted to open the unzipped file. It then asks what program I want to use to read it - what kind of files are they? I have all the usual stuff, Readers and Players and the full Microflab suite - trouble is I don't know what is in the fall99 folder so don't know which to use! Any further help would be much appreciated - you can tell I'm a beginner at all this stuff!!

Terry

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Feb 00 - 03:06 AM

Well, Terry, Click here for my standard Windows 95/98 installation instructions. Maybe that will help. Usually, if you aks an UnZip program to unzip such-and-such.zip, it will unzip it right in the folder where it's located (unless you specify elsewhere). There should be something there that lets you unzip it in place (make sure there's nothing else in that folder - just Fall99.zip. Then just double-click on the go.bat file, and the database will set itself up. If you want to make running the database easier, look at the instructions I gave in the thread I linked to.
If you have any problems, click on my name below and send me an e-mail, and I'll be glad to talk you through it.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Pablo
Date: 20 Feb 00 - 12:06 AM

Dear Joe Offer,

I read with excitement the Help for Wilma thread, including Lorenz hart's lyrics, and have downloaded the DT AND the lovely-looking Donkeywork program, but cannot seem to marry it with the unzipped DT (which seems to work fine as a DOS program, although I haven't gone deeply into it).

I get a message that says "Cannot open file C:\My Download files\Oct.99.ask"

Can you post or direct me to some help on this. In any case thanks for your many helpful posts in the past, Handholder Extraordinaire.

Pablo

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Terry K
Date: 20 Feb 00 - 02:20 AM

pablo

I got as far as you did and I got the same "Cannot open....Oct99.ask". I think it's because the Fall99 files, which include Oct99.ask, are in their own folder within your "My Download files" folder.

Donkey.exe can't get into the Fall99 folder. All I did was to open the Fall99 folder and drag all the files directly into the "My Download files" folder and it then loaded and works a treat.

But there's always a but .... and in this case I can't get the tunes.

I find that when I try to play the attached MIDI file, it reverts to the DOS program and gives me "File not Found". Anyone any ideas?

Terry K (ex GUEST Terry)

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Snuffy
Date: 20 Feb 00 - 10:09 AM

The file not found is PKUNZIP.EXE. If you copy that into the same directory as Tune.zip it will unzip the song you want, play it and delete it. You get the tune from the zip file every time. (The tunes are in SOng-Wright format, not midi)

Wassail! V

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Pablo
Date: 20 Feb 00 - 04:01 PM

Thank you Terry. Up and running, and will now try Snuffy's advice.

former guest Pablo

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Pablo
Date: 20 Feb 00 - 09:02 PM

Snuffy-- will ANY unzip program function the same way as pkunzip, as you described? Or does it have to be pkunzip? Because I got the DT and Donkeywork environment launched with Netzip (free sample copy).

Can you shed some light here? mybest Pablo

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 05:05 AM

Click here to get to ZDNET, where you can download PKZip/UnZip. You can unzip the Digital Tradition files with any unzip program, but the database needs PKUnZip to run the tunes, which are in a zipped file that you don't want to unzip.
So put PKUnZip and the Fall99.zip and Donkeywork (optional) in the same directory/folder, with nothing else in that directory. Then, unzip the file (and I suppose beginners will have an easier time if they use a Windows UnZip program to do this). Then, run the go.bat batch file, and the database will set itself up. You run the database with the folksong.bat batch file.
Once you're satisfied that the database is working in DOS, then you can double-click on Donkeywork, and that program will set itself up. Note that Donkeywork is not quite as good at searching as the DOS version or the online version of the database.
It is important for all of us to be exposed to a little DOS, so we understand all the hardships our forbears had to endure. <grin>
I'll try to talk Max into including the missing pkunzip.exe file in the database download. It used to be there, but got forgotten this time.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Terry K
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 06:01 AM

Public thanks to all who have helped me on this one, all of the suggestions have now got me the best songbook ever written.

I can hardly believe I now have a resource that gives me immediate access to some 8,023 songs (unless I counted incorrectly!) with all the words and an audio track with the "bouncing ball" that tells me how the words fit the tune. I'm amazed and suitably grateful to all concerned.

And not only that, but if I access the DigiTrad online, it plays the tune through my music software (Music Works Personal) and deposits a MIDI file on my desktop automatically. Don't ask how or why, it's a mystery that I'm quite glad of. I can then suck the MIDI file into Music Works where it gives me the treble clef score which I can Save, Print, Play, Edit or whatever.

All I need now is the secret of putting some bass notes/chords to it (I have the naked bass stave ready and waiting) and I can generate my own sheet music to suit my Grade three-quarters piano capability.

Again, mega thanks to all concerned.

Terry

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Pablo
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 12:35 PM

Terry, that was inspiring, but I'm still on hands and knees crawling behind you. Donkey is kicking, DigiTrad is up, but I'm still getting that "File Not Found" when I try to boot the music files.

Now I have PKUnZip, but it must not be in the right place. Can you enlighten? (I want a "bouncing ball" just like yours!)

Thanks in adv. Pablo

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Terry K
Date: 23 Feb 00 - 02:20 AM

pablo

I guess you now have all of the Oct99 type files and all of the Donkeywork files in your "My Download files" folder. All you need to ensure is that you have both Tune.zip (1643KB) and PKUnzip.exe (32KB) in this same folder. You can check by clicking on "My Download files" in Windows Explorer.

Both Snuffy and Joe Offer gave this solution and it worked first time for me, but if you still don't get any joy, it may mean you need to try downloading either or both of these files again.

Best of luck!

Terry

(and pablo, you've done wonders for my ego - I didn't ever think I'd be the one giving advice!!).

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Feb 00 - 03:37 AM

I was wondering - if we changed Fall99.zip into an executable ZIP file, all you'd have to do to UnZip it would be to click on it. Would that be a good idea? Of course, if you did it in a folder with a lot of other stuff in it, you might have a bit of a mess....
I've spent a good deal of time over the last ten years, trying to come up with ways to dummy-proof software. Can't say I had much luck, though. Most of the people I was setting the software up for were managers...
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Fall99.zip - what do I do now?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Feb 00 - 11:04 AM

Joe, using Winzip SelfExtracter you can go as far as creating an executable that will suggest a directory that the user can change and addionally will run go.bat to complete the installation when the files have been extracted. It provides a simple solution for Windows users (I have just made one and tested it) but unfortantely you can not create an exceutable that runs under DOS with those options.

Jon