Reinstalling Pedigree Explorer

This page only covers reinstalling Pedigree Explorer or Breedmate Pro. If you are reinstalling Pedigree Publisher go here.

The short story

Without going in to all the details covered in later sections on this page it is generally enough to do the following:

  • If you have an old version you should purchase the US$20 upgrade and install it.
  • Make sure you move your database to the "C:\Users\Public\Documents\Breedmate" folder. Database files end in .BMX and they can exist in any folder but for old versions of Breedmate they may have been in the "C:\Program Files (x86)\PedX64" folder.
  • Start BM then use "FILE-Open Database" to open it in its new location.

If you have customised any forms then you may also want to move them. It is also suggested that you rename them to avoid them being overwritten if you subsequently upgrade.

Windows upgraded now I can't access my database

Newer version of Windows have improved security. One specific improvement is that any files in the "C:\Program Files (x86)\PedX64" folder cannot be modified. In older versions of Breedmate, this is also where your database files (*.BMX) were kept. The problem is Breedmate won't open a file unless it can be modified. This can however be easily fixed as follows.

  • First make sure Breedmate program is closed.
  • Move any Breedmate database files (these are files ending in .BMX - note Windows File Explorer may not show the file extension but there is an option in File Explorer to show the extention), and form files (files ending in .FMX) and the PedX64.INI file from the "C:\Program Files (x86)\PedX64" folder to the "C:\Users\Public\Documents\Breedmate" folder. The INI file stores your reg #, the last database and form files you opened (when Breedmate starts it automatically opens these). If you don't move it to the correct folder then Breedmate will keep asking you for your registration every tme you start it.
  • Start Breedmate. It will initially complain because it will try and open your database and form file in its old location.
  • Use FILE-Open Database to open your database file in its new location. Use FILE-Open Form file to open a form file in its new location. As noted in the previous step the new location should be the "C:\Users\Public\Documents\Breedmate" folder.
  • Exit Breedmate then start it again. It should automatiucally open your database and form file.

Reinstalling Breedmate on the same computer

This advice is only for users of V6.4.10 or later. Assuming you have some sort of backup you need to copy two folders:

  • The C:\Program Files (x86)\PedX64 folder. This contains your program file, i.e. the Breedmate software. In older versions of Breedmate, this is also where your database files (*.BMX) were kept
  • The Public Documents/Breedmate folder. This is also called C:\Users\Public\Documents\Breedmate. This will contain your database (*.BMX) files, your form files, user manuals and your initialisation file (PedX64.INI). The INI file stores your reg #, the last database and form files you opened (when Breedmate starts it automatically opens these).

Reinstalling Breedmate on another computer

Couple of points first:

  • You are allowed to reinstall your Breedmate program on another computer. In fact you can even install it on up to three computers that you are the principal user of. This can be handy when you have a desktop and a laptop and say a family member who also has a desktop.
  • The upgrade is really cheap. Most users (anyone who purchased V5 onwards - this was released in 2002) can order the US$20 upgrade.
  • The upgrade is a full installer. You do not have to have any previous version of the software installed.
  • We only ever host the latest version. We don’t keep older versions. Also note that versions older than 6.4.10 may have difficulty with Windows 7, 8 etc because of their increased security, so we strongly recommend upgrading for that reason.
  • Where we refer to copying files or transferring files, we recommend copying the files to a USB flash drive.

The following are instructions for transferring Breedmate to a new computer. The instructions are different for v4 or v5/6 users. Firstly you need to work out if you have v4 or v5/6. You can do this by looking at your registration number. It has two parts like XXXX-YYYYYYY. If the XXXX part has four digits then you have v4. If it has five digits then you have v5/6. Also if your database files end in .BMF then that’s v4 or earlier, while .BMX is v5/6.

Instructions for V4

Your data is stored in database files that ends in .BMF. These files MAY reside in C:\Program Files (x86)\Bmate. If you have .BMF files they will need to be sent to us for conversion or we can send you instructions on how to do this yourself. You definitely need to upgrade with this version. The cost is US$30 and can be purchased on-line from www.breedmate.com – you will need to quote your registration number.

Instructions for V5/6

If you have v5 or 6 then you simply copy the contents of the C:\Program Files (x86)\PedX6 folder across to your new computer. (The folder may also be called PedX5, PedX62 or PedX64). Your data is stored in a database file with a name that ends in .BMX. (Note: file extensions are sometimes not shown in File Explorer – you may need to turn that option on.) If your database (.BMX file) is not in that folder then you will also need to find it elsewhere on your computer and copy that across.

If your new computer is Windows7/8, then due to improved security, we strongly recommend that you upgrade to the current version of Breedmate as it correctly handles the security changes. The main change is that your data files should no longer be kept in the C:\Program Files (x86)\PedX6 folder. Instead they are in the Public Documents/Breedmate folder. Hence AFTER upgrading you should copy your .BMX file to that folder, start Breedmate and use File-Open to open it at that location.

Upgrading from v5/6 costs only US$20. You get complete instructions at time of purchase. The installer is a FULL installer and does not require anything else to be pre-installed.

General note

We allow our customers to install our products on up to three computers as long as they are the principal user of those computers. You can purchase the upgrade from any computer and download the installer from any computer. The installer is a single file. We recommend you keep copies of it for any later installations you may need to make.