Backing Up Stardock Applications With Impulse

from WinCustomize Forums

This is a not a nice thought, but What If, Stardock was to close up their site and not be around anymore. I see two post today, one good for Impulse and one that hates it, so thought I would throw something in that could happen but hopefully never will.

You decided to purchase a new computer or the one you are using went boom and had to reformat. I know there has been a lot of mentioning of no available .exe files for Stardock programs. I for one have no problem or objections using Impulse and find it convenient. but if there was no Stardock there wouldn't be any working servers. True some problems are in Beta for quite awhile but that doesn't mean they don't work just fine and we wouldn't have a problem using them at least until a new OS came out. Even with that we still may not have a problem as some of the programs working now crossed over from one OS to another just fine or with just with small problems but still usable. Asking this because I'm sure including myself that many people have their favorite programs they use and would want to continue using them if a bad situation took place. I'm not writing this in a negative way and by no means saying Stardock is closing their doors but just as a What If it did happen.

With that said, if this happened how would we we be able to install our favorite programs without an .exe file if we purchased a new computer or reformatted computer without Impulse?

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28,604 views 39 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Using Impulse you can make backups of all yoru SD apps.  Burn them, and Impulse onto a DVD or what-have-you and store it away.

If SD fails, Brad has committed to pushing a flag through Impulse to disable the need to register (or some such similar thing).

You'd end up with all you needed to reinstall.

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Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Thanks Adam at least that's something of security. Will figure out what folders to back up.

Curtains - Customize Windows with additional styles
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Using Impulse you can make backups of all yoru SD apps.

 

How on earth do you do that, I looked and don't see any backup function available. :S

Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Burn them, and Impulse

Thanks for the reminder,Zubaz. I forgot to save Impulse along with my archived apps. D'oh!  ;P

(Not that I think I'll need them for the OP's reason any time soon. Stardock will most likely be around longer than I will) ;)

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

As has been said before, life goes on.  :sun:

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

where do i find the archived apps in Impulse? can't back them up and burn them if i can't find them. any help would be appreciated.

'

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting LightStar, reply 3
How on earth do you do that, I looked and don't see any backup function available.

Set the back-up location in teh Impulse preferences:

 

Right-click on teh app you want to archive adn choose . . "Archive Application"

 

Restore archives here:

 

Cool?

 

Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Zubaz where did you go? Would be nice if you would tell us how we backup.

 

Quoting Philly0381, reply 5
As has been said before, life goes on. 

Yes, I'm aware as much or more than a lot of people that life goes on. Doesn't change the fact that if I have programs I like and still want to use them if something happens to the company that made them I should have the right to be able to do that.

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

One other (related) thing.

You can set Impulse to archive your existing app on install of an update.  It can eaiteher create a new achive each time or overwrite the last one.

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting DaveBax, reply 8
Zubaz where did you go? Would be nice if you would tell us how we backup.

Ummm . . 

 

:-"

Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top

IIRC, this only backs up the program itself. Your skins would be in their respective locations (all over the place):-"   and would need to be backed up separately. Am I correct?

Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Wizard1956, reply 11
IIRC, this only backs up the program itself. Your skins would be in their respective locations (all over the place)   and would need to be backed up separately. Am I correct?
Yes.

Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Set the back-up location in teh Impulse preferences:

Zubaz, there's something reassuring about the fact that you still speak Zubish. o_O :thumbsup:

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Mirsguy, reply 13
Zubaz, there's something reassuring about the fact that you still speak Zubish.

I have reviewed all my posts in this thread nad everythign looks fine to me.  What are you talking about?

Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

What are you talking about?

Reply 1: yoru

Reply 7: teh

Reply 14: nad everythign

:-"

Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top

nad everythign

Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Sorry Aaron, I knew you would be back.

Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I must be missing something here. I backed up but all the programs end with extension .impulse. That tell me you still need inpulse to install it back. Please explain what I'm doing wrong.

Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top

. That tell me you still need inpulse to install it back.

Yep.

Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting DaveBax, reply 19
I must be missing something here. I backed up but all the programs end with extension .impulse. That tell me you still need inpulse to install it back. Please explain what I'm doing wrong.
You are doing nothing wrong.  Impulse is the archive creation tool adn the un-archive tool.  That is why I indicated that you need to burn yoru backed up apps AND Impulse on to DVD . .and why I posted the image of the un-archive option in Impulse.

Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting DaveBax, reply 19
I must be missing something here. I backed up but all the programs end with extension .impulse. That tell me you still need inpulse to install it back. Please explain what I'm doing wrong.

.impulse is really .zip just with a changed extension, so in theory all you would need to do is rename them to .zip and then extract to the programs folder as normal however doing so wouldn't create registry keys which may be needed by some apps to function.

Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Please explain what I'm doing wrong.

Nothing, and yes you need Impulse to restore them.  Note also that you are backing up the programs as they are installed on your machine.  If you want clean backups, open Impulse, shift-right click on a program's icon, and select "download and archive" from the right-click menu.  These will also be impulse files requiring Impulse to restore them.

Note also that either of these methods are o/s specific backups.  In other words, if you have xp installed now and backup, then switch to Win7, your backups aren't any good (at least for some programs, not sure about all).

You can login to Impulse Anywhere here to get clean downloads which are not o/s dependent:

http://anywhere.impulsedriven.com/Default.aspx

I don't think those include beta's, I think it's only the last non-beta releases.  Also, there are 2 files for some or all of the programs, an .exe and an .impulse data file.  I've never actually tried to install one of these, I'm not sure if the .impulse file feeds the .exe or if you're right back to needing Impulse.  I would imagine you would at least need Impulse installed to phone home, but not sure.

Have fun Dave.:)

[sheesh - way slow as usual :drool: ]

Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Got it, forgot to save impulse. After I have it all in one folder I will burn it. Thank you.

Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Suppose we could get this post renamed to something like "Backing up Stardock Programs" and get it stickied in the Support/General section?  Comes up from time to time.  Heck, we've got pictures here, some built-in FAQ's, a couple of alternatives, really kind of a nice thread.  Just a thought.

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