Ask EQ! - July 2010
- Who are you?
- Can I access my My Library files in EQ6 from inside EQ7?
- How do I find the Karen K Stone projects, and can I link?
- Can I link to the EQ6 Fabric Library from the EQ7 Fabric Library?
- Can I link to the EQ5 Fabric Library from the EQ7 Fabric Library?
- Can I uninstall EQ5 and EQ6 once I've installed the EQ7 Upgrade?
- Why do I keep seeing messages about how many days I have to validate EQ7?
- Where are the EQ7 Lessons?
- Why didn't my EQ7 Upgrade just update my EQ6? Why is it a separate EQ7 program?
Q: Just who are you Mr. Mouse?
Thank you for asking. I am the official EQ Mascot. I have held this position since a winter night in 1993 when Penny noticed me running across her desk and hired me on the spot. At that time the EQ headquarters was housed in the basement of the Neumann/McMorris residence. I had come in from the woods for a bit of warmth and to see if Penny had left lunch crumbs behind. She took me by surprise, we both screamed, then she invited me to join the technical support department of Sara, Andrea and Penny.
So my job is to collect questions from you and to answer them, at times with their help. Do you have a question? If so, send it to the Tech Support email address (techsupport@electricquilt.com). Subject: Ask EQ. I'll answer your question, and you may see it in one of my columns.
July 2010 note from EQ the Mouse: We are STILL shipping, and hope to finish sending all EQ7 pre-publication orders this month. We thank you all!
Q: Can I access my My Library files in EQ6 from inside EQ7?
The USER folder is the folder which contain any Blocks, Fabrics, Embroidery or Photos you have saved in your My Library.
If you would like these items in your EQ7 My Library, you can copy them from the User folder in EQ6 to the User folder in EQ7. Here's how:
Click START > (My) Computer > My Documents > My EQ6 > USER.
The .BLK files in there are block files in My Library. The .FAB files are fabric files in My Library.
Hold down your CTRL key as you click [CTRL+click] on any files you want to copy from the EQ6 My Library to the EQ7 My Library. Once they are selected, click EDIT [Organize] > Copy.
Now browse to My Documents > My EQ7 > USER.
Click EDIT [Organize] > Paste.
You will now find these items in your EQ7 My Library.
Q: I installed the Karen K. Stone CD. How do I find the projects, and can I link?
Karen Stone installs EQ5 projects and a fabric library. There is no block library, so you cannot link to the blocks.
There is no block library because Karen rarely uses blocks set in a square set. She frequently sets blocks in paralellograms, triangles, and other settings. The Karen Stone CD installs projects, because it is important to see what context she sets the blocks in and so you also can get an accurate pattern.
Since you have EQ5, these projects install into EQ5's PJ5 folder and you can open the blocks from there.
To open a Karen K. Stone project in EQ7:
1. Please see page 19 and follow along in the EQ7 User Manual.
2. Click the Open button.
3. Click the folder in the bottom-left corner marked "Click here to open a project not listed above."
4. Change the "Look in" box to read C drive.
5. Browse to:
C drive > My Documents > My EQ5 > PJ5
6. In the Files of type box, drop the list down and click Previous EQ Versions. You will then see all your EQ5 projects listed.
7. The Karen Stone projects all start with "KS_". Select a project and click Open.
8. Note that your EQ5 project will be "Untitled," so you'll need to rename it when you save it in EQ7. Once the project is open, you can save it in EQ7 so it will appear in your Existing Projects list in EQ7To save your Karen Stone project in EQ7:
1. Please see page 21 and follow along in the EQ7 User Manual.
2. Click the Save button.
3. "Save in" My Documents and double-click the My EQ7 > PJ7 folders.
4. Type a name for the project in the File name: box.
5. Click Save.To link the Karen Stone Fabric Library:
1. In EQ7, click LIBRARIES > Fabric Library.
2. Click the Link Library button and click Auto Add.
3. If Karen Stone is not added automatically, continue on with the following steps:
1. Click the Add button and type: Karen Stone Fabrics.
2. Click the Browse button.
Since you have EQ5, browse to:
C drive > Program Files > Electric Quilt Company > EQ5 > Karen.
3. Be sure to click on the Karen folder.
4. Click OK, OK.
4. Click Close to return to the library.If you have trouble opening or finding the projects, you can access file from the Karen K. Stone CD.
Opening the Karen K. Stone projects from the CD:
1. Put the Karen Stone CD in. Cancel out of the installation and Exit Setup if it starts up.
2. Click START > My Computer.
3. RIGHT-click your CD/DVD drive and LEFT-click Explore to view the contents of the CD without restarting the installation another time.
4. Double-click the PJ5 folder.
5. From the menu at the top choose EDIT > Select All then EDIT > Copy. (Or CTRL+A, CTRL+C on your keyboard.)
6. Go to START > My Documents > My EQ7 > PJ7.
7. Choose EDIT > Paste (or CTRL+V) to paste the files in there.
8. Click "Yes to All" if the files are already in there.To access the projects from now on:
1. Click FILE > Open.
2. Click the little yellow folder to open something not listed above.
3. Look in PJ7. (If you’re not there go to My Documents > My EQ7 > PJ7.)
4. Drop down the Files of type to be Previous EQ Versions.
5. Click on a KS_ … file and click Open.
Q: Can I link to the EQ6 Fabric Library from the EQ7 Fabric Library?
Yes. Here's how:
In EQ7 click LIBRARIES > Fabric Library > Link Library > Add > type: EQ6 Fabric Library > browse to: C drive > Program Files > Electric Quilt Company > EQ6 > LIB. Make sure the LIB folder is highlighted.
Click OK > click Close to get back to the Fabric Library list. You should now see the EQ6 Fabric Library linked.
Q: Can I link to the EQ5 Fabric Library from the EQ7 Fabric Library?
Yes. Here's how (it's just like linking to the EQ6 Fabric Library, but I've included each step to make it simpler for you to follow:
In EQ7 click LIBRARIES > Fabric Library > Link Library > Add > type: EQ5 Fabric Library > browse to: C drive > Program Files > Electric Quilt Company > EQ5 > LIB. Make sure the LIB folder is highlighted.
Click OK > click Close to get back to the Fabric Library list. You should now see the EQ5 Fabric Library linked.
Q: Can I uninstall EQ5 and EQ6 once I've installed the EQ7 Upgrade?
Yes. In fact you do not need EQ5 or EQ6 on your computer to install the EQ7 Upgrade. All you need are the EQ6 Lic ID and EQ6 Password. That's all. So if you buy a new computer there's no need to install EQ5, then EQ6 Upgrade, in order to install the EQ7 Upgrade. Just install the EQ7 Upgrade.
Q: Why do I keep seeing messages about a number of days to update EQ7?
That is because EQ7 is trying to validate itself, via the Internet, and cannot. Here's more about this:
In order to have the type of activation that users asked for -- one allowing users to deactivate an old, unused computer, to save activations for a new computer -- it is necessary for the computer to validate via the internet. This only needs to happen 6 times a year.
And to make it convenient for you to do this when you want to, the program sends out a message letting you know that at some time during a certain number of days, at your convenience, it needs to validate.
The internet is required for validation. Periodically EQ7 will validate the license over the internet at startup of the program. In most cases, this happens silently. If your computer is not connected to the Internet, or communication is being blocked because of your computer's firewall settings, you will receive a message, "License validation failed. Validation required in xx days." After you see this message, EQ7 will start. You will have xx days to resolve the issue.
When you do want to let EQ7 validate, just connect the computer to the internet and try running EQ7 again.
If you still get the message, then it indicates your firewall settings are blocking the communication and keeping EQ7 from connecting to the server it needs to connect to in order to validate. You have two options for solving this:
1) You can turn off your firewall and start EQ7. This will validate the license for you and the next reboot of your computer will reset your firewall settings.
2) Or if you don't want to go through those steps each time you get the message, then you should make an exception in your firewall settings. To do this, click Start > Control Panel > Security > Windows Firewall > Allow a program through Window Firewall > Exceptions tab. Click the Add program... button and find EQ7 in the list. Click on it to select it, and click the OK button. Once you've done this, your computer will be able to validate the license when it needs to without giving you error messages.
Q: Where are the EQ7 Lessons?
They're on the EQ7 CD. They also install right into HELP. Click HELP > EQ Lessons, and you'll find 22 lessons to print out and work through. You can also open the EQ7 CD and print them right from the CD.
Q: Why didn't my EQ7 Upgrade just update my EQ6? Why is it a separate EQ7 program?
There's a difference between an upDATE and an upGRADE in EQ terms:
An upDATE means a free program which just makes some changes and additions to an existing program. For example, there is a free EQ6 Update here on our Web site: http://www.electricquilt.com/Users/Downloads/EQ6Update.asp
An upGRADE means a discounted program, available to owners of the previous version, just as a thank you. It means those who purchased the EQ7 Upgrade got the full EQ7 program at a discount. The EQ7 Upgrade will only install for that particular registered EQ6 User. But once they've installed the EQ7 Upgrade program they have the full, separate, stand-alone EQ7 program that a new user has. There is no difference between EQ7 Upgrade and EQ7 once the program is installed.
And the installation of the EQ7 Upgrade makes no changes to EQ6 or any other previous version. Nor does it require that EQ6 be installed (see the earlier question about this, above).
Do you have a question? Send it to Ask the Mouse (techsupport@electricquilt.com).