Applies to: DentalCAM & DentalCNC 7.08

Backing up and transferring your job data

How do I backup my job data? Where are my jobs stored? How do I transfer my data to another computer?

There are good reasons to back up your order data regularly: Hard drives can fail, malware is spreading across the internet faster than ever, and spilled coffee can actually damage hardware. From time to time, you may also want to upgrade your CAM computerClosed The computer that is connected to your machine and which runs DentalCAM and DentalCNC.. In these (and several more) cases, it is a very good idea to have a backup of all important data ready on hand.

There is no automatic backup function. You are responsible for backing up the application and job data.

There are mainly 2 ways to make backups:

  • Create an image of your hard disk Use a backup program to create a backup copy of your entire hard disk (‘image’). In case of an emergency, you can restore all your applications and data by restoring the image file. The disadvantage: Creating and restoring backups takes a lot of time, especially if your hard drive is large. In addition, you must purchase the backup application separately.
  • Copying individual files to an external storage device This is the easiest and fastest way, but you only copy your job data and not your programs or operating system. This way is described in this Help Article.

You may want to contact your IT specialist to determine which solutions best matches your needs.

You cannot copy your whole DentalCAM / DentalCNC folder to backup your data or to transfer them to another computer. The applications need to be properly installed on the target computer or else they will not work. In addition, you might copy an older version over a newer one which may result in unpredictable results.

Where the application stores your data

The following table shows the files and folders in the DentalCAM & DentalCNC installation folderClosed The folder on your hard drive that you installed DentalCAM and DentalCNC in. that you need to copy in the following cases:

  • You want to make a backup of your work data.
  • You want to transfer the data to another computer.

  • You want to import the data from DentalCAM 7 in DentalCAM 8.

    In this case, see Importing data from version 7 into version 8.

Type Name Is it possible to import from v7 to v8? Content

Folder

Archiv

nur automatisch

Blank archive data

Folder

FAP

No

Images for the residual material display

Folder

MG

Yes

Machine geometry data

Folder

MST

Yes

Material settings

Folder

SET

No

but see Importing tool data.

Tool data

Folder

Support*

No

CNC data for jobs that have already been produced

File

DMT.pdt

No

Settings DentalCNC

File

protokoll.mdb

Yes

Log file for jobs that have already been produced

File

set.pdt

No

Settings DentalCAM

*mainly relevant for customer service; thus optional for a backup copy

  1. If necessary, quit DentalCAM and DentalCNC.
  2. Connect an external storage device to your CAM computerClosed The computer that is connected to your machine and which runs DentalCAM and DentalCNC.. Suitable devices are e.g., external hard drives, USB drives or network computers.
  3. Open the DentalCAM installation folderClosed The folder on your hard drive that you installed DentalCAM and DentalCNC in. in Windows® Explorer.
  4. Copy the files and folders in the table above onto the external storage device.
  1. If DentalCAM and DentalCNC are not installed on the target CAM computerClosed The computer that is connected to your machine and which runs DentalCAM and DentalCNC., install them.
  2. Make sure that DentalCAM and DentalCNC are closed.
  3. Connect your external storage device (if restoring a backup) or your old CAM computerClosed The computer that is connected to your machine and which runs DentalCAM and DentalCNC. (if transferring data via a network) to the target CAM computerClosed The computer that is connected to your machine and which runs DentalCAM and DentalCNC..
  4. Open the DentalCAM installation folderClosed The folder on your hard drive that you installed DentalCAM and DentalCNC in. on the target CAM computerClosed The computer that is connected to your machine and which runs DentalCAM and DentalCNC. in Windows® Explorer.
  5. Open the folder with your backup data or the DentalCAM installation folderClosed The folder on your hard drive that you installed DentalCAM and DentalCNC in. on your old CAM computerClosed The computer that is connected to your machine and which runs DentalCAM and DentalCNC. in a second Windows® Explorer window.
  6. Copy the files and folders in the table above from the external storage device or old CAM computerClosed The computer that is connected to your machine and which runs DentalCAM and DentalCNC. into the DentalCAM target folder. Overwrite existing objects.

    7. When overwriting or copying data, leave all folder and file names unchanged. Otherwise the applications will not work properly.