This page discusses how to move RTG Bills to a new computer. Similar instructions apply if you are replacing a hard disk, but we have a separate page for those instructions:

Restoring RTG Bills On A New Hard Disk

Our goal will be to get the latest version of RTG Bills working on the new computer, with all of your current data from the old computer. RTG strongly recommends that you always use the latest version of the program.

We assume that you have access to both the old and the new computers, as well as some way to copy files from one to the other. If you do not have access to the old computer, use the instructions for restoring RTG Bills on a new hard disk.

The overall process is simple: install RTG Bills on the new computer, back up your data on the old computer, and restore your data on the new computer.

1. Download the RTG Bills installation file from the Download page. It will work for 45 days on a new computer. To use it after that, you need to obtain a license from RTG.
   
   If you already have the current version, the same license information can be entered on the new computer. Otherwise, you can obtain a license for a reduced price, which we call the RTG Bills Version 2 Upgrade. Or it may even be free: see the RTG Bills Upgrade Policy.
   
   
2. Use the installation file to install RTG Bills on the new computer. After the installation is finished, start RTG Bills and choose Help > About RTG Bills to see the version number. Of course, there is no data there yet.

1. You should now install the current version of RTG Bills on the old computer. The reason for doing that is to make sure you are using the latest version of the backup software, RTG Backup.
   
   

   Warning: You must have the license information for the current version before you install RTG Bills, if you now have V2.20 or above on the old computer, because there will be no free trial period. You won't be able to start RTG Bills without entering the license information.

   
   So check the version number of RTG Bills on the old computer. Get a license key if you don't have one.
   
   
   Version 2.17 and above
   If you have Version 2.17 or above, start RTG Bills and choose Setup > Database. Note the location of the data. You will need to enter this when the installation program asks for the Data Location. Exit from RTG Bills. Install RTG Bills on the old computer, using the standard Destination Location:
   
   C:\Program Files\Rtgbills\
   
   and the Data Location that you noted earlier from the existing RTG Bills installation. When RTG Bills is installed, go to the next section.
   
   
   Versions 2.16 and below
   At this point, we assume that you have RTG Bills V2.01 through V2.16 on the old computer. Please read the rest of this section carefully before you proceed.
   
   The tricky part is to figure out where your data is located. The installation program will ask for the Data Location, and you need to know what to enter there. Because the programs and data had to be in the same location prior to V2.17, your Data Location will also be your Destination Location (i.e., where the RTG Bills programs are installed).
   
   If you have a shortcut for RTG Bills on your Desktop, right-click the icon and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. The Target will show where the programs and data are located. For a non-networked installation, it usually says this:
   
   C:\Program Files\Rtgbills\rtgbills.exe
   
   and that means the Data Location and Destination Location are this:
   
   C:\Program Files\Rtgbills\
   
   However, if you originally had RTG Bills Version 1 installed, you might have your programs and data here instead:
   
   C:\Rtgbills\
   
   If you are using RTG Bills on a network, the programs and data could be installed anywhere on the network.
   
   Once you know where the programs and data are located, install RTG Bills on the old computer, specifying that location for both the Destination Location and the Data Location.
   
   
2. Start RTG Bills and choose File > Backup to back up your data. When you do the backup, be sure to check Include archived data.
   
   

   Warning: If you don't check that option, you will be unable to restore deleted clients and matters (from the archive file).

   
   A convenient way to do the backup is to click the Desktop button under the Backup Folder box, so the data files are stored in a folder named Backup on your Windows Desktop. The box shows the exact location.
   
   The backup program will create two files on the hard disk, Bills.zip and Bills.rbi. Now you must copy those files to the new computer. You might copy them to a CD-R or CD-RW, to a Zip disk, to a USB drive, or to a shared folder on the network where the new computer can read them.
   
   Note that most computers cannot write directly onto a CD because they do not have the necessary packet-writing software to make the CD look like a disk drive. Instead, you must write the backup files on the hard disk and then copy them to a CD.
   
   You might even be able to e-mail the two files as attachments. However, the one with your data, Bills.zip, may be too large for some e-mail systems.

1. At this point, you have backed up the data from the old computer. The backup created two files, Bills.zip and Bills.rbi. Make those two files available to the new computer, either by copying them to the hard disk of the new computer, or by making them available on a removable disk, or on a network drive, that the new computer can read.
   
   If you did the backup directly to a removable disk, such as a USB flash drive, one of the files is named Bills01.rbd instead of Bills.zip.
   
   
2. Start RTG Bills on the new computer and choose File > Restore From Backup. The RTG Restore program will start. You will need to tell it exactly where you put the backup files that RTG Backup created. It will ask you to locate the rbi file, and it expects to find the zip file, or rbd file, in the same location.
   
   You also need to tell RTG Restore where to put the restored data. It must go in the location where you installed the RTG Bills data on the new computer. If you aren't sure where that is, choose Setup > Database on the new computer to display the location.
   
   
3. When RTG Restore finishes, start RTG Bills. All of your data should now be available on the new computer.

In addition to the Backup folder, the folder where RTG Bills was installed contains additional folders that are not backed up by RTG Backup.

You may want to copy these folders to the new computer:

• images: Contains any images that appear on bills, such as your firm letterhead.
• pdf: Contains PDF-format bills created by RTG Bills.
• ebills: Contains e-bills created by RTG E-Bills.
• scripts: Contains portions of the RTG Scripts program, plus any scripts that you have created or modified.

Do not copy these folders to the new computer:

• HE: Contains the RTG Timer HE program files. Do not copy this folder. Instead, install RTG Timer HE on the new computer.
• Upgrades: Contains RTG upgrades applied on the old computer.

Start RTG Bills on the new computer. To verify that the data has been transferred correctly, view reports that list all items:

• Client List
• Matter List
   Select All Matters
• Timekeeper List
• Rate Tables
• Code Tables
• Tax Codes
• Shorthand Codes
• Fees and Expenses by Matter
   Select All Matters and To Date
• Payments and Adjustments by Date
   Select To Date
• Retainer Account Summary
   Select All Matters

In addition, we suggest that you use the File > Compact Database command. This checks that the entire database can be read. It may even make your database work faster (by optimizing query statistics, for the technically inclined).