NateS wrote:But maybe there are pitfalls with that proposed experiment which I do not see.
Nate, I think it would be tricky to load two different instances of ResScan at the same time, since both, by default, would be loaded into Program Files(86) and both would be available to all users. Typically, if 4.3 were loaded, an install of 5.1 would result in an upgrade of 4.3 to 5.1. Now it should be possible to change the default install location, most installers provide that option, but there still could be conflicts.
I suggest when installing ResScan (and other programs), if possible, to do so from an administrators account, not a standard account using "run as an administrator". For me, it seem to cause fewer problems.
It seems to me your problems began with a failed windows update and an upgrade to Windows 7. It is unclear to me if you had problems installing 4.3 prior to this update and upgrade.
In a normal Win 7 4.3 install, your patient files should have been in Public Documents. However, you said in your post of Nov 18 that, "it started acting screwy when I upgraded my Windows virtual disk in Parallels from XP to Windows 7".
In a normal XP install, patient files would have been in Program Files(86), so the upgrade to Windows 7 with 4.3 could have set the stage for the ResScan Patient File manager to loose the location of the patient files, since I presume they were still in Progam Files, but the default location now with windows 7 is under Public Documents, so any action that would cause ResScan to verify the Windows version it was runing under might cause it to point to the wrong location.
In trying to get 5.1 to run, you said you used the XP compatibility mode which essentially tells ResScan you're running XP. Now, 5.1 doesn't find the files, so you go back to 4.3 and it's happy thinking you're running XP and finds the files in Program Files(86).
I don't know if this is what happened, but it makes a good story and it kind of fits the facts.
I think, at this point, you should try to get the files to the Public Documents location which would reduce upgrade problems in the future.
One of the easiest ways might be to copy the Patients Folder (ResMed\ResScan3\Patients\) currently under Program Files(86) and paste it onto the path, C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\ResMed\ResScan3\ (you'll have to create the ResMed and ResScan3 folders in this path such that the new path is C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\ResMed\ResScan3\Patients ). Then, while using an admistrators account, go to the ResScan Patient Manager and browse to this new location to set it as the new Patient Group location. In the meantime, you could rename the original folder something like OLDPatients to temporarily prevent it from being used. Just to be clear, the ResMed and ResScan3 folders in the pubic path hold nothing but the Patient file. The same named folders in the Program Files(86) hold the ResScan program files and need to stay in place.
If the new location works, you're good. If not, remove the "old" from the front of OLDPatients in the Program Files(86) and point the Patient Manager back there.
If it does work, you can consider upgrading to 5.1 again, although honestly, execpt for the welcoming graphics, I doubt you would see much difference between it and 4.3
Note: If you had no trouble installing 4.3 to begin with, I would consider uninstalling and reinstalling to make sure it's not running under the XP compatibility mode. If 4.3 is reinstalled, the default patient location should be in public documents. If the patient file wasn't moved prior to the reinstall, you would have to move it there manually as above, or point the ResScan Patient Manger to the Program File location.