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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 196
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 196 |
I must have at least 40 or 50 various BIAB program/installation disks taking up space in my closet, maybe more -- the result of buying virtually every Windows and Mac upgrade offered for well over a decade, along with various plus-paks, bonus disks, extra style disks sold by PG in-between upgrades, and a few duplicate disks shipped as free upgrades or bug-fixes. Now that I've got the latest version of BIAB on a PG-supplied hard disk, I'd like to toss the old CDs (and I may even have a few floppies that should go). But my hesitation is: I seem to remember that some of these old mega-pak deals offered bonus programs that weren't available in subsequent mega-paks, and I think there was at least one fake book that PG offered for while, then pulled. I could load up every disk and inspect it, but that would take a while, and to complicate things further, PG issued some "Bonus" or "Plus-Pak" disks without even putting a year on their generic-looking labels. If I toss 'em, am I tossing something I didn't get in latest BIAB UltraPak -- that might not even be available any more? Anybody know if there's likely to be anything rare and/or worth saving on these old disks?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 707
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 707 |
Whether they are worth saving or not isn't for me to say, but there have been a wealth of bits and pieces down the years which might or might not be in the current mega-omni-spiffing-pack. Things like the Andy LaVerne solist disks, various disks of piano and guitar solos, intros (although not, sadly, endings), fakebooks and jam tracks. Some came with 12 packs, some with 25 packs and some came from who knows where. One of the problems is that you end up with so much, you really have no way of knowing what you have, what you had, what you're now missing and what you still don't have. The "what add ons do I have" button doesn't show things like solos, fakebooks etc.
I have thrown out all my installation disks (now having a USB drive version - which I don't actually use), but I have everything I ever had installed and backed up to a separate hard drive.
Brian
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 8
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 8 |
There may be many stand-alone programs and/or add-ons on those discs that are not currently included on your UltraPak hard drive, including some stuff that may have been discontinued. You could install all of the bonus pak discs to the hard drive, but there are also add-ons included in the installers for Band-in-a-Box, that were not on seperate discs. If you purchased all of your upgrades from us, we woudl ahve a record of them back to 1999 and could tell you what was included on those discs that is not on your UltraPak. We could even send you links to the add-ons from easy installation. Call us at 800-268-6272.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,840
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,840 |
I haven't tossed my disks (they're stored away in a CD storage container), but I did copy all my CD's to a USB hard drive, with each folder properly labeled as to what it is. All the PGMusic programs install fine this way, and I can install any version of the program I wish without having to go look for the disks. Actually, I've done that with all my programs. There's only two or three that want to be installed from the CD directly, and for those, I just created an ISO image that I can mount as a virtual CD, so even then, I don't have to hunt down the CD.
When I rebuild a computer, I just install the OS, then hook the external USB hard drive and start installing. Has worked great for me. Sure, it took time to get everything copied over, but you only have to do it once. Of course, since USB hard drives are so cheap now, I have everything backed up on another one (just in case).
For programs that require serial numbers, I just include the serial number in the folder name, which I can then just copy/paste into the registration form when I need to. Saves a lot of time.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,512
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,512 |
Some good ideas, here, John, thanks. I recently read an article questioning how long archived data will last on a hard drive, because of decay from - wait for it - radiation, occurring naturally in the environment. Wow. Always something to make things more complicated, isn't there?
gcaryn , are you a PG Music employee? Thank you for this information. As a user from well before 1999, I may take you up on this suggestion and try to get a list of any add-ons I have. That would be the easiest way to then go and find them. I'm just like jholman, with a box full of old BIAB CDs and even disks.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 11
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 11 |
same again here there must be a few of us
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,122
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,122 |
I wouldn't, just because of the hidden jewels there may be, but if you do, let me know, and throw them my way, I'll pay for shipping. It'd be like christmas.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Quote:
Some good ideas, here, John, thanks. I recently read an article questioning how long archived data will last on a hard drive, because of decay from - wait for it - radiation, occurring naturally in the environment. Wow. Always something to make things more complicated, isn't there?
Well, the magnetic media in a hard drive is indeed somewhat shielded by the total metal enclosure.
Storing a drive for archiving inside a metal cabinet yields yet another level of shielding.
Consider that analog magnetic tape masters are often stored with less shielding than that and yet can be taken out of archive and used for those digital remastering sessions. Typically other environmental factors can be far more detrimental to the magnetic media than "radiation" -- humidity, moisture, acid rain, temperature at storage, etc. Since the magnetic "rust" in a hard drive is applied to a hard and solid surface, it should be much more robust than magnetic media stored on acetates, mylars and other flexible media (tapes).
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 196
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 196 |
It's good to know that PG keeps records back to 1999 -- even better if they'll provide a download link to software one can prove that he or she purchased way back when. I actually recall one time when I placed an order for an add-on program I forgot I already owned, and got an email back from someone at PG reminding me that I'd already paid for it. I mean, who else would do that? (I've bought software from other companies that you can download a limited number of times during a short time window -- while they try to persuade you to spend extra cash for a kind of "insurance policy" to allow you to download it again later on if you need to.)
I'll go ahead and save what I've got to a small, unused USB drive. Speaking of media reliability, I do know that at least one of my early PG-supplied CDs has gone bad (no apparent physical damage, yet it's unreadable when I try it in several different CD drives, as are a few other CDs I purchased or burned in the late 90s). So I may need to call PG on that one...
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
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Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
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We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
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