I just discovered this software today, and I'm trying to be impressed with it, but a few things are making that difficult.  Particularly, the sharing feature doesn't work.  I have my main database loaded on a Vista 64-bit machine, with about 13 DVDs loaded, and the sharing option configured.  I then loaded the program on a networked Windows 7 computer and connected to the shared database on my Vista machine, and it opened just fine.  I then shut down the program on the Windows 7 box and reopened it, and it failed to open the shared database, listing the error "Cannot perform this operation on a closed dataset".  Now the software is still open and working on the Vista machine, so I don't know what this message is about a "closed dataset".  At this point the client software is completely hosed - I can't open another database, I can't create a new database.  In fact I can't do anything with it unless I close the main database on the Vista machine, then try to open the program again on the Windows 7 machine, get a message that "the remote server is unavailable",  then open a different local database, then restart the main database on the Vista machine, then go back to the Windows 7 machine and open the shared database.

Of course, when I close the program on the Windows 7 machine, I have to go through all this again.  This fouled-up process is consistent - I've been able to recreate it a dozen times on two separate Windows 7 computers.  I don't know whether this is sloppy programming, or if I'm doing something wrong, but if someone has an idea what the problem is, then I'd love some help.  Otherwise I won't be parting with my $30.

Thanks for the reply.  Ok, here's the setup - one of the W7 machines is wireless, connecting over a Linksys router, the other is cabled into the same switch as the Vista box.  The machines have full connectivity to each other - that is, even when I'm having problems with the database I can open file shares on the Vista box from the other two PCs.  On the Vista machine the firewall is on, with the DVD Profiler exception added.  UAC is turned off.

I set up sharing on the Vista machine by going to the Sharing tab in Options.  I checked the Sharing box and left the default port of 32847.  I left all other options as default, and set the Grant Access to My network (subnet) only.

On both of the client computers I loaded the software, then went to open a database and clicked Select Shared.  I entered the database name default, then typed in the IP address of the Vista machine and clicked the Test button, which succeeded.  Locally I named the connection Shared, and it showed up green in the list.  I clicked OK and the database opened in read-only mode.  I then closed the program and opened it back up.  At that point I get this error:



On the database selection screen the connection is now showing red.  At this point I can't do anything with the client.  If I try to open the local default database the program will open but it will show a blank database screen with shared db name at the bottom:



Like I said yesterday, at this point the client is shot.  I can't open the shared db, I can't open a local db, and I can't create a new db.  I have to go to the Vista machine, shut down the software there, the reopen the software on the W7 machine, at which point I get a message saying the remote server is unavailable.  I can then open the local db file, go back to the Vista machine, reopen the software, then go back to the W7 machine and switch to the shared file.  This happens exactly the same every time on both PCs.

Hopefully this clarifies things a little more.  Any ideas?

Thanks, Silence_of_Lambs, I'll give that a shot.

Is it possible that this is an undocumented limitation of the unregistered version?

Quoting bulock:

Quote:
... it claims the software is fully functional until you hit 50 DVDs

Not so. Take a loook again. There are some features (contributions, hi-res covers)  that are not available at all in the unregistered version. Since database sharing is not listed at all, I was just speculating as to whether it was one of those. Only Ken can definitively answer this, unless somebody else has tested it.

Although I can't help with the actual problem as I don't use sharing I would have thought that if this was a limitation then the error message would mention that.
As it works initially and then stops working it suggests that there's a problem here that could have happened to anyone, paying or not.

All I can say to the OP is that the phrase "closed dataset" suggests to me that when you close the program the first time the network connection to the database is not getting disconnected properly, and so when you try to reconnect, an existing (but now inaccessible) connection is found.
Is there a way of manually disconnecting the database before closing the program to try this out?

Okay dokay, we're all waiting for the answer you get. Keep us posted!!!