About Shot Expertise I can answer most questions concerning Microsoft operating systems from DOS through Windows 2003. Hardware or software questions welcome. This is what I do for a living, and I love it! So instead of giving extra to Uncle Sam, I decided to give a little for free. Fire away!
Experience I have been working with computers for over 20 years, currently hold a full time job as a Network Administrator for large financial institution, and run my own PC/Network consulting company since 1998.
Education/Credentials Microsoft Certified;
Novell Certified;
Comptia A Certified;
IBM Certified Business Partner in Desktops/Laptops/Servers;
HP Certified Technician Desktops/Laptops/Servers;
Toshiba Authorized Service Technician;
I have a series of CD's containing a history of literature, The reading material can be accessed and viewed only by clicking on a SETUP file which then installs the publisher's program on my drive. This software program is originally designed for Win 98, but I can use it with XP as well.
For "portabililty" convenience, I'd like to put the entire CD collection on a USB Flash drive, so that I can read the material from another computer, without carrying around the bulky 6 CD's and re-installing the software each time..
Unfortunately, I cannot extract or isolate the readings and copy them on a flash drive. I can't even find them among the files on the CD ! .They are embedded somewhere and only the software program unlocks them.
I'd like to know if there is a way to extricate the reading material, which must be somewhere on the CD's, copy it on the flash drive and read it on another computer DIRECTLY from the Flash drive ,without having to install the publisher's software each time.
I think the collection is programmed with Visual Basic and is based on Word.
Can you help me with this, please ?
Thank you
Franco Vivona
ANSWER: Hi Franco, I understand what you're asking, and it makes perfect sense. Problem is, if the software uses a proprietary file format nothing else will read it. If it does not, maybe we can find something. What is the name of the program? I'll see what I can dig up on it.
Shot
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi again!
Thank you for your very prompt answer.
The proprietor/publisher of the CD collection are a major Italian newspaper: L'Espresso and their collection/software is called LIZ-L'Expresso. ( LIZ is an acronym and stands for Letteratura Italiana Zanichelli . Zanichelli is a major italian publishing company and probably entered into some kind of agreement with the newspaper L'Espresso for the digitalization and distribution of the books collection. The collection was published a few years back at the time of Windows 98. Now they have an updated Windows XP version, but it is rather costly.
I doubt all this will ring a bell to you since it is a foreign publication, but I haven't lost all my hopes! If it can help, I can e-mail to you the .exe SETUP file. Let me know!
Thank you again
Franco Vivona
Answer Well, you're right, it doesn't ring a bell. But I was able to find some information on it.
The program doesn't use individual files, which is why you couldn't see them on the disk. It stores them all in a database to allow fast searching and queries.
DataBase Testuale according to the references I found. Unfortunately I couldn't find any other way to open these databases.
There was a lot of information out there on the database format. It was developed by the Italian National Research Council (CNR) in Pisa. Unfortunately I don't read Italian.
Since you do, hopefully that information can help find another method of opening them. Possibly an export of sorts.
