Electric Quilt 6 Frequently Asked Questions
When I installed the EQ6 Upgrade I thought it would change EQ5. Am I supposed to have both EQ5 and EQ6 as two programs?
EQ5 and EQ6 are two separate software programs. If you got the EQ6 Upgrade CD, it simply means that you got a discount on your EQ6 program because you were a registered EQ5 user. It also means that EQ5 must be installed on your computer in order for the EQ6 Upgrade to load.
Neither EQ6 or the EQ6 Upgrade changes or deletes EQ5. If you have the EQ6 Upgrade installed, you may uninstall EQ5 from your computer (although it’s a small program).
- Your EQ5 projects will still remain on your hard drive and can be used in EQ6. Projects can be found in the My EQ5 > PJ5 folder.
- Your User Libraries will NOT remain on your hard drive if you uninstall. If you saved items in them, will need to be backed up before uninstalling. User Libraries can be found in the My EQ5 > User folder.
- The My EQ5 folder is either in My Computer > C drive > My Documents or My Computer > C drive > Documents and Settings > Your User Name > My Documents.
But you must keep your EQ5 CD, and the EQ5 serial number. You will need both should you ever need to reinstall the EQ6 Upgrade, or install the EQ6 Upgrade on a new computer. Your EQ6 Upgrade CD is useless without EQ5, as it will not install unless EQ5 is already installed on the computer. Should you lose the EQ5 CD, purchasing a new one will be prohibitively expensive, and we want to make sure you never need to purchase an EQ5 CD since you already own one.
If I have the EQ6 Upgrade installed, can I uninstall EQ5?
If you have the EQ6 Upgrade installed, you may uninstall EQ5 from your computer. (Your EQ5
projects, will still remain on your hard drive and can be used in EQ6. Your EQ5 User Libraries
would need to be backed up before uninstalling.)
But you must keep your EQ5 CD, and the EQ5 serial number. You will need both should you ever need to reinstall the EQ6 Upgrade, or install the EQ6 Upgrade on a new computer. Your EQ6 Upgrade CD is useless without EQ5, as it will not install unless EQ5 is already installed on the computer. Should you lose the EQ5 CD, purchasing a new one will be prohibitively expensive, and we want to make sure you never need to purchase an EQ5 CD since you already own one.
How do I open an EQ5 project in EQ6?
To open an EQ5 project in EQ6:
- Please see page 107 and follow along in the EQ6 User Manual.
- Click the Open button.
- Click the folder in the bottom-left corner marked "Click here to open a project
not listed above."
- "Look in" C drive and double-click the My Documents > My
EQ5 > PJ5 folders.
- In the Files of type box, drop the list down and click Previous
EQ Versions. You will then see all your EQ5 projects listed.
- Select a project and click Open.
- Note that your EQ5 project will be "Untitled," so you'll need to rename it when
you save it in EQ6.
Once the project is open, you can save it in EQ6 so it will appear in your Existing Projects list in EQ6:
- Please see page 109 and follow along in the EQ6 User Manual.
- Click the Save button.
- "Save in" My Documents and double-click the My EQ6 > PJ6 folders.
- Type a name for the project in the File name: box.
- Click Save.
Once you save your EQ5 project in EQ6 you will have two files: Your original PJ5 file and your new PJ6 file.
Alternatively, you can import parts of projects instead of opening entire projects. This
is done through the EQ6 Library. You can import blocks, fabrics or layouts (unfilled
blank layouts) from EQ4, EQ5 or EQ6 projects, and can import photos and embroidery from EQ5 or EQ6 projects. So, it will be quick and easy to merge items from various projects as you work (something you can’t do in EQ5).
A few of my EQ5 projects give me an "unreadable _____" message in EQ6. What do I do?
We are still unsure what causes an unreadable message when you're converting EQ5 projects to EQ6. We do know when you open the project in EQ6 the quilts, blocks, or fabrics will stop at a different point than in EQ5.
So, let's say you have 14 blocks in EQ6 and 20 blocks in EQ5 when you view the project. This means the block with the problem is number 15. This could be caused by a weird character or a drawing error.
Open the project in EQ5 and fix block 15. Then save the new block in the Sketchbook.
Delete the old block 15, save the project, and try opening the project in EQ6 again.
I opened an EQ5 project in EQ6. Why are the blocks in my EQ5 quilts not clipping like they do in my EQ6 quilts?
On-point quilts and borders have been re-programmed since EQ5. When you open EQ5 quilts in EQ6, they still have a little bit of EQ5 code left in them that cannot be changed by us.
In order for the quilts to clip the blocks, the quilt needs to be recreated in EQ6. Here's a shortcut:
- Open your EQ5 project in EQ6.
- Click QUILT > Options. (It'll open automatically to "Starting New Quilts" which is what we need.)
- Put a check next to the second and third checkboxes. (Always start with last adjusted layout and keep current borders.)
- Click OK.
- View Sketchbook > Quilts section.
- Find and edit the quilt that is not clipping.
- Go to the Layout tab and double-check what type of quilt it is (Horizontal, On-Point, Baby Blocks, etc.)
- QUILT > New Quilt > same style.
- [Option 1] Use the Set Block Tool and Paintbrush tool to recreate the quilt.
[Option 2] Set only the block or fabric in question into the edge of the quilt or edge of the border.
- Print out the pattern you need.
How do I link my EQ5 Fabric Library to EQ6?
You can link the fabrics we provided and any user fabrics you scanned and saved in your libraries.
To link the EQ5 Fabrics:
- In EQ6, click LIBRARIES > Fabric Library.
- Click the Link Library button and click Add.
- Type: EQ5 Fabrics.
- Click the Browse button. Go to:
C drive > Program Files > Electric Quilt Company > EQ5 > Lib
- Be sure to click on the
Lib folder.
- Click OK, OK.
- Click Close to return to the library.
To link the EQ5 User Fabrics:
- In EQ6, click LIBRARIES > Fabric Library.
- Click the Link Library button and click Add.
- Type: EQ5 User Fabrics.
- Click the Browse button. Go to:
C drive > My Documents > My EQ5 > User
- Be sure to click on the
User folder.
- Click OK, OK.
- Click Close to return to the library.
