Australian BDM Digger CDs“Arrgh help! My Digger disks won’t work on my new computer. What can I do?” This is something I’ve heard many, many times over the past few years. Actually ever since Windows 7 was released.

With Windows 7 the software changed, but the Digger disks were never updated to cope with this, or with Windows 8. And they have always had issues with 64-bit systems, although 32-bit ones seemed fine. There have been some round-about work-arounds. But seriously, for most of them you’d need to be an IT technical engineer to get it up and running. At least until now!

UPDATE September 2017 – please read Help My Digger Disks Won’t Work on My New Computer – AGAIN!

Peppermint Fence have created a program called BDM Revival which you can download. The sole purpose of this program is for you to be able to read your old DOS and Digger CDs on newer computers (64-bit ones included). Sounding good? Well it is, so don’t throw out your old BDM CDs just yet (like you would anyway), because if you download a copy of BDM Revival which will simply set you back a whopping (just joking) $19.99, and yet it allows you to continue using your precious BDM disks. So for under $20.00 you can still have access to your CDs. Note: for libraries and organisatations they do offer a library price.

(click for a large image)

(click for a larger image)

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With BDM Revival you can run virtually any DOS application without the need for a Windows XP VM in Windows 7, and Windows 8 64-bit. Better still, there is direct support for twenty Digger and KAware DOS applications (see the list below)

Features:
– Convenient built in support for KAWare and Digger indexes (see below)
– Manually install virtually any DOS applications and create shortcuts to run them
– Create a virtual DOS PC with a virtual hard drive and any number of virtual CD-ROMS on your computer (this means you can put your CD away for safe keeping once it is loaded into BDM Revival)
– Create desktop shortcuts direct to the DOS application
– Free upgrades forever

Direct support for the following indexes (with more to come):
– New South Wales Pioneers Index, 1788-1888 (KAWare – DOS)
– New South Wales Federation Index, 1889-1918 (KAWare – DOS)
– New South Wales Between the Wars, 1919-1945 (KAWare – DOS)
– Queensland Pioneers Index, 1829-1889 (Digger)
– Queensland Federation Index, 1890-1914 (Digger)
– South Australian Births Registrations 1842-1906 (Digger)
– South Australian Births Registrations 1907-1928 (Digger)
– South Australian Marriage Registrations 1842 to 1916 (Digger)
– South Australian Marriage Registrations 1917 to 1937 (Digger)
– South Australian Deaths Registrations 1842 – 1915 (Digger)
– Tasmanian Pioneers Index, 1803-1899 (KAWare – DOS)
– Victorian Pioneers Index, 1837-1888 (KAWare – DOS)
– Victorian Pioneers Index, 1836-1888 (Digger)
– Victorian Edwardian Index, 1902-1913 (Digger)
– Victorian Federation Index, 1889-1901 (Digger)
– Victorian Great War Index, 1914-1920 (Digger)
– Victorian Inquest Index, 1841-1985 (Digger)
– Victorian Death Index, 1921-1985 (Digger)
– Victorian Immigration to Victoria 1852-1879 (Digger)
– Western Australian Pioneers Index, 1841-1905 (KAWare – DOS)

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Basically BDM Revival comes with two ways to install it:  “supported” (with CD) and “custom” (without CD).

BDM Revival – Supported
If you still have your original DOS or Digger CDs you can use them with the BDM Revival ‘supported’ installer. This will copy the contents of the CD to the hard drive, and then the CD can be stored away for safe keeping.

http://youtu.be/TKg_1LzgkRY

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BDM Revival – Custom
For users who have already installed the original CD on to their old computer and may no longer have access to that CD (e.g. or have misplaced it), you just need to copy all the files (program and data) over to your new PC and use BDM Revival to create a ‘custom’ application – every one of these is different, and probably for more advanced users.

http://youtu.be/dwFh4gPpmMQ

The BDM Revival software knows how to fool the Digger app into thinking it is accessing an actual CD – this is why BDM Revival users are able to work without the CD being present. This is possible to do in a ‘custom’ application, but you have know exactly which files to tweak.

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The download is only usable on one computer, so if you wish to use it on two, you’ll need to download another copy for your other computer. Each computer can then read whatever DOS or Digger CDs have from those listed above.

There is a library edition specifically for public installation such as libraries – see the website.

http://www.peppermintfence.com/BDMRevival.htm