Multiple Separate Client Installations (not -multiple)

heyas;

okay, i want my alt's preferences to be low graphics, low bandwidth, and i dont need fancy geegaws and all on that client. so.... to avoid having to change all my preferences each time i change logins, i've been *trying* to create a completely separate 2l client installation for my alt.

it aint working :(

i just downloaded the latest client, installed it by itself into a sub-directory of my original client, added the nicholaz version exe in there, ran it and.... somehow it knows my name, password, and ALL my preferences. i change them in one, it changes them in all of 'em.

is this some kind of registry trick? :/


does anybody know how i can achieve comlpetely separate, unlinked clients with different settings? thanks!

Are you running Windows XP? If yes then there is a very easy way to have your alt with separate preferences. Just create another user on your computer. If you dont know how then I can help with that too but Ill assume you know how. Then just right click on the Second Life link on your desktop or wherever and select "Run As" Then select "The following user" and simply log on with the windows user that you created earlier.

Does this not send you through the logging out/ log in cycle so anything else open will close?

Not if you have "Fast User Switching" enabled.

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But there is a simpler way. There is another flag along the lines of "-multiple" that forces the use of a different Settings file for a particular shortcut. Make a shortcut that includes "-settings my_main_settings.xml" (or some such thing) at the end, and always use it for your main account, then make another shortcut with "-settings my_alt_settings.xml". Now your accounts can save settings completely separate from each other. And you only need to have SL installed once.

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edit: You can get real fancy with shortcuts that automatically log your avatars in with their particular settings too, like this:

-settings my_main_settings.xml -login Avatar Name yourpassword

Don't do this if other people use your computer though, since your password is right there.

This is a really good question. I have often wished for the same thing myself. I don't know if you are interested in the Windlight client or the release candidate, but I *think* that the preferences for each different client save indivdually. If that hazy memory is correct, you could run your alt through one of those and keep the preferences set differently there.

Thanks Anti Your post reminds me that some while back someone explained a whole string of commands that can be added to the shortcut. something that could be made a stickie if it hasn't already been done

Found a REALLY old one.

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Client_parameters

Parts of it are almost certainly no good any more (even the -settings one is wrong there, it has you use an .ini file instead of .xml), but some stuff to play with all the same for the hardcore tweakers

Good detective work

For a moment there though, the phrase hardcore tweakers stirred up an entirely different image.

I am a little confused why they had a nomultiple option LOL

I keep wondering if its possible to have windlight NOT install over the main client, but in a seperate location so that either one may be used, just like the first windlight client. Is this possible?

heyas;

oh, very cool. that's even better!

as a side note, ive noticed that "-purge" no longer does anything. :(

hmm... its taking a hugely long time to log in... i guess it is writing a new prefs xml file somewhere? since i just made up a new name. i didnt see any settings xml files to copy, anyway.


at least... i hope im doing this right...!


oh, ha-ha.... of course, soon as i do something experimental, logins are failing. i'm okay now!

Windlight currently does NOT install over normal SL. It creates a new directory for it, so you can run windlight then switch immediately to normal

I swore I read that on here when the initial second-release of windlight came out *scratches head*
Oh well... thx much for that

This doesn't work with the new veiwer update. I keep getting a complete duplicate folder instead of a shortcut that will open two clients. I ran two just fine before 1.9xx.

I usually use the Windlight viewer, but I also have the regular viewer installed (not yet updated to the new one realeased this week). It goes in a separate directory, and has separate preferences.

I use the regular viewer for my alt, and I keep the alt on low graphics and drawing settings to reduce the load on my PC when I have 2 sessions running at the same time.

Two clients will not load with the new version. It was a forced update for me and now I can't load two clients. Has nothing to do with the graphics settings.

Please clarify. I'm not sure what you are saying.

What doesn't work? using the -settings parameter?

To run two accounts at the same time you have to add the -multiple argument to the command line.

When you install a new version of SL it overwrites the shortcut in the default location.

If you want special shortcut properties to persist through upgrades you have to make a shortcut somewhere else that SL won't mess with.

Well it seems to be fixed now.

may have and may not have been mentioned, but another way to copy all of your settings from SL to a new installation of SL is to copy settings.xml.
pretty neat if you install on another computer and dont want to spend time setting everything the way you had it on the other computer.

Run the Nicholaz version, run the normal client, run windlight, and then run the onrez viewer.

I successfully run 3 clients on my macbook doing this.

you can have one single secondlife installation, use -multiple, AND use seperate settings.xml.
create two (or more) shortcuts to secondlife.exe. in the first shortcut, add this:
C:\whatever\SecondLife.exe -settings settings.xml -multiple
then the others:
C:\whatever\SecondLife.exe -settings settings2.xml -multiple
C:\whatever\SecondLife.exe -settings settings3.xml -multiple
etc etc.