Moving to a new computer

Moving EmberStorm to a new computer - in the same house or on another network - keeps everything: every account, playlist, favorite, the place you got to in every book and film, your settings, and your library if you bring it. It takes two steps: pack it up on the old computer, and install it from that folder on the new one.

Before you start

A drive to carry it on. An external drive or USB stick, or a shared folder both computers can reach. Bringing your media means a drive at least as big as your library; leaving the media out, a few gigabytes is plenty.
The new computer needs the internet while it installs: it fetches the newest installer and the media servers EmberStorm runs on. Only your own things come from the drive.
Windows, Mac or Linux, either way round. A move from Windows to a Mac, or Linux to Windows, works the same.

On the old computer

Plug in the drive.
Windows: open the Start menu and choose Move EmberStorm to another computer.
Mac or Linux: in a terminal, run
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GabrielHollberg/soundstorm/main/install.sh | sh -s -- --export /path/to/the/drive
(add --no-library to leave your media out).
Choose the drive, and whether to bring your media.
Wait while it copies. EmberStorm stops for the copy - so nothing is caught half-written - and starts again by itself when it is done.

The drive now has a folder called EmberStorm-move. Inside are your things and two installers: Install EmberStorm here.cmd for Windows and install-here.sh for a Mac or Linux.

Anything you change on the old computer after this - a new playlist, a song added - does not come along. Move when you are ready to switch.

On the new computer

Plug in the drive, or copy the EmberStorm-move folder onto the computer.
Windows: open the folder and double-click Install EmberStorm here.cmd.
Mac or Linux: in a terminal, run sh install-here.sh inside the folder.
The setup is the same as a fresh install - it installs Docker if the computer needs it, with the same window and steps - except that EmberStorm starts with everything from the folder instead of empty.
Open EmberStorm and sign in with your usual name and password. There is no new account to make.

Afterwards

Phones, TVs and tablets find it at its same name - your server keeps its address, and tells it the new computer's place on the network by itself. If a device cannot connect, open the app's server list and choose the server again, or sign in once more.
On Windows, if the new computer's network is one Windows treats as public (a new Wi-Fi network usually is), EmberStorm asks when it starts whether it is your home network; say yes so your phone and TV can reach it.
Away from home: EmberStorm sets up the new router by itself where it can. If you had forwarded a port by hand on the old router, do the same on the new one. Tailscale, if you used it, needs setting up again on the new computer (Start menu, Set up Tailscale).
Remove it from the old computer once the new one is working: Settings, Apps, EmberStorm, Uninstall on Windows. Uninstalling never deletes your media.

If something goes wrong

It says EmberStorm is already on this computer. The new computer already has EmberStorm, and a move will not write over its accounts. Uninstall it there first if you mean to replace it.
The drive is too small for your media. Move without the media, then copy your library folder across yourself and point the new install at it.
A file named windows-name-problems.txt in the folder lists media whose names Windows cannot hold (moving from a Mac or Linux to Windows). Rename those files and move again, or copy them across by hand.
The installer could not download. The new computer needs the internet during the install; check the connection and run the installer in the folder again.

How the move works underneath - what is packed, and why - is in Updating, moving, removing.