I've upgraded to FrontPage 2003, and...

FrontPage 2003 assigned new locations for template and theme storage on your hard drive.  This section provides detailed information on how to locate the new directories and how to move your old files to the new directories so you'll still be able to access and use them.

Upgrade and Delete Prior Version(s) of FrontPage Option

The retail version of FrontPage 2003 places the files in different folder names than the folder names used with FP 2000 and 2002. 

FrontPage Themes
Old Folder:   ?:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Themes
New Folder:  ?:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Themes11

FrontPage Web Templates
Old Folder:   ?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Webs
New Folder:  ?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Webs11

FrontPage Page Templates
Old Folder:   ?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Pages
New Folder:  ?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Pages11

That part's not so tricky.  If you are using FrontPage 2003 only, and have no intention of reverting back to FrontPage 2002 (honestly, who would WANT to?), you simply need to copy the contents in EACH of the three "Old Folders" to each respective "New Folder."  We are suggesting you COPY rather than cut and paste, just in case something goes awry in the process.  You can delete the old folders with their content in a few months when you feel secure.

Upgrade and Preserve Prior Version(s) of FrontPage Option

If you plan to run earlier versions of FrontPage on the same drive/system as FP2003, read this section.  Note:  We TRIED running them in parallel and we do NOT recommend it, but, for those of you wanting to try it, here's the scoop.  There are two things, depending on your configuration, that will happen:

1. In SOME cases (mind you, not all), installing FrontPage 2003 will change the Template and Theme folder locations for FrontPage 2002 and earlier versions. This was not the case in the Beta version, but has occurred in the retail version on some systems.  In other words, your original "Old Folders" and their content remains intact; however, FrontPage magically appends your FrontPage 2000 and/or 2002 program(s) to no longer LOOK in the old folders.
   
   Basically, then, after you install the retail version of FP2003, when you look for your templates and/or themes in FP2003, they aren't there, and when you look for them in FP2000/2002, they aren't THERE, either!  Where are they???  They are STILL in the "Old Folder" locations above; your FP versions simply are not looking there.  Copy and paste the contents in EACH of the three "Old Folders" to each respective "New Folder," as outlined in the first section.
    
2. In the remaining cases, installing FrontPage 2003 will result in nothing being changed in your prior versions.  The program will still look in the "Old Folders" for the templates and themes, and of course, they are still there.  You'll still need to place your themes and templates in the folders FP2003 uses; copy and paste the contents in EACH of the three "Old Folders" to each respective "New Folder," as outlined in the first section.

The good news:  Once you copy your data into the "New Folders," it will be accessed by all versions of FrontPage 2000 and up installed on your computer.

The bad news:  We have no clue what happens if you decide to uninstall FP2003, but since the "Old Folders" remain intact after upgrade, we feel certain they are untouched during the uninstall process.

The Tricky Part

The tricky part comes into play when you notice the three ADDITIONAL "new folders" introduced with FrontPage 2003!  FP2003 kindly provides a brand new tab for where to look for templates, with the new tab labeled "My Templates" (and the folder we are designating as "New Folder" labeled "General").

That's a good thing!  Now, when you download additional templates, you don't have to filter through the various templates included with the program.  So...  let's look at our structure revised to include THIS little addition:

FrontPage Themes
Old Folder:   ?:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Themes
New Folder:  ?:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Themes11
My Templates Folder:  C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Themes\<folder_name>

FrontPage Web Templates
Old Folder:   ?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Webs
New Folder:  ?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Webs11
My Templates Folder:  C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\FrontPage\Webs\<folder_name.tem>

FrontPage Page Templates
Old Folder:   ?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Pages
New Folder:  ?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Pages11
My Templates Folder:  C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\FrontPage\Pages\<folder_name.tem>

The "My Templates" folder is pretty cool, and you may VERY well wish to put new templates in it.  Just remember, if you ever revert back to a prior version of FP, you'll have to grab any downloaded templates and themes from SIX different places rather than three!