Bits of Junk

This thread is here to provide tips and tricks (Bits of Junk) that I've picked over the last 5 years trading with MT4.

If you have something you think might help other traders that fits here please feel free.

I work in IT so wasn't surprised to find there are quite a few things that can be done to make life a bit better which aren't universally known.

It is all pretty simple stuff; none of it demands any sort of programming or coding skill.

The most you need to know is how to navigate Windows and use copy and paste and other basic housekeeping functions.

However;

Messing with stuff on your computer always has a risk of producing unintended consequences so if youre not sure what youre doing check it out elsewhere first or don't do it.

I am not a support tech for people who do not have a basic understanding of how to manage their own PC or laptop, but I will endeavour to answer sensible questions within reason, (or my interpretation of 'reason')

# Bits of Junk No.1 -- Backing up your MT4 install - starts on Post #2

# Bits of Junk No.2 -- Using multiple installs of MT4 on the same PC - Starts on Post #11

# Bits of Junk No.3 -- Custom made Icons for your multiple installs of MT4, (or just 'cos they're nicer than the generic one.) - Starts on post #21

Bits of Junk No. 1

If you like the idea of backing up your entire installation of MT4 onto some other media or cloud drive or something and you should like the idea, read on.

Backing up the whole thing means that in the event of your computer having a disappointing experience you won't have to spend hours re-doing all your favourite profiles and templates etc.

With a backup you can be back up and running in a few minutes, possibly before your account goes bust if your pc went down before you got a stop loss on that pesky trade you posted just as the badness happened.

If you have a backup you can run it on pretty well any internet connected Windows PC within a couple of minutes, no installation or interference to the new PC at all.

So, here we go,

Win 7 and later versions copy chunks of your MT4 install to another 'safer' location,
eg; C:\Users\User01\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes {your broker name or something} (followed by an unhelpful string of apparently random digits).

Note,

The objective behind this is to put stuff which might be able to deliver malware or other damage into a folder which is designed to try and prevent this happening,

MT4 should pose no threat to your computer and so it doesnt need to have its stuff kept there.

For our purposes this location is neither safer nor convenient, we want all our MT4 stuff in one place so we can back it up conveniently.

So lets get on with it,,,,,

You can find exactly where Windows has moved your stuff to if you go; File – Open Data Folder on your MT4 install

Then open the MQL4 folder, the contents will look something like;

Next open a new Windows Explorer window (hit Windows key +E)

You now have two windows explorer windows open, one showing your MT4 Data folder contents and another one. With the other one, navigate to the original install location of your MT4 Which will be something like:-
C:\Program Files (x86)\MetaTrader 4 (possibly followed by your broker name perhaps) and open the MQL4 folder,

you should now have two windows with similar looking contents.

Next
Copy the contents FROM the data folder (with long string or numbers/digits)
TO the MQL4 folder in the original install location. (C:\Program files etc,,,)
You can do this one folder at a time if you like or if you’re feeling bold you can delete the contents in the original MQL4 and copy/paste the contents from the data folder.
Either way the object is to make both the same with the newer data from the Data File Location.
the stuff in the Data File Location will remain undamaged.

Done that?
Ok, you can stop sweating now,
The last thing in this section is to prevent Windows continuing to mess with the folder we don’t need any longer.

This is simple,
RIGHT click on the desktop icon for your MT4 and click ‘Properties’

You can prevent Windows moving chunks of your MT4 by adding /portable to the ‘Target’ bit of the properties
dialog of the desktop shortcut.it will then look like this:

With that tag on the shortcut properties Windows knows not to move the contents of the target around.

(By the way there’s a space before /portable and after terminal.exe” in the dialog box)

You can now copy the entire MT4 folder from where it is installed and paste it elsewhere as a method of backing up your install with all it’s templates and carefully drawn SR levels and notes and stuff which take sooooo long to re-do if your computer goes poopies on you.

Your normal install will work exactly as ever, however in the background everything will be done from the one location.

To restore the backup

All you have to do is copy it from it’s location on Dropbox, a stick or external drive or whatever, and put it somewhere convenient, you might for example create a new folder in the Program Files X86 folder called ‘MT4 installs’ and paste the entire install there.

You can run the program by double clicking the terminal.exe file in the root folder of MT4

Or you can right click on the terminal.exe file and use the 'create shortcut' option to create a shortcut which you can then drag onto your desktop.

Tip;
You can get any number of free little backup programmes that will copy the lot into a Dropbox or Googledrive folder or onto an external drive or anything you like.

Next Tip;
Interesting ly you can even run MT4 directly from the backup location by double clicking the terminal.exe file in the root MT4 folder. It will run perfectly but you’ll have to put the password in.

Bits of Junk No.2

Using multiple installs of MT4 on the same computer and at the same time.

A few factoids;

1. You can run several installs of MT4 on the same pc/laptop at the same time, things will get slow if your CPU isn’t up to it, but that goes for any software.

2. You can have more than one instance of MT4 on the same - or different - computers running the same account at the same time, (both open and running at the same time)

3. You can have an install running on a home pc 24/7 with an EA and at the same time have the same account open on your laptop at work,

i. Caution here though; I don’t use EA’s a lot and I wouldn’t claim there wouldn’t be a problem in some instances.

How can we achieve this wondrous goal without spending about a week laboriously setting up any number of new installs on various computers all over the place?

There is a simple way, Hurrah! I hear you all shout joyously,

Read the item ‘Bits of Junk No. 1 – backing up your MT4’

In that you will find instructions to copy out a working copy of MT4 as a backup,

All we have to do is copy that backup onto the Desktop of our PC/Laptop, then re-name it and copy it to a suitable location (as per instructions the backing up document.) and make a couple of tiny tweaks before we pillage the fed again.

So this could be the order of events.

Back up main install on your Home PC – and rename it ‘Main Install’ - do this according to ‘Bits of Junk No.1’

Copy/Paste ‘Main Install’ onto your desktop and rename it ‘TDI H1 Method’

Copy and paste ‘TDI H1 Method’ into a folder called ‘MT4 Installs’ which you can create in C:\Program Files (x86)\

There is now a folder on the desktop called ‘TDI H1 Method’ rename it ‘TDI H4 Method’

Copy and paste ‘TDI H4 Method’ into the C:\Program Files (x86)\ MT4 Installs folder which will then contain two installs; ‘TDI H1 Method’ and ‘TDI H4 Method’

You can repeat this as much as you need, I currently have 6 installs on my main PC (I’m only using 2 of them at the moment though)

Don’t forget to create new shortcuts on your desktop and add the ‘ /portable ‘ tag as per instructions in ‘Bits of Junk No.1’

It might seem a bit intimidating at first but being able to use multiple installs of MT4 makes it well worth the effort.

Have fun!!

Awesome info....

Thank you!!

It sure is but shouldn't this really be in Platform Tech forum?

Can you confirm that this works with Windows 10?

Thanks, John

Thank for posting this info. Do you by any chance know where to find the list of shortcuts for MT4?

Good stuff, thanks!!

Yes it does work on Win10

There is a set of generic icons in Windows you can use with MT4 - they appear when you use the 'change icon' option in icon properties tab.

However,,,,

Bits of Junk No.3 will be a set of Home made custom icons with instructions which I will be posting during this weekend.

Hi.

Actually I thought of that and honestly couldn't make my mind up whether it should be here or there,