PropLab Instructions/Help Questions

[DanElyea]

Today I started loading the SW course (with PL) onto my computer.  Ran into difficulty with the PropLab--it kept stalling at the same point in the process.  Several smeared spots on the  CD surface are possible suspects.  Finally was able to download the  program onto a portable drive from another CD drive, and then (apparently) load it into my computer. 

But... I see no instructions of any kind (PropLab).  No help files.  Did something not download?  Or am I not looking in the right place?  The various options all seem to be there, but not a clue that I can find about using them.  Is it expected to be entirely intuitive?

Yes, I'm totally new to SW and PL.

Thanks for any help.

Dan

[Cary]

You may have loaded the old version of Proplab, which is not that intuitive to use. But it does have a manual. The new Proplab-Pro version also has a manual. If you need us to provide you with another CD, we can do that. Or you can access everything you need from the Internet (contact me directly at oler@spacew.com) if you need this.

Put your CD in the drive and then on your computer, click Start, followed by Run...

Click the Browse... button and navigate to your CDROM. You will see multiple folders. Inside each folder is a copy of the software installation wizard. Double-click on the installation software and it should automatically start loading. Then just follow the instructions.

After the software has installed, click on Start, All Programs, and look for the new folder that was created during the installation procedure. Inside that new folder you will find the software as well as the operations manual associated with it.

If you have problems installing, we will need to get you to download the software. We recently (as in within the last month) changed the software that is used to install the packages. The old version we had was giving problems for some people. The new version of the installation software is much more reliable on all computers (including Vista). To my knowledge, the CD you were shipped probably did not contain the new packaging software. But as I said, we can ship you out a new CD if needed. Although it would be faster to download it.

I hope this helps.

[DanElyea]

Many thanks for your suggestions, Cary.  I was able to access and print out the User's Guide.

I won't try to load in other features until I get the replacement CD.

73, Dan