Installing Geocomp 10.08 on Windows NT4

  • Verify that the host computer meets the hardware specifications
  • Verify that you are running Windows NT 4 Service Pack 3 or later.
  • Verify that the Geocomp dongle is embossed “Sentinel C Version B” or “Sentinel CplusB”
  • Attach the dongle to a parallel port by itself
  • Log in with administrator privileges
  • Insert the Geocomp Systems September 2001 Distribution CD.
  • If a Geocomp Systems Update September 2001 menu does not appear, either:
    • Restart Windows, close all applications, reinsert the CD and try again,
    • Enable AutoRun, close all applications, reinsert the CD and try again.
  • Check under Control Panel… Add/Remove Software, to see if Sentinel System Driver has been installed. This is required on Windows NT4 for Geocomp to detect the dongle. If not, install it by running \Sentinel\Setup.exe from the Geocomp 10 CD.
  • Configure Windows to reveal file extensions as follows:
    • Start Windows Explorer or My Computer
    • Under the View Menu, select Options
    • Select View tab
    • Untick “Hide file extensions for known file types”
    • OK
  • The following instructions assume that you are installing Geocomp to the default location, C:\GC10\. If you require a different folder, the best way is to first install to your alternative folder then refer to the Geocomp 10 User’s Guide (using the menu) for an explanation of the directory structure so you can see what to edit in the GC10.BAT file and configuration.
  • Select Geocomp 10.08 from the menu.
  • Read the Geocomp 10.08 Release Notes.
  • Read the installation notes (this page).
  • Select Install Geocomp 10.08 and answer the questions.
  • If you get an “ikernel” error, restart Windows and try again.
  • Create a Geocomp shortcut and enable ANSI as follows:
    • Start…
    • Find… Files or Folders
    • Search for the file _DEFAULT.PIF.
      • Select _DEFAULT.PIF
      • Copy
      • Find an empty spot on the Desktop
      • Right-click and select Paste Shortcut
    • Search for the file ANSI.SYS
      • Note the location
    • Search for CONFIG.NT
      • Open CONFIG.NT, in the same location as ANSI.SYS, using NOTEPAD or similar.
      • Scroll down to the end of the CONFIG.NT file.
      • If it’s not already there, add the new line: DEVICE=…..\ANSI.SYS (substituting …… with the location of ANSI.SYS).
      • Close and Save CONFIG.NT
    • Execute the shortcut.
    • If you get a DOS Prompt window, you should be able to configure the Geocomp shortcut to use 8MB XMS as described below. This allows up to 132,000 points in Geocomp. If you get an error message instead, and cannot resolve it by rebooting NT or some other means, see here.
    • Right-click on the shortcut and change the Properties as follows:
      • Under Program Tab:
        • Set the title to “Geocomp 10”
        • Set the command line to C:\GC10\GC10.BAT
        • Leave the working directory empty
        • Set the icon to GC10 icon C:\GC10\GC10.ICO
        • Tick “Close on Exit”.
        • Under the Advanced button
          • The location of the CONFIG.NT and AUTOEXEC.NT files should be the same as already noted above.
      • Under the Memory tab:
        • Set “Initial Environment” to 2048
        • Set “Extended (XMS) memory” to 16384
        • Set “Uses HMA” to ON
        • Set “DPMI” to Auto.
      • Under Screen Tab:
        • Choose Full Screen
      • Under Misc Tab
        • Untick “Background”
        • Slide “Idle Sensitivity” to LOW.
        • Enable Windows shortcut keys including “ALT TAB” and “ALT PrtSc”.
      • Select OK
    • Local user status is sufficient to run Geocomp, so you might want to relog in at this point.
    • Execute Geocomp 10 using the shortcut GC10 icon
    • If the batch file is stuck in a loop, or can’t find files, see How to Specify Additional Environment Space.
    • Enter the activation code using the instructions supplied with the code.
    • To set up plotting and printing, see Geocomp Printing and Plotting.