Installing Geocomp 10.08 on Windows XP

Prepare your computer

          • Verify that the host computer meets the hardware specifications.
          • If you have a parallel port dongle, check the Geocomp dongle is embossed Sentinel C Version B or Sentinel CplusB.
          • If you don’t have a parallel port, contact Geocomp Systems for advice about USB dongles.
          • Attach the dongle to a parallel or USB port
          • Login with administrator privileges
            • Start Windows Explorer or My Computer
            • Under the Tools Menu, select Folder Options
            • Select View tab
            • Under Advanced Settings, Files and Folders, untick “Hide file extensions for known file types”
            • OK
            • Configure Windows XP to reveal file extensions as follows:Instal

Install

Copy Geocomp already running on another computer

If you already have Geocomp 10 running on another computer it’s much simpler to copy the whole folder complete with data and configuration. There are no settings in Windows registry.

                1. Copy the whole C:\GEOCOMP folder including subfolders onto a USB drive.
                2. Copy from the USB drive onto the new computer.
                3. Upgrade to a more recent version, if required.
                4. Configure the Geocomp Shortcut, as described below.

 

Install from scratch using the Geocomp 10.08 CD

          • 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.
          • 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.
          • Upgrade to a more recent version, if required.
          • Configure the Geocomp Shortcut, as described below.

Configure the Geocomp shortcut

          • In Windows Explorer or My Computer, find the file C:\GC10\Extras\GC10-98.PIF
          • Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard
          • Using the left mouse button, drag GC10-98.PIF onto the desktop
          • Release the Ctrl key
          • Right click on the new shortcut icon on the desktop
          • Select Properties
            • Under General Tab:
              • Set the title to “Geocomp 10”
            • Under Memory Tab:
              • Set “Initial Environment” to 4096
              • Set “Expanded (EMS) memory” to None
              • Set “Extended (XMS) memory” to 16384
            • OK
          • The remainder of the shortcut properties are preset correctly. Here are the all the relevant settings if you need to confirm them:
            • Under General Tab:
              • Set the title to “Geocomp 10”
              • Under Program Tab:
                • Set the command line to C:\GC10\GC10.BAT
                • Leave the working directory empty
                • Set the icon to C:\GC10\GC10.ICO GC10 icon
                • Tick “Close on Exit”.
              • Under the Memory tab:
                • Set “Initial Environment” to 4096
                • 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”
                • Set “Idle Sensitivity” to LOW.
                • Enable Windows shortcut keys including “ALT TAB” and “ALT PrtSc”.
              • Select OK

Enable text display using ANSI

Select D for DOS Shell in Geocomp Main Menu. The DOS prompt should look something like:

C:\GC10\DATA[GEOCOMP 10 DOS SHELL] >

When ANSI is not enabled, you see this instead:

[1;36mC:\GC10\DATA [2;33m[GEOCOMP 10 DOS SHELL] > [1;32m

To enable ANSI, see How Geocomp displays text using ANSI.

Check for possible problems

        • Logout as administrator and login as local user (optional)
        • Execute Geocomp 10.08 using the shortcut GC10 icon
        • If the batch file is stuck in a loop, or can’t find files, try using the alternative batch file C:\GC10\Extras\GC10min.bat which uses minimal environment space.
        • If you get Windows errors about 16-bit file system, this is usually due to XP Service Pak 2 deleting the system autoexec.nt file from time to time. This is a bug in SP2. You can work around this by configuring the shortcut to use a different autoexec.nt file.
        • If Geocomp reports “cannot find Geocomp security device”, check the dongle and Sentinel driver.
        • If you experience problems with your Geocomp graphics display, see How to solve problems with VGA graphics.

 

Complete the installation

        • Enter the activation code using the instructions supplied with the code. The activation code for Geocomp 10.07 works with 10.08.
        • If you are using the Urban Drainage (DGE) module, see Section 9.4 in the User’s Guide.
        • To set up plotting and printing, see Geocomp Printing and Plotting.
        • To change the software or data locations, refer to the User’s Guide C:\GC10\docs\gc1007ug.pdf for an explanation of the directory structure.
        • Contact Geocomp Systems if you have further questions.