*Deep breath*

Hands up who uses Testbase.

Hands up who likes installing Testbase.

I thought so. Its apt that the name is abbreviated to TB as it provokes a coughing fit everytime I have to deal with it.

I am so sick of this ridiculous program that when the Deputy asked for me to install the latest version it was prefixed by profuse apologies.

So here I am trying to install issue 13 on CC4. First port of call was to visit the TB site and get hold of the instructions for CC3; the process for CC3 and CC4 is roughly the same so shouldn't be too tough right? Not too tough if the instructions made any sense that is. I firmly believe that these set of useless instructions was the rejected content from an experiment to test the infinite monkey/Shakespeare theory - although I believe if I sat a monkey down in front of a CCx machine and explained the package building process it would produce better instructions than the tosh I am trying to work from.

So I decided to break it down an actually look at what TB is and what is does to find the actual way to install it.

So first up you copy all the data files to a server share. Ok thats fine, no issues there. Then the workstation component copies a few files, registers an object and a shortcut....and...that's it? That's all that's required to install on a workstation? How the hell is it possible to fudge the instructions for that?

In reality the install process is very simple and here are some working instructions that have also been sent to TB in the hope that they might do something about their own. Fingers crossed.

1)Create a shared folder on RMPublic drive called Testbase32 giving the 'everyone' group 'Read and Execute' access.

2)Logon on to a workstation as an admin user and run the installation program for each subject you have purchased, using the 'Network install' option, directing the installer to the 'RMPublic\Testbase32' folder, entering your licence information.

3)Logon to clean workstation as PackageBuilder user (with clean profile), run Application Wizard and choose to create a new package then proceeding with the first scan.

4)After the first scan has completed, navigate to 'RMPublic\Testbase32' and click 'Button B'.

5)Run the second scan to create the package on the server.

6)On a CC3 network: Copy the shortcuts from 'RMPublic\Testbase32\workstation' to the shortcut bank.

On a CC4 network: Add the shortcuts from 'RMPublic\Testbase32\workstation' to the shorcutbank via the RMMC.

7)Add the shortcuts to a program set.

8)Allocate out the Testbase package.

Simple.