Installing Activinspire?

[dbrown]

Very simple question: what do they mean when they say "install" the software?

We have some ABV378 boards which replaced older Promethean AP2 or 3 boards.

They came with no software and people continued to use AP2/3 or non-Promethean IWB programs. Now a teacher has come with some ActivInspire flipcharts from another school and wants to be able to use it. I found there was some free promethean software on their Planet wbsite and tried to down load it.

Following their KB10416 instructions, I eventually managed to get as far as page 4/7, where it says, "Once you have downloaded the software, install it on your computer, and you are readt tc...." "To get started, open the software."

After several attempts at downloading, I got several files, all named, "ActivInspireSuite_v1.5.33368_en_GB_setup[1]", 89.638MB, of type (though I think this is Windows being silly, as there is no real extension) "33368_en_GB_setup"

This, I assume, is "the software", but I am completely baffled by the instruction to "install it" on my computer. I understand the concept of installation - copying various files to the appropriate directories in the file hierarchy, editing some of them with local data, making or modifying registry entries in Windows and sometimes running executable files contained in "the software" - but non of this seems applicable to this file. I don't know where to copy it to: the places I've tried, like "Program files", "Users", "C:\" hasn't achieved anything. I don't know what changes to make to the file or to the registry. I can't read the file in Edit or Wordpad. The file is not executable, even if given an .exe , .com or .bat extension. Winzip can't read it. ActivPrimary3 can't read it (it is apparently some sort of upgrade to AP3.)

 

I'm getting to the end of my notion of installation, so when they say, "install it", what do they actually want me to do?

 

It reminds me of what I think when I hear teachers telling pupils to "learn" something for homework. I know when I have learnt something, because I remember it. But I've no idea how or why sometimes I learn things and other times don't. So I often wonder what the teacher expects the pupils to actually DO in order that they shall have learnt whatever it is by the next lesson.

[SneakyBeaky]

Download the software from here:

English : ActivInspire : Software : Promethean Planet

it should be an .exe file

ActivInspireSuite_v1.5.33368_en_GB_setup.exe

Click on it to run it and it will install.

Make sure that it has downloaded correctly . It should be 155 MB (163,182,832 bytes) in length.

Edited February 8, 2011 by SneakyBeaky
Additional information

[dbrown]

Thanks. I did try putting on a .exe extension, but that did not work.

Todays downloads came in different sizes, 68413kB, 71,625kB and 159.359kB. All did manage to keep a .exe extension, though the second added the usual [1]. The 159,359 one is the right size and runs as a .exe, so I'll try that.

(It may be that the problem yesterday was due to downloading directly to the target PC. But it was odd that the files all got [1] added (in 3 different directories), all got the .exe removed and the one I tried would still not run even with the .exe put back on.)

[elsiegee40]

You will need administrative privileges to install any software on a computer. Installation is more than copying files into the right place.Do you have these privileges?

 

Normally only the Network Manager or IT Technician has these privileges and they are responsible for installing software. (This is for good reasons to do with ensuring that any changes do not adversly affect anything else) Even my standard login does not have admin rights... it stops me from making mistakes that might knock out the network! I have to login deliberately with a different ID and password to do this. If you don't have admin privileges, don't expect the person who does to simply hand over the password. It won't happen. Those logins are dangerous in untrained hands! (They're dangerous in trained ones too unfortunately!)

 

Logged in with admin rights, the setup should run and probably unzips the exe file as part of the installation. It will require a product key (code) which enables you to complete the installation. IIRC, ActivPrimary/ActivStudio cannot co-exist with ActivInspire, so once installed on a machine the older versions will be unusable. It should be possible to use resources from these two in ActivInspire though.