Installing Version 2.0 (DVD)

under Windows Vista

The Photo-Atlas should install properly on computers with the Windows Vista operating system; however, after installation there are two issues that you will need to address before you can use the Photo-Atlas.

First, you will need to install Service Pack 2 for Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005. The necessary file is available free on the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=31711D5D-725C-4AFA-9D65-E4465CDFF1E7&displaylang=en. Note that the Photo-Atlas will also work with the newly released Microsoft SQL Server Express 2008.

Second, you must turn off the user account control (UAC) security feature in Windows Vista because it does not permit the Photo-Atlas content files to be copied to the proper directory. If you want to copy the images and other content files to your hard disk, you will need to do the following:

  1. Turn off User Account Control. Go to the Windows Control Panel and type "user" in the search box in the upper right. Choose "Turn user account control (UAC) on or off". In the window that appears uncheck the box next to “Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer”. Then reboot your computer.
  2. Install the Photo-Atlas, if you have not already done so, and then start the program. When the "Image files not found" message box comes up, select the drive letter that corresponds to your DVD drive and then click on the button that reads "Copy Image Files to Hard Drive".
  3. After the copying process is complete, go back to User Accounts in the Windows Control Panel. Choose "Turn user account control (UAC) on or off" and in the window that appears check the box next to “Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer”.

Installing Updates: You will also need to turn off user account control whenever you install a downloadable update for the Photo-Atlas. Note that for the Photo-Atlas to work after installing an update it is currently necessary to leave user account control turned off. We are working on a fix for this. If you are worried about the increased vulnerability to attack that this presents, we suggest that you run the original version 2.0 that came on your DVD.

Displaying Crystal Drawings: The crystal drawings, accessed via the Crystal Drawing button, are Java applets and require the Java Runtime Environment in order to run. Windows Vista does not include the Java Runtime Environment, so you will need to download and install it on your computer in order to access the crystal drawings. A free download is available from Sun Microsystems at www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp.

The Photo-Atlas of Minerals
is produced by the Gem & Mineral Council
of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.