Downloading, Installation and Trouble Shooting

Download Instructions. To download Compass, you begin by clicking on one of the options listed on the download page. Usually, your browser will display a message box giving you several options. Select the "Save" option and choose any directory or folder to save the information. I usually create a new temporary folder to store these files so I don't clutter up the disk. Once you have done this, the download process will begin. Depending on the speed of your modem and how heavy the internet traffic is, the process may take several minutes.

Troubleshooting Downloads.. Sometimes people have trouble downloading Compass files right after I have posted an update. This problem can occur when your browser has cached an old version of the web page. Since the browser is using an old copy of the page, it tries download a copy of the file that is no longer on the page. If you have trouble downloading one of the Compass files, try clearing cache in your browser.

Downloading can be slow depending on the time of day and other conditions. During the daytime, the Internet can be bogged down with thousand of users. The best time seems to be after midnight US Mountain Standard Time. This is tricky though because 1AM in Colorado is 7AM in England. At 7AM in England, internet traffic is picking up, so downloading from England slows down after 1AM Colorado time.

Installing Compass Programs. Each of the Compass programs have been packaged into a single file that includes the complete installation package. Once you have downloaded the files to your computer, locate them in Windows Explorer and double click on them. This will begin the installation process. Just follow the instructions and the programs will be installed. A Compass folder will appear in Program section of the Start Menu which contain all programs, help files and supplementary materials. There will also be an Icon for the main program on your desktop.

Trouble Shooting Installation. Some systems may have problem installing Compass programs. The Compass installation program may give you one of the following error messages:

The Windows System File RichEd32.dll is missing or damaged. This program cannot run without it. Please reinstall.

RichEdit Line Insertion Error

If you receive either one of these messages, it means that your computer is missing a key system component that is required for the operation of Compass and many other programs. This key component is a file called "riched32.dll". It is usually missing from your system because a defective de-installation program has removed it.

You can reinstall the missing file by going to this web page and downloading the appropriate file. Be sure to use the correct file for your operating system. You may also find that other system files are missing. For example, I have had reports of users getting the a message "gapi32.dll" is missing. If that is case, you probably need to reinstall Windows because your system is missing key components. You can download a copy of "gapi32.dll" at this web page.