To use Montage, you must download and install it.  Depending on what is already on your computer, you may be able to save time by using one or more of the smaller downloads.  Also you have a choice of installation method based on your personal preference and level of experience.  The easiest and officially recommended approach is a standard setup, which assumes the least experience and handles the whole job most reliably.  If you are a moderately experienced Windows user, you may prefer to try the alternative quick installation procedure, which reduces the download size and gives you more control.  In either case, the following brief sections cover the preliminaries, and the installation is simple.

System requirements

Montage should operate on any computer running Window 95 or a later version of Microsoft Windows.  You'll need at least about 10 MB of free disk space to run the installation, although the total size may end up consuming less.

Optional Windows components

If you have an older computer, certain standard Windows components may not yet be installed on your machine.  Montage should still be usable, but some useful features may be unavailable.  You can install these optional Windows components separately by obtaining free downloads from Microsoft.  If you foresee the need for them, it would probably be best to install these components before Montage.  It should not be necessary to obtain any of these downloads from Microsoft to use Montage if you already have Internet Explorer 4.0 or later installed on your computer.

Internet Explorer (IE)

Having a fairly recent version of the Microsoft browser, while not mandatory, is strongly recommended.  Internet Explorer (IE) 3.0 or later is required for support of HTML Help.  You can obtain the latest IE for versions of Windows prior to XP as a free download from Microsoft (IE 6, SP1).  If you are using Windows 95, the latest version you can run is Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2.

HTML Help (HH)

You need the HTML Help reader, HH.EXE, to be able to access the Montage Help file, MONTAGE.CHM, which supports context-sensitive help while you are using Montage.  Otherwise, you're limited to browsing the online Montage documentation, which is always up-to-date and available in any case.  HTML Help requires Internet Explorer (IE), and is included in IE 4.0 and later releases.  The minimum requirement for the viewing of HTML Help files is the installation of IE 3 and running the free HTML Help Installation and Update Package (HHUPD.EXE) 1.40 (obtainable as a free download from Microsoft) to install the viewer components.  If you use the quick-install procedure instead of the standard Montage setup, also see about VFP runtime support for HTML Help.

Windows Script Host (WSH)

This facility is used to support dragging and dropping links from Windows Explorer into Montage, and vice-versa.  If WSH is not available, you are limited to creating new Montage Shortcuts by dragging and dropping files and folders (as opposed to links) from Explorer.  WSH is not required to drag and drop Shortcuts between montages, or when using File, New Shortcut or the New Shortcut command in the Desktop context menu.  If you have a fairly recent version of Windows (WSH was built into Windows 98 and later) or Internet Explorer (WSH is a component of IE 4.0 and later), you should already have a proper installation of WSH.  Otherwise, you may obtain the necessary free downloads from Microsoft for the WSH 5.6 update.  (Note, however, that the latest version of WSH for Windows 95 is WSH 5.5, which may no longer be available as a free download from Microsoft.)

General installation guidelines

Whenever you run a Windows application setup program, it's a good idea to take some precautions, because conflicting changes to the Windows Registry and System directory files can interfere with other applications.  While there is nothing especially risky about installing Montage, we wouldn't want to be so foolish as to suggest that you should be any less careful than usual.  That's why we don't discourage trying the faster "no-setup" installation, because it avoids the risk of touching Windows System files and registry entries.  If that quick approach doesn't work, it's very unlikely to have done any harm, and you can just proceed with the standard full setup.

The following steps are recommended for running any Windows setup program:

• Preliminaries
  • Be sure the software was obtained legally, from a reputable source.
  • Perform a virus scan against the program before running it, if you have the slightest doubt.
  • Check for an accompanying README file and review it.
  • Run a system disk scan (DOS CHKDSK or equivalent) to verify the filing system's integrity.
  • Be sure your backups are up-to-date.
    
    
• When you're ready to proceed
  • Reboot shortly before running the installation.
  • Close all other application windows.
  • Disable any unnecessary background processing activities, e.g. via tray icons.
  • Consider disabling virus scanning before starting the application setup program.
    This is optional: on the one hand, leaving virus scanning enabled during installation reduces the chance of some sneaky form of malware eluding detection; on the other hand virus scanning may interfere with certain program installation routines.  As far as we know, this is not a problem for Montage, but you may wish to disable virus scan during installation of reasonably trustworthy applications that perform extensive system-level changes, to minimize the chance of a botched installation.
    
    
• Right after the installation completes
  • Re-enable your virus scanning software.
  • Review and note the effects: new icons, folders, free space, etc.
  • Rebooting is not always necessary, but generally a good idea.
  • Test out the newly-installed application.
  • Test an assortment of your critical applications, to confirm that nothing was broken.

Installing Montage

You can choose either the standard setup program or an abbreviated installation procedure.  The standard setup requires the largest download, but it is the easiest and most reliable approach.  This is the recommended approach if you are unfamiliar with Windows Explorer.  In many cases, especially on newer computers, you can get away with a quick installation from a much smaller download.

Standard setup

Once you've downloaded the full installation program, MOSETUP.EXE, all you need to do is run it.  (Please be sure to review the preceding general precautions, though.)  From the Windows Start menu, choose Run... and enter the full path to your downloaded copy of MOSETUP.EXE, or use the Browse... button to navigate to this file and select it.  Then click OK to begin the installation.  After you've gone through the initial full setup, a faster procedure (and a much smaller download) will generally suffice for Montage program updates.

Quick-install procedure

If you are comfortable with basic use of Windows Explorer, a simple "no-setup" installation procedure may be all that's needed to run Montage on your computer.  This will substantially reduce the size of the files you need to download, and it avoids having to run any sort of Windows application setup program.  The quick installation entails extracting the contents of your downloaded MONTAGE.ZIP file into the Montage program directory, e.g. a folder whose path is C:\MONTAGE3.  (You may select any path you wish, but this is the default.)  In other words, the quick-install procedure is simply a matter of copying files (also referred to as an XCOPY installation), with no need for any changes to the Windows registry or System directory.

Dealing with compressed ZIP files

ZIP files (i.e. files with the .ZIP extension) are the most widely used format for compact storage and distribution of files.  There are numerous ZIP utilities available, including an integral "Compressed (zipped) Folder" facility built into Windows XP.  One popular third party ZIP tool is WinZip, but you can use any equivalent file compression utility (many of which are free) that supports the ZIP format.

A ZIP file can contain many files, and these can be further organized into any sort of subdirectory structure within the ZIP.  When extracting the ZIP contents, it is important to be aware of its internal directory structure, because you will generally want to preserve that organization, relative to the primary directory into which the files are extracted.  (Using WinZip, for example, you would check the "Use folder names" option to preserve the subdirectory structure.)

There are two flavors of quick setup, depending on whether the required Visual FoxPro (VFP) runtime libraries have already been installed on your machine.  If so, you're in luck, because you can use the smallest possible download, MONTAGE.ZIP, containing the following files, which you should extract into the Montage program directory:

• MONTAGE3.EXE: the Montage 3.0 executable program file
• MONTAGE.CHM: the Montage Help file
• a handful of additional small files, including README.TXT and TESTVFP.EXE
  Run TESTVFP.EXE to confirm that the basic VFP runtime, as well as support for context-sensitive help, are working properly.

Visual FoxPro (VFP) runtime libraries

If you haven't yet installed the Visual FoxPro (VFP6 SP5) runtime, you'll also need to download VFP6LIBS.ZIP and extract the following basic VFP runtime support files into the Montage program directory.  (Should you later run the standard full setup, or otherwise perform an installation that puts these libraries into the Windows System directory, you no longer need to keep the extra "unregistered" copies in the Montage program directory.)

VFP runtime support for context-sensitive help

The first prerequisite for Montage to support context-sensitive help is that you have a working installation of HTML Help.  You can confirm this simply by opening any .CHM file, e.g. MONTAGE.CHM, through Explorer.  If you performed a successful standard setup of Montage, you should also be able to obtain context-sensitive help from within Montage, for example by pressing the F1 key.  However, if you did a quick-install and your computer has never had a "proper" installation of VFP runtime, Montage's context-sensitive help will probably not function, even though you can use HTML Help in other respects.  In order to fix this, short of running the standard setup, you may extract the files, FOXHHELP.EXE and FOXHHELPPS.DLL, from VFP6LIBS.ZIP into the Windows System directory, and run the following command via the Start, Run... dialog:

FOXHHELP /REGSERVER

The Montage program directory

An installation of Montage places the program, MONTAGE3.EXE, and the Help file, MONTAGE.CHM, into the Montage program directory, which would typically have a path like C:\MONTAGE3.  The quick installation procedure mentions some other files also placed this directory.  These are primarily static files, altered only by installing a Montage update.

Tip: we recommend against placing the Montage program directory under Windows' special "Program Files" directory, because this could potentially cause problems with permissions, especially under Windows Vista.

The program directory also may contain some dynamic files, produced as a by-product of running Montage.  For example, a default Montage metafile, MONTAGE.MO3, is created when you run MONTAGE3.EXE for the first time in a given directory.  You can create additional montages and store them in the same directory, but it may be preferable to store your montages elsewhere, scattered around the filing system.  In order to be able to open any montage, regardless of its name or location, simply by double-clicking on it through Explorer, it is necessary to associate the .MO3 extension with Montage.

Icons subdirectory

Montage maintains a growing collection of icons for Shortcuts under its program directory, in the ICONS subdirectory.  As you use Montage, it extracts icons (.ICO files) imbedded in other programs on your computer into the ICONS subdirectory.  The default icons assigned to new Shortcuts refer to these .ICO files, but they are created dynamically in such a way as to maintain portability.  (If these icons are missing or deleted, Montage will re-obtain them automatically, as needed.)  Also see the Clear Icon Cache command.

The icon specification in the Shortcut Properties dialog allows you to see which icon file a Shortcut is using, or choose a different one.  If the specified icon file is missing, a default icon will be substituted.  If the icon file is not a valid image type, or if the icon is missing but fetchable, the Shortcut displays as an X-ed out gray box.

Samples subdirectory

The full setup of Montage includes a small collection of sample montages, which are normally placed under the SAMPLES subdirectory of the Montage program directory.  A quick installation does not include the samples, but they can easily be downloaded and installed separately.  The samples are not required, but if they are properly installed in the SAMPLES subdirectory, you can access them via Help, Samples from the main menu or through the More, Help, Samples command of the Montage Desktop context menu.  Aside from the aforementioned aspects of integration into the program menus, you can still use the sample montages from a different location, i.e. they are portable.  When you download and install sample montages, bear in mind that these are subject to the usual Montage version compatibility restrictions: new samples may not be usable with program versions older than the one that created them, but old samples will generally work with any newer version of Montage (possibly with an automatic metafile conversion step).

Setup subdirectory

If you ran the standard setup, a SETUP subdirectory should have been created under the Montage program directory.  This contains files required to support the uninstallation of Montage via Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs facility.  Leave this alone for the standard uninstall procedure to work properly.

Windows Shell integration

You can do some things to make Montage fit in well with the Windows desktop and Explorer interface, collectively referred to as the Windows Shell.  One of the first things you'll need is an easy way to launch Montage by clicking or double-clicking on an icon.  Another thing you're likely to want, once you start creating multiple montages, is the ability to open a specific Montage metafile by double-clicking on its .MO3 file in Windows Explorer.  Finally, if you're a real Montage fanatic, you might consider adding support for the Shell New command (we plan to make this much simpler in a future version.)

Creating links to Montage

After Montage has been installed, it's convenient to have a Windows shortcut (i.e. a link) for launching the program.  Typically, you'd place this link somewhere on the Windows desktop and/or in the Start menu.  (The standard setup does both of these things for you automatically, but a simple manual procedure is required if you did a quick-install.)  The link target may be either the Montage executable program, MONTAGE3.EXE, or a particular Montage metafile (aka montage), whose name ends with the .MO3 extension.  Right after you install Montage, before you've made any of your own montages, the simplest type of link to create would be one that points to MONTAGE3.EXE in the Montage program directory.  This will do for starters, but you'll probably find it more useful to create links to specific montages located elsewhere as you become more familiar with the program.

Creating a link to Montage on the Windows desktop

In case you're a beginner at creating Windows shortcuts (which we prefer to call links, to avoid confusion with Montage Shortcuts), here's all you need to do.  Right-click over an unoccupied part of your Windows desktop, and from the context menu that appears, choose New, Shortcut.  In the Windows dialog that comes up, specify C:\MONTAGE3\MONTAGE3.EXE (or adjust for your Montage program directory path, if you chose something else).  You can use the Browse... button to navigate to this program and select it, if that's more convenient.  Then proceed to the next step in Windows' Create Shortcut "Wizard", where you are asked to supply a name for the shortcut.  (Choose any name you like.)  Click Finish, and you're done.  The new link's icon should then turn into the Montage icon, and you can launch Montage simply by double-clicking on this icon.

Associating .MO3 files with MONTAGE3.EXE

In order to launch Montage by double-clicking in Explorer on a Montage metafile or a link to such a file, an association must established between the .MO3 file type and your installed copy of the program, MONTAGE3.EXE.  If no such association is yet defined, Explorer will ask you what program to use when opening .MO3 files.  Simply specify the path to your copy of MONTAGE3.EXE in the Montage program directory, e.g. C:\MONTAGE3\MONTAGE3.EXE, and check the box indicating that this program should always be used to open files of this type.  This will update the Windows Registry accordingly, so you shouldn't need to do this again unless you move the Montage program directory, which would be very unusual.

Adding a "New Montage" command into Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer has a "New" submenu, which can be customized to include Montage among the choices listed.  While this is not essential, it's a reasonable and appropriate convenience.  In any case, you can also create new montages through Montage's menus, e.g. via File, New Montage... or File, Save View As....

Currently Montage does not automatically integrate itself into the "New" command of the Windows Shell, however you can accomplish this yourself by editing the registry, if you are so inclined.  (Such manual procedures really shouldn't be necessary, but we haven't yet incorporated this feature into the program.)  In the meantime, for the benefit of those who are comfortable making registry changes, all that's required is to add an entry under the key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mo3\ShellNew specifying a REG_SZ type value named Command whose value data is C:\MONTAGE3\MONTAGE3.EXE /new "%2", assuming C:\MONTAGE3 is the Montage program directory path.

Montage-related entries in the Windows Registry

Even though you may not have made any direct changes to the registry, when you tell Windows to associate .MO3 files with Montage, this information is stored in the Windows Registry.  The following table illustrates some of the essential Montage-related registry entries, assuming you have also integrated Montage into the Windows Shell New command.  (Most users will never need to do anything with this information, but we provide it here as a technical reference.)

Note that ft000002 is an internal file type identifier, which was assigned automatically by Windows when the .MO3 association was defined.  This value may be different on your computer.

Updating Montage

After you have successfully installed a version of Montage, updating the program should be easy, generally requiring nothing more than replacing your old copy of MONTAGE3.EXE with a newer one, and leaving the rest of the Montage program directory as it was.  Typically, you'd also update the accompanying Montage Help file, MONTAGE.CHM, and optionally the Montage samples, but these steps are optional.  If an update requires any more than this, appropriate installation instructions will be provided.  Check the online Montage Version History and Montage Downloads pages to keep abreast of new releases and details about the latest available updates and additional samples.

Also note that Montage metafiles have versions, corresponding to the program version with which they were last saved.  Your old metafiles will be converted automatically, if necessary, when you open them with a newer version of Montage.  (A dialog requests confirmation before performing metafile version updates, which you may decline.)  If you wish to continue using old montages without converting them to a newer version, retain a backup of the corresponding program, MONTAGE3.EXE, for use with those files.

Tip: Make periodic backups of your montages as a general precaution against losing any of your work.  This is especially advisable before making any Montage program updates.

Uninstalling Montage

If you used the standard setup (which also created a Setup subdirectory), you should be able to do a proper uninstallation via the Window Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs facility.  (It's a good idea to take the usual precautions that apply to installing Windows programs when you uninstall any Window program.)  If you did a quick-install, you can uninstall Montage simply deleting the Montage program directory and any Montage-related registry keys, if any were added.  You can safely delete the Montage program directory and its contents to complete the uninstallation, but consider saving any montages that you created in case you should decide to reinstall the program.