This section will discuss the steps necessary to install and configure the FTP Explorer for use on your system. For more detailed information on making connections, see the section of this help file that discusses the Connection Dialog.
FTP Explorer must run on a machine that is configured for TCP/IP network communication or Internet access. Access can be gained through Winsock and the use of any dial-up provider, a Remote Access Server (RAS), or a direct connection via a local area network that supports TCP/IP (provided there is a FTP server on the network). This table displays the minimum and suggested requirements for FTP Explorer.
The installation of FTP Explorer takes place by unzipping the distributed files, and running the setup program (setup.exe) from either Windows Explorer, the Run option from the Start Menu, or the command prompt. If upgrading, make sure that FTP Explorer is not running prior to launching the setup program, or the installation will fail. Once setup is launched, it will prompt for a location to install the program. If this is an upgrade, setup will determine the existing directory location of the program and load it as the default path for installation. If the default directory is satisfactory, choose the Next button to begin copying the files for the installation. When all files have been copied, the setup options screen will appear and prompt for the installation of shortcuts on the desktop and in the start menu, in addition to asking to make FTP Explorer the default FTP application. Select or remove any of the options that you desire, and press the Next button to continue. The setup program will make the desired changes, then prompt to reboot the system (if any of the registry enhancements were chosen from the setup options screen). After the system restarts, launch FTP Explorer. If this is an upgrade, your existing profiles should appear in the Connection Dialog. If this is the first time to run the application, you will be prompted to load the default FTP server profiles. Press OK to load the profiles, or No to leave the server profile area blank. FTP Explorer will then be ready to use.
Before running FTP Explorer, your machine must first be configured for TCP/IP use. Chances are that this will not be a problem for most users, since currently this program is only available on the Internet or subscription services connected to the Internet. In short, before you launch FTP Explorer, do the same things that you would do prior to launching your WWW browser like starting the Winsock, connecting to a RAS server or dial-up access provider, or whatever else may be necessary in your case. Once your machine is properly configured for Internet access, launch the program to start the configuration procedure.
If you are running FTP Explorer for the first time, you may wish to view or change the default user settings from within the Option Configuration Dialog. Settings to control the programs performance, and user customization are available from within this dialog. Open the dialog by choosing the "Options�" item from within the View Menu.
By default, the Connection Dialog appears every time the program launches (this feature can be disabled in the General Options Settings dialog). This dialog contains a listing of each server configured for connection with FTP Explorer. Before any file transfers can take place between your machine and the desired server, the server's information must be entered in the Connection Dialog.
Here are a few areas to browse if you need more information on program configuration, or learning the interface characteristics of FTP Explorer: