Below are very detailed steps for installing our game software. We've prepared
these instructions to be somewhat generic so that they might also be useful for
installing other software as well. The intended audience is a novice user of
Windows XP, Vista or 7.
Typically, there are multiple acceptable ways to install software. The instuctions
below describe just one such method.
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1. Download Software
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Popular browser brands include Internet Explorer, Navigator, and Firefox.
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The exact steps for downloading software from the Internet will vary depending on
the brand and version of browser you are using. Below are generic steps that will
work in most browsers.
- 1.1) Visit the web site of the software you want to download, and find the link
to the download file. The link for Empire Builder Pronto is below.
- 1.2) Right click the download link... doing so should display a list of
options, one of which is "Save Link As" or similar wording. Choose that option.
- 1.3) Try it here with Empire Builder Pronto™: right click on
EBP.ZIP and choose "Save Link As"
- 1.4) Your browser's "Save As" window should open. Use its menus and features
such as "Browse Folders", to find your way to the C:\ hard disk drive.
Then click the Save or OK or similar button to save the download file into it.
The downloading process should begin, and you may see a progress bar and other
information such as the results of an automatic virus scan.
Some computers might be set up to automatically begin an extract/unzip process
upon downloading. If you observe that, jump ahead to step 2.7, otherwise proceed
below.
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Q. Why don't you show a screen shot here?
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A. The different versions of Windows each look different, and we don't want people
to think they are in the wrong spot if their display is not identical to a sample
screen shot. Rather than screen appearance or exact wording, strive to find the
desired functionality.
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2. Uncompress Download
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ZIP is a popular compression format
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To reduce download time most downloads are provided in a compressed form, and that means
you cannot put them to use until you uncompress them. Now find the downloaded file on
your computer so you can uncompress it.
- 2.1) If you see ebp.zip listed, click on it and jump to step 2.6 below, otherwise
you need to find the rbp.zip you downloaded. In Windows, click the Start button;
usually the Start button is found near a corner of the display.
- 2.2) The Start menu will pop up. Look for and click "My Computer" or "Computer".
- 2.3) Usually several devices, such as hard disk drives, CDs, DVDs, and others
will be shown. Look for the one labeled C: and double click on it.
- 2.4) Typically you'll be shown an alphabetized list. Most items in the list
will be of Type File Folder. These are the already existing folders/subdirectories
on your drive C:.
- 2.5) Find your downloaded file in the list. In this case you are looking for
"ebp.zip" or just "ebp" of Type "Compressed..." in the C:\ folder (or whatever
folder you used in step 1.4). If the file Type is not displayed in the
list, you can examine it by right clicking on the item and choosing Properties.
- 2.6) If via the steps above you come upon a list that includes CP5DLL32.DLL, you
are getting close: look for an "Extract all files" menu item and choose it. If you
do not see CP5DLL32, instead look for the ebp compressed zip file, right click on
it and choose Extract All.
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Q. I don't see an Extract option.
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A. Some versions of Windows prior to XP were not able to handle ZIP files directly. You
will need an external program such as PkUnzip or WinZip to uncompress the ZIP file. Such
discussion is beyond the scope of these instructions. Visit sites such as
WinZip
or PkUnZip.
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Continuing...
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- 2.7) The Extract feature activates the Windows extraction (uncompression) process.
Exactly what will appear on your screen depends on your version of Windows. Proceed to
where Windows displays "Files will be extracted to this directory:" or
"Files will be extracted to this folder:" or similar.
- 2.8) Windows will show an extraction folder/subdirectory name such as "C:\ebp" or
something like "C:\Users\myname\Downloads\ebp". If a
folder by this name (ebp) does not yet exist on drive C:, Windows will create it and place
inside it the uncompressed files of the download. Proceed by clicking the Next or Extract
or similarly named button.
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Q. Should the Empire Builder Pronto (EBP) folder go in Program Files?
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A. We recommend against it. Windows Vista introduced changes that make the Program
Files folder act differently and interfere with smooth operation of EBP.
If you are installing some other software application and it requires being stored
within the Program Files folder, manually modify the extraction location in step 2.8.
For example, you might change it to C:\Program Files\newapp
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Ready to Run
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- 2.9) Windows will display the contents of the folder into which you extracted
the files.
- 2.10) If you are using Windows Vista or 7, to run EBP right click on ebp.exe or
the ebp Application, and choose Run as Administrator. With older versions of Windows,
you can simply double click on ebp.exe or the ebp Application.
- 2.11) Enjoy!
Other applications may require you to run at step 2.10 a setup or install process.
Look for items in the list named setup or install. EBP, however, does not require
this, and you should ignore the install.bat you may see in its folder.
If you wish to do housecleaning, you can now delete the EBP.ZIP download
from your C:\ folder. Navigate back to the C:\ folder, right click on the EBP.ZIP
item and choose Delete.
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Windows Vista / 7
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Windows Vista and Windows 7 have several security-related quirks. If EBP asks if
your operating system is Windows Vista, shows you a "Path/file access error", or
if its help system fails to display properly, see the
list of Windows Vista and 7 fixes.
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4. Install Game Maps
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Maps must be installed into the same folder as your EBP program!
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If you order alternate game maps for EBP, they will arrive
via email in ZIP form. The steps to install them are similar to those for installing EBP.
- 4.1) In your email program or browser, right click on the map attachment and choose
"Save Link As" or the equivalent. Note the name of the attached file.
- 4.2) The "Save As" window should open. Use its menus and features
such as "Browse Folders", to find your way to the C:\ hard disk drive.
Then click the Save or OK or similar button to save the download file into it.
- 4.3) In Windows, click the Start button; usually the Start button is found near
a corner of the display.
- 4.4) The Start menu will pop up. Look for and click "My Computer" or "Computer".
- 4.5) Usually several devices, such as hard disk drives, CDs, DVDs, and others
will be shown. Look for the one labeled C: and double click on it.
- 4.6) Typically you'll be shown an alphabetized list. Most items in the list
will be of Type File Folder. These are the already existing folders/subdirectories
on your drive C:.
- 4.7) Find your file in the list (the name you noted in step 4.1).
- 4.8) Right click on the file and from the pop up menu choose Extract All. This
activates the Windows extraction (uncompression) process. Exactly what will appear on
your screen depends on your version of Windows. Proceed to where Windows displays
"Files will be extracted to this directory:" or similar.
- 4.9) Windows will show an extraction folder/subdirectory name such as "C:\bgspcl" that
matches the name of the file in step 4.1. IMPORTANT: Change this name to that of the
folder into which you had put the EBP program in step 2.8; if you used the names
recommended above, that folder will be "C:\ebp". Proceed by clicking the Next or
Extract or similarly named button.
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Q. Help, I don't know which folder has EBP.
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A. If you do not know which folder contains EBP, run EBP and click its Help, About pull down
menu. At the bottom of the "About EBP" windows is listed the folder name of the Program's
location. That's the folder into which to extract/uncompress maps.
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We hope these details helped you learn about software installation!
If you encountered a problem, see the EBP FAQ.
