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FreeGuide INSTALL-windows

This file is no longer needed, but I haven't deleted it yet in case it's useful.

(by Sam Pye and Andy Balaam)

Installation Instructions

Apologies to people in New Zealand, but you are currently unable to use FreeGuide on Windows*.

  1. Download and install the Java Runtime Environment, Version 1.4 at least. To find out whether you've got this, open a CMD Window (MS-DOS window), and type java -version. If it says you've got an earlier version, or if you get an error, you need to get an upgrade from http://java.sun.com/getjava/.
  2. Download the FreeGuide-XXX-Win-Install.jar file (where XXX is the latest version number), and double-click on it to install FreeGuide. You can decide where to install it, but it's probably best to leave as it is. If all has gone well, the window should disappear when you click "Finish".
    [NOTE: if you have WinRAR installed, or another program that opens JAR files instead of allowing them to be run as java programs, you'll need to open a Cmd window, cd to where you downloaded it, and run java -jar FreeGuide-XXX-Win-Install.jar.]
  3. Connect to the Internet.
  4. Open a command window (on Win XP: Start --> Run --> CMD [enter]) (on Win 98: Start --> Programs --> Accessories --> MS-DOS Prompt) and type this:
  5. cd "C:\Program Files\FreeGuide\xmltv"

    then type one of the following:

    If you're from the UK (all one line): xmltv.exe tv_grab_uk --config-file tv_grab_uk.conf --share "C:\Program Files\FreeGuide\xmltv\share\xmltv" --configure
    If you're from the US or Canada: xmltv.exe tv_grab_na --config-file tv_grab_na.conf --configure
    If you're from Finland: xmltv.exe tv_grab_fi --config-file tv_grab_fi.conf --configure
    If you're from Spain: xmltv.exe tv_grab_es --config-file tv_grab_es.conf --configure
    If you're from the Netherlands (you may get some errors, but carry on): xmltv.exe tv_grab_nl --config-file tv_grab_nl.conf --configure
    If you're from Denmark: xmltv.exe tv_grab_dk --config-file tv_grab_dk.conf --configure
    If you're from Hungary: xmltv.exe tv_grab_hu --config-file tv_grab_hu.conf --configure
    If you're from Italy: xmltv.exe tv_grab_it --config-file tv_grab_it.conf --share "C:\Program Files\FreeGuide\xmltv\share\xmltv" --configure

    Now follow the instructions and provide the info you're asked for. This will configure your listings grabber. Now you can run FreeGuide.

  6. To start FreeGuide, double-click on "FreeGuide.jar" in "C:\Program Files\FreeGuide\" from Windows Explorer. You can create a shortcut to start FreeGuide with by right-clicking on it and choosing "Create Shortcut". You may then drag this shortcut onto your desktop if you want.
  7. NOTE: if you have WinRAR installed, or another program that opens JAR files instead of allowing them to be run as java programs, you'll need to open a Cmd window, and type:

    cd "C:\Program Files\FreeGuide\"
    java -jar FreeGuide.jar

    See the README for info on how to use FreeGuide.

    If you have any problems, contact us and we'll sort you out.

* Techie people might be able to get FreeGuide working for New Zealand, but you'll need to have a working installation of Python, and then you'll need to install FreeGuide for another country (I suggest Spain) and then modify the settings in the "Advanced Options" screen.