Installing the Product

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Installing the Fractal Science Kit

Follow these instructions to download and install the Fractal Science Kit on your computer.

The Fractal Science Kit has been tested on Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. Earlier versions of the Windows operating system may work, but I cannot attest to that at this time.

Before you install the product, please review the System Requirements.

To install the Fractal Science Kit, do the following:

Windows XP

Download the application. Click on the Download link, and follow the instructions on that page to download the product. The application is distributed as a zip file fsk.zip (Note that the 64-bit version is named fsk64.zip).
Unzip the file fsk.zip. Select the file fsk.zip, right-click on the selected file, and execute the Extract All... command on the popup menu to unzip the file. On the Extraction Wizard, click Next twice, and then uncheck Show extracted files and click Finish. This creates a folder named fsk in the same folder as the zip file. You can remove fsk.zip now if you want to.
Open the folder fsk. You will find 3 files: Readme.rtf, setup.exe, and Setup.msi.
Execute the installation script setup.exe. Select the file setup.exe, right-click on the selected file, and execute the Open command on the popup menu. Follow the directions to install the product. Note that the Microsoft installer only displays the major version number in the installation dialogs; i.e., the installer displays 1.0 for all 1.xx versions.

Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8

Download the application. Click on the Download link, and follow the instructions on that page to download the product. The application is distributed as a zip file fsk.zip (Note that the 64-bit version is named fsk64.zip).
Unzip the file fsk.zip. Select the file fsk.zip, right-click on the selected file, and execute the Extract All... command on the popup menu to unzip the file. On the resulting dialog, uncheck Show extracted files when complete and click Extract. This creates a folder named fsk in the same folder as the zip file. You can remove fsk.zip now if you want to.
Open the folder fsk. You will find 3 files: Readme.rtf, setup.exe, and Setup.msi.
Execute the installation script setup.exe. Select the file setup.exe, right-click on the selected file, and execute the Open command on the popup menu. Follow the directions to install the product. On Windows Vista, a warning dialog is displayed at this point stating: An unidentified program wants access to your computer. You must click Allow to proceed with the installation. On Windows 7, a warning dialog is displayed at this point stating: Do you want to allow the following program from an unknown publisher to make changes to this computer. You must click Yes to proceed with the installation. Note that the Microsoft installer only displays the major version number in the installation dialogs; i.e., the installer displays 1.0 for all 1.xx versions.

Windows 10

Download the application. Click on the Download link, and follow the instructions on that page to download the product. The application is distributed as a zip file fsk.zip (Note that the 64-bit version is named fsk64.zip).
After the file is finished downloading, open the folder fsk by clicking Open at the bottom of the window. You will find 3 files: Readme.rtf, setup.exe, and Setup.msi.
Execute the installation script setup.exe. Select the file setup.exe, right-click on the selected file, and execute the Open command on the popup menu. Follow the directions to install the product. Note that the Microsoft installer only displays the major version number in the installation dialogs; i.e., the installer displays 1.0 for all 1.xx versions.

Important:

If you try to install the product and the version number is less than or equal to that currently installed on your machine, you will get an error from the installer stating: An error occurred attempting to install Fractal Science Kit 1.0. In this case, you will need to uninstall the the current product prior to executing the installation script. This will happen for example if you try to install the 64-bit product on a machine where the same version of the 32-bit product is already installed. See below for instructions on uninstalling the product.

If you are installing the product for the 1^st time, you can try out the application before you need to purchase a license for the product. During the trial period, the fractal images are watermarked with the product name. Other than that, the trial version is identical to the registered version. When you register the product the watermark is removed from the fractal images.

When you purchase a product license, you will be sent an email containing licensing information which you can use to convert the trial version of the Fractal Science Kit to a registered version. See Registering the Product for details.

If you are installing an update to the product and you have a registered version installed on your machine, you can simply install the new version; i.e., you do not need to register the product again.

One you have installed the product, see Getting Started for tips on learning about the product.

If you encounter any problems with installing and/or running the application, please email me at rj.hilbert@verizon.net and I will be happy to help.

Uninstalling the Product

To uninstall the Fractal Science Kit, do the following:

Windows XP

Execute the Control Panel item on the Windows Start menu.
On the left side of the Control Panel, select Switch to Classic View (if necessary).
On the Control Panel window, double-click the Add or Remove Programs item.
In the list of programs, scroll down and select the entry for the Fractal Science Kit.
Click the Remove button.

Windows Vista

Execute the Control Panel item on the Windows Start menu.
On the left side of the Control Panel, select Switch to Classic View (if necessary).
On the Control Panel window, double-click the Programs and Features item.
In the list of programs, scroll down and select the entry for the Fractal Science Kit.
Click the Uninstall button. A warning dialog is displayed at this point stating: An unidentified program wants access to your computer. You must click Allow to proceed with the uninstall.

Windows 7

Execute the Control Panel item on the Windows Start menu.
On the top right of the Control Panel, change the View By to Large Icons (if necessary).
On the Control Panel window, click the Programs and Features item.
In the list of programs, scroll down and select the entry for the Fractal Science Kit.
Click the Uninstall button. A warning dialog is displayed at this point stating: Do you want to allow the following program from an unknown publisher to make changes to this computer. You must click Yes to proceed with the uninstall.

Windows 8 or Windows 10

From the Start screen or apps list, right-click the entry for the Fractal Science Kit and choose Uninstall.
The Programs and Features window is displayed.
In the list of programs, scroll down and select the entry for the Fractal Science Kit.
Click the Uninstall button. If Windows asks whether you're sure, click Yes.

The Fractal Science Kit will be removed from your computer. Note that the Fractal Science Kit Home folder and the files/folders it contains are not removed when you uninstall the product. If you do not plan to reinstall the program at a later date, you can remove this folder.