General Instructions

This CD contains the installation materials for the following VitalThought Software Products:

You may install the VitalThought product that was purchased (see Product Registration below) or you may install the VitalThought Bridge and/or the VitalThought Toolbox for evaluation purposes. Each product is fully functional and can be run for 60 days before a product registration (i.e. purchase) is required. Technical Support is available during the demonstration period.

Product Registration

Product registration is performed on a per workstation basis. To register your product contact VitalThought between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday at 281-535-9595 or use the VitalThought Customer Portal link on our web site http://www.vitalthought.com and log in with your Customer Code and Customer Password (provided at purchase).

VitalThought Bridge Installation Instructions

Working with Previous Versions of VitalThought Bridge

Transitioning to Version 3 will be swift and straightforward. Nonetheless, VitalThought Bridge 3 can reside on the same computer as previous versions of the Bridge. This allows the user to become comfortable with the new product before removing the previous version.

                                               

Instructions for complete removal of the previous version are provided later in the document.

System Requirements and Configuration

Minimum System Requirements

Hardware

1.      PC with a Pentium II or higher processor

2.      64 Megabytes RAM

3.      5 Megabytes of Hard Disk space for VitalThought Bridge Program Files

4.      CD-ROM

5.      VGA or higher-resolution monitor (SuperVGA recommended) running at least 1024 x 768 resolution

Operating System

1.      Microsoft Windows 98 or NT 4.0 (Service Pack 5) or Windows 2000 or Windows XP

Software        

1.      Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later

2.      Microsoft Project 2000 or later

3.      MPM 2.1 or later

Windows NT/2000/XP Installations

The VitalThought Bridge utilizes the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry during both installation and normal operation.

Installation of this software requires administrative privileges to the workstation. The Installation software will grant the appropriate user rights to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\VitalThought keys.

Registration

The VitalThought Bridge allows use of the application for up to 60 days. During this demonstration period the user has full access to all of the Bridge capabilities.

Registration details are provided upon purchase. To purchase VitalThought Bridge call (281) 535-9595. Our hours are 8 am to 5 pm Central time, Monday through Friday.

Registration of VitalThought Bridge requires purchase of the product.

Proactive Technical Support System™

The VitalThought Bridge contains a proactive technical support feature that provides information to us when errors occur during normal operation of the application. The feature logs the error and other pertinent data about the machine on which the application is running and provides the information to us via your email system. The information that is sent to VitalThought includes the log file (as displayed to the user during operation), the Bridge database and the Microsoft Project schedule on which the application is running.

The user must initiate the email by pressing the ‘Send” button on the log tab of the product.

This information will be held Client Confidential Information, and will not be disclosed to anyone outside of VitalThought.

Business Engine Software Corporation's MPM Data

The VitalThought Bridge utilizes the MPM Proj.dat file to provide all of the necessary information for interfacing with the MPM application. The Bridge installation software will attempt to locate this file during Setup and make the appropriate configuration settings. In the event that the location cannot be determined during installation the user will be prompted during execution of VitalThought Bridge to identify the location.

The user may at any time select a new location for the Proj.dat file by selecting the menu option File/Select Proj.dat File and using the Windows Common Dialog Find File to specify a new location.

VitalThought Bridge uses MPM data to perform validation on the Microsoft Project data and develop import files for the MPM application. The Bridge performs read-only actions on the MPM files and will not update or modify them in any manner.

Installation Steps

A user that has administrative privileges on the computer must perform the installation. Starting the installation may be different depending on the media of the installation package.

  • CD Installations: Load the CD into the drive and wait for the autorun to present the installation screen. Then click on “Install Bridge ” and follow the prompts to load the software.
    • If the autorun does not start the Installation software then use the Start Run box and browse to the autorun folder on the CD. Select Autorun, click Open and then click OK to start the Installation software. Then click on “Install Bridge ” and follow the prompts to load the software.
  • Web Installation: Click the link to the installation file and either chose Open or Save.
    • Open – This will start the installation immediately. Follow the prompts to load the software.
    • Save – Once the file has been saved to a location, use Windows Explorer to execute the installation. Follow the prompts to load the software.
  • Installation File: Use Windows Explorer to execute the installation. Follow the prompts to load the software.

 

The installation software may request that you reboot the computer. Even if the installation software does not request a reboot, it is always best to reboot the computer after the installation of software,.

Which Bridge is it? Version 2 or 3?

The Bridge button in version 3 is very similar to the button used for version 2. The key difference is the hot-key indicator (the underlined “B” character) in the version 3 button. Refer to the following figure to see the difference.

 

Figure 1 – Bridge Buttons – Version 2 on the left and Version 3 on the right

Troubleshooting

The vast number of computer configurations that are implemented within different companies provides a formidable task in producing an installation that will work in all environments. Windows profiles, operating systems and IT policies affect users in many different ways.

 

Use these steps to resolve any problems that may occur during or after installation of the software:

 

  1. Did the installation provide any error messages during execution?

 

Contact VitalThought at 281-535-9595 to provide the specific error code and description.

 

  1. The VitalThought Bridge button is not visible when I open Microsoft Project.

 

From the Microsoft Project menus perform the following:

    1. Select Tools – Customize – Toolbars to open the Customize dialog box as shown in the following figure:

 

Figure 2 – Microsoft Project Customize Dialog

    1. If the VitalThought Toolbar is listed, then ensure that the checkbox is checked.
    2. If the VitalThought Toolbar is not listed, then take the following actions:

                                                               i.      Select the Commands tab of the Customize dialog box

                                                             ii.      Select the Tools category.

                                                            iii.      Scroll down the Commands list to find the “COM Add-ins” button as shown in the following figure.

 

Figure 3 – Customize Dialog with Tools/COM Add-Ins… selected

                                                           iv.      Drag the “COM Add-Ins…” button out of the dialog box and drop it in the Microsoft Project toolbars above.

                                                             v.      Close the Customize dialog box.

                                                           vi.      Click the “COM Add-Ins…” button to open the COM Add-Ins dialog box which is shown in the following figure.

 

Figure 4 – COM Add-Ins Dialog Box

                                                          vii.      If VitalThought Bridge is listed then ensure that the checkbox is checked.

                                                        viii.      If VitalThought Bridge is not listed then perform the following:

1.      Click the Add button of the COM Add-Ins dialog box.

2.      Use the Add Add-In dialog box to browse to the location where VitalThought Bridge was installed. If the standard installation parameters were accepted that location should be: “C:\Program Files\VitalThought\Bridge”. You may need to search for the file VTBridge.dll to locate the file. Once you have located the file click on it and then click the OK button of the Add Add-In dialog box.

    1. The Bridge button should now be available in the Microsoft Project toolbars.

 

If you have any difficulty performing these operations please call VitalThought Technical Support at 281-535-9595.

Uninstalling Version 2.0.x

To completely remove a previous version of VitalThought Bridge from your computer take the following actions. These actions require administrative privileges on the computer.

  1. Open the Control Panel Add or Remove Programs applet.
  2. Select VitalThought Bridge 2_0 Patch 1 item and click the remove button. Follow the prompts to remove the software.
  3. Select VitalThought Bridge item and click the remove button. Follow the prompts to remove the software. There will be error messages during this process as some of the files were removed during step 2.
  4. Open Microsoft Project.
  5. Use the Tools – Customize – Toolbars menus to open the Customize dialog box as shown in the following figure.

 

Figure 5 – Customize Toolbars Dialog Box

  1. Select the VitalThought toolbar and click the Delete button.
  2. Close the Customize dialog box.
  3. Close Microsoft Project.
  4. Open Microsoft Project – the version 2 Bridge button should be removed.
  5. Press Alt-F11 to open the Visual Basic Editor as shown in the following figure.

 

Figure 6 – Visual Basic Editor

  1. Locate the ProjectGlobal item in the upper left box of the form.
  2. If necessary expand the ProjectGlobal item and the Modules folder underneath it to reveal the VitalThought module.
  3. Select the VitalThought module.
  4. Perform a right mouse click and select Remove VitalThought from the menu. You will be prompted to export the module. It is not necessary to export the module – click No.
  5. Close the Visual Basic Editor.
  6. Close Microsoft Project.
  7. Use Windows Explorer to navigate to “C:\Program Files\VitalThought\Bridge.
  8. Delete the file BridgeLog.txt.

Uninstalling Version 3.0.x

To completely remove a version 3 of VitalThought Bridge from your computer take the following actions. These actions require administrative privileges on the computer.

  1. Open the Control Panel Add or Remove Programs applet.
  2. Select VitalThought Bridge 3 item and click the remove button. Follow the prompts to remove the software.
  3. Open Microsoft Project.
  4. Locate the COM Add-Ins button. If there is not a COM Add-Ins button then follow these steps. If there is a button move on to step 5.
    1. Select Tools – Customize – Toolbars to open the Customize dialog box as shown in the following figure:

 

Figure 7 – Microsoft Project Customize Dialog

    1. Select the Commands tab of the Customize dialog box
    2. Select the Tools category.
    3. Scroll down the Commands list to find the “COM Add-ins” button as shown in the following figure.

 

Figure 8 – Customize Dialog with Tools/COM Add-Ins… selected

    1. Drag the “COM Add-Ins…” button out of the dialog box and drop it in the Microsoft Project toolbars above.
    2. Close the Customize dialog box.
  1. Use the COM Add-Ins.. button to open the COM Add-Ins dialog box as shown in the following figure:.

 

Figure 9 – COM Add-Ins Dialog Box

  1. Select VitalThought Bridge Add-In and click the Remove button.
  2. Close the Customize dialog box.
  3. Close Microsoft Project.

VitalThought Toolbox Installation Instructions

The Toolbox Engine

The VitalThought Toolbox utilizes Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) of SQL Server 2000. This is a freely distributable version of the software created by Microsoft that provides database support for a single user or small workgroup. It does not include the database administration capabilities that accompany the full scale SQL Server product. This installation process will deploy and configure the MSDE for use by the client versions of the Toolbox.

The computer MUST be rebooted at the completion of the installation process. The same user (or and administrator) must log back into the workstation so that the process will automatically complete by attaching the database to the Toolbox Engine.

Win9x Installations

This VitalThought Toolbox Engine can be installed on a Win9x computer. All MSSQLService aspects of the MSDE are handled during installation, including the account that runs the MSSQLService.

Windows NT/2000/XP Installations

Installation of this software requires administrative privileges to the workstation or server. Once installed the administrator must ensure that the MSSQLService is running under an account that has "Full Control" privileges to the Temporary File Location set by the VitalThought Toolbox SYSADMIN from the VitalThought Toolbox Master Toolset or Stand Alone.

The VitalThought Toolbox utilizes the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry during installation and normal operation. Installation of this software requires administrative privileges to the workstation. User access to VitalThought registry information for normal operation is granted during installation.

Use of Business Engine® Software Corporation's MPM™ Files

The VitalThought Toolbox reads the Business Engine® Software Corporation's MPM™ files in its normal operations. The user may be prompted for the location of the MPM™ "Proj.dat" file during its use.

VitalThought Toolbox Security

The MPM™ System Administrator should participate in the installation. This is important because the SYSADMIN password is unprotected and needs to be changed after installation. The default password is TOOLBOX. Both SYSADMIN and TOOLBOX must be entered as uppercase characters.

After installation, and the SYSADMIN's first login, any MPM™ user may utilize the VitalThought Toolbox by logging in with their MPM™ username and the password of PASSWORD in uppercase. Users should change their passwords to be unique.

The VitalThought Toolbox uses MPM™ security settings for Project access and WBS-Leg Security. A user that can see Project X and not Project Y in MPM™ will only see Project X in the Toolbox as well. The same is true for security implemented on WBS legs.

Temporary File Location

The VitalThought Toolbox uses a temporary folder during the "Project Refresh" process. The SYSADMIN must set the location of this temporary folder on the first login to the application. Use the menus to select File/Select Temp Dir to establish this location. This file is best located on the computer where the Toolbox is installed. The account under which the MSSQLService is running MUST have "Full Control" privileges to this folder.

Installation Steps

Toolbox Engine

  1. Click on the "Install Toolbox Engine" link.
  2. Follow the prompts during installation.
  3. Exit the installation when complete.
  4. Reboot the computer.

    Continue for Windows NT installations:

  1. Use the Start menu to select Start/Settings/Control Panel.
  2. Open the Services applet.
  3. Select the MSSQLService service and click the "Startup..." button.
  4. Note the account that is running the MSSQLService. Ensure that the account has "Full Control" privileges to the designated Temporary File Location described above or change the account to an account that does have the required access.
  5. If the account was changed then stop the MSSQLService and restart the service.
  6. Note the computer's Network Name - it will be needed for client installations.

Toolbox Client

  1. Click on the "Install Toolbox Client" link.
  2. Follow the prompts during installation.
  3. Exit the installation when complete.