Installation notes for Focus on Bee-Bot: Lesson Activities 1 version 3

technical support   

1. Product Registration

The main program is protected by a licencing system. To continue using the program after 14 days, you must register the software on-line. A unique serial number is supplied with the product for this purpose, usually inside the DVD case.

When the program is run for the first time after installation a product activation screen will be displayed. If you have purchased a single user licence click "next" and input your details and serial number where indicated.

If you have purchased a network or site licence version, please read the following Network Installation information before registering the product.

2. Network Installation

If the software is installed on a server then, once it is registered, it can be run from shortcuts on the workstations.

An MSI file is included on the CD. Copy the Beebot.msi file and the Beebot1 folder to your package file folder.

If the software is installed locally on the workstations, then to make a single registration for all the computers on the network follow these steps:

N.B. You must move the licence file before registration. You cannot register the software and then move the licence file.

If you want to install and register the progam on multiple non-networked PCs, contact Focus Educational so that the serial number can be modified.

The program allows users to open and save files. If you wish to set the default user directory, an ini file is provided and installed in the same directory as the executable. 

Open Beebot.ini in NotePad and find the entry:

[userdir]
dir=

Insert the directory path, without the final backslash

e.g. dir=C:\UserApps.

If the entry is left blank then the open and save dialogues will start in the user's My Documents folder.

3. Vista and Windows 7 installation

If you are using Vista, you will see the following message when you  run the install program. This is a normal part of Vista's security features. Click on the Continue button and the install will proceed normally.

4. Printing

By default, the program will add the current user user's name to the bottom of any printout. You can change this behaviour so the the program will ask for a name every time the user prints anything.

Change the ini file entry to :

[printing]
nameprompt=1

5. Other settings

By default the program has a "step button" on the main toolbar that will (optionally) move the Bee-Bot every time a command is entered. If you wish to hide this option, change the ini file entry to :

[options]
showstep=0

6. Trouble shooting

Focus on Bee-Bot  uses OpenGL graphics to generate the 3D views. Graphics cards and drivers vary enormously in their ability to handle OpenGL.  With the vast majority cards there is no problem, but a few cannot handle OpenGL graphics and the 3D animations will not run. To fix this  the MESA 3D library  is provided as an alternative to the OpenGL library that ships with Windows. This effectively by-passes the hardware acceleration on the graphics card. The drawback is that the animations will run slower and the quality of the graphics is reduced.  This is why this extra file is not installed by default. 

To install MESA library, do the following:

 

Manual installation 
The above process can be carried out manually. Copy the file OpenGL32.dll  from the MESA_6_2 folder on the CD  to the same folder as the executable file Beebot1.exe. If you accepted the install defaults, this will be Program files\Focus-ES\Beebot1

N.B. This file must be in the same folder as the executable file Beebot1.exe.

This is not the same as the OpenGL library with the same name that ships as part of windows and must never be put into the Windows\System32 folder.

Technical Support

For free technical support contact:
support@focuseducational.com
www.focuseducational.com
Tel:  +44  (0)1872 241672
Focus Educational Software Ltd
PO Box 52 Truro
Cornwall  UK  TR1 1ZJ