If you purchased WhiskerServer with hardware, this will all have been done for you. However, this section be useful if you need to reinstall the software for any reason, or if you are installing Whisker from scratch yourself.
Install Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista
If you don't know how to install this, find an expert. You will want to install Windows NT Service Pack 3 or greater (5 or greater for large hard disks) if you use NT4.
If you plan to use Windows Vista, see Notes on running Whisker under Windows Vista.
Tip
User accounts. When you install Windows NT, it creates a user account called Administrator, and you set the password for this account. Never lose this password. It is also a good idea to add a new user (e.g. "Rudolf") and subsequently do all your work in this user, so that you always have the Administrator account to fall back on. You may or may not want to give the new user the power and responsibility of an administrative account. Choose Start → Programs → Administrative Tools (Common) → User Manager to add users.
You should log in to Windows NT as an Administrator for the installation of the rest of the software - administrator authority is required to install TCP/IP, the Amplicon drivers and ODBC.
You must install and configure TCP/IP (found under Control Panel → Network → Protocols), even if you have not installed a network card, because Whisker uses TCP to communicate.
Tips
Rescue Disk. Whenever you make major changes to your computer's configuration, update the Rescue Disk once you are sure the new changes worked and the system is stable. Run rdisk.exe and choose Update Repair Info, then Create Rescue Disk.
Regional settings. After installation, choose Control Panel → Regional Settings and configure your computer for the country you live in. It makes dates more consistent.
Command prompt here. If you would like to be able to right-click a folder and bring up a command prompt already in that directory, run Windows NT Explorer and choose View → Options → File Types. Choose "Folder", and click Edit → New. In the Action box, fill in "Command prompt here". In the Application used to perform action box, fill in
C:\WINNT\system32\cmd.exe /k cd "%1"
or a different directory if you have installed Windows NT elsewhere. Click OK.
Install digital I/O drivers
Please see the CDs supplied with your cards for details. Installation may be slightly complex. At the time of writing, installation is different for ISA and PCI versions of the Amplicon cards, while Advantech cards require installation of the drivers before installation of the cards.
Install multimedia drivers (monitors, serial cards, sound cards, touchscreens)
Windows drivers for monitors, serial cards and sound cards should be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you are using touchscreens, UPDD must be installed, and touchscreens configured and calibrated according to the UPDD manual.
All devices should be enabled for use in Windows (for monitors, all monitors should be enabled, and the desktop extended onto these monitors).
Install a database with ODBC support
This is optional. However, many commercial Whisker clients use the ODBC protocol to store data in a relational database (RDBMS). They will work without this facility, but it dramatically improves a lab's productivity. Microsoft Access 97 is one example of such a RDBMS. Windows 2000 comes with ODBC, but you will still need some form of database.
Install programming languages
Follow the instructions that accompany each product.
Install Whisker
Insert the Whisker CD and double-click the installation program for your edition (e.g. Basic, Multimedia). It will be named something like Whisker_Multimedia_Setup.exe. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Configure Whisker for your hardware
Once Whisker is installed, you can start the server by choosing Start → Whisker → WhiskerServer. From the main menu, choose Configure Hardware and proceed according to the instructions in the rest of this guide.
When Whisker is installed, it registers the WhiskerReset utility to be run when Windows starts. By default, this ensures that all devices are turned off (high, or 0V, on a conventional system) as soon as a user logs in to Windows. If you wish to modify this behaviour, you must edit the system registry. This should only be done by an experienced user. Choose Start → Run → REGEDIT. Edit the key as follows:
Key: HKEYLOCALMACHINE
SubKey: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\
Value: WhiskerResetUtility
Type: REG_SZ
Data: Path to the WhiskerReset.Exe file.
Remove the value to prevent any reset. Append the option "ReverseOutputs" or "On" to reverse the behaviour at startup, i.e. to switch the lines all on ('low', or -24V, on conventional systems).