I have Windows Vista on my main computer. Is there anything I need to do before installing Astracadabra?

Yes, before installing Astracadabra, there are some things that you need to do if you have Windows Vista as your main computer.

Windows Vista already has new form of "ActiveSync" built into the Windows Vista operating system, unlike previous versions of Windows that required the separate ActiveSync program. The new feature built into Windows Vista is no longer called "ActiveSync" but is now called the "Sync Center". Windows Vista does not allow a user to separately install "ActiveSync" as they did on earlier versions of Windows.

Before Astracadabra is installed, there is an additional feature (program) that should be downloaded from the Microsoft website - the "Windows Mobile Device Center". This feature, in my opinion, should already be installed into Windows Vista but it is not. There is a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version and so selecting the right one depends on whether you have the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows Vista. You may check your version of Windows by doing the following:

• Click on the "Start" orb then right-click on the "Computer" menu item then click on the 'Properties" item.


• Under the "System" heading, the "System Type:" will state whether that version of Windows Vista is a 32-bit operating system or a 64-bit operating system.

To download and install the Windows Mobile Device Center, visit this Microsoft link: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devicecenter.mspx. Note the links on this page to the "English 32-bit" and the "English 64-bit" version.

Once the Windows Mobile Device Center has been downloaded and installed, Astracadabra can then be installed. The reason the Windows Mobile Device Center is required is that once Astracadabra has been installed it looks for a specific file in the Windows Mobile Device Center for merging Solar Fire chart files with Astracadabra. The Windows Mobile Device Center has many more features than the pre-installed Sync Center and is the one that Astracadabra requires.

Neville Lang, Developer