OS Specific Details: Windows / Macintosh / Other Operating Systems
General MovieFinder Installation Notes
MovieFinder requires no installation and runs on ANY operating system (the same exact file). The 'installation' you experience when downloading MovieFinder is an automated extraction. The file MovieFinder.jar is the actual program, and requires no installation.
What it does require, is for your computer to have the Java Runtime Environment installed and reasonably up to date (1.5.0 or greater). You may update your computer by visiting www.java.com or by visiting the downloads page and installing the appropriate update.
The file Install_MovieFinder.jar is an executable standalone Java application. It will extract MovieFinder files to a location dependent on your Operating System. Specific OS details are below.
The installation places MovieFinder.jar and an icon file in a folder named MovieFinder. MovieFinder.jar is also an executable standalone Java Application. It creates/uses one data file in the directory it resides in (MovieFinder.dat). This is your movie database / library file. Any movie poster / DVD cover image files used by MovieFinder must also reside in the same directory.
MovieFinder supports multiple users / multiple libraries. Registration of MovieFinder is machine-wide. MovieFinder settings (preferences) are user account specific. If you wish different users to have different libraries, simply copy the MovieFinder.jar file to a new folder for each respective user. Passwords are associated with the library, not the user. Organization of multiple user folders is up to the administrator/users.
After downloading Install_MovieFinder.zip, double click on it.
Double click on Install_MovieFinder.jar. MovieFinder will typically exract to 'C:\Program Files\MovieFinder', and will place shortcuts on the Desktop and the Start Menu. You may delete Install_MovieFinder.jar after installation is complete.
If you need to update your computer, install the latest version of Java for Windows (direct download from Java.com).
If you double-click on the file and you can "see inside it" (you see several .class files and subfolders), then you have a conflict with a file-browsing or archiving program (such as PowerDesk). It is recommended that you uninstall Java from your computer and then install the latest update. If the problem persists, you can either uninstall the conflicting program or manually associate .jar files to run the appropriate program:
Manual .jar association: right click the .jar file, choose 'Open with -> Choose Program...', browse to the file javaw.exe residing in the Java bin directory (variant of C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_05\bin\). Be sure to click the 'Always use this program to open this type of file' box. Click OK to finish.
After downloading Install_MovieFinder.zip, extract its contents to your Desktop.
Double click on Install_MovieFinder.jar. This will extract MovieFinder to the path /Applications/MovieFinder/.
To run MovieFinder, double click on MovieFinder.jar residing in /Applications/MovieFinder/.
If you need to update your computer, install the latest version of Java for Mac OS X (visit the Downloads page).
Even after you have updated the version of Java on your Mac to 5.0 or greater, you will still get the same error telling you that you need to update Java. This is because Mac OS X retains 1.4.2 as the default until you specify 5.0 as the default under Java preferences.
Open Applications->Utilities->Java->Java 5.0->Java Preferences.app. You should set the settings to match those shown below. (each user will have to do this [sorry....blame Apple for not supporting Java as well as they claim to] ) :
If you wish to create a MovieFinder alias (using the provided MovieFinder icon shown below) for your Desktop or Applications menu, please consult this guide.
Also, please note that MovieFinder will always show the following Java icon in your Dock:
I apologize, I know this is sub-par, but it is not for a lack of trying. According to Apple, "...applications deployed using double-clickable jar files cannot customize their Dock icon." There have been four features to date the Apple has prevented me from deploying for my Macintosh users. Sorry about that. Just pretend.
All Other Operating Systems Installation Notes
Extract the contents of Install_MovieFinder.zip to the location of your choice.
Depending on your OS, double clicking on Install_MovieFinder.jar may have no meaning. If this is the case you will have to run MovieFinder from a terminal.
From the console, cd to where you extracted the .zip file and type 'java -jar Install_MovieFinder.jar'. This executes the installer.
A MovieFinder folder will be created in your user home directory. In the folder will be two files, MovieFinder.jar and MovieFinderIcon.gif. The .gif file may be used to create an icon for a shortcut if you so desire.
The folder may be moved wherever you wish. To run MovieFinder, cd to the MovieFinder folder and type 'java -jar MovieFinder.jar'.
If you need to update your computer, install the appropriate Java update for your operating system (from the Java downloads page).
Even after you have updated the version of Java on your computer to 1.5 or greater, you may still get a popup telling you that you need to update Java. This is because Unix and Linux Operating Systems often have a Java shortcut folder (sorry, I don't know the proper terminology) in the user/bin/ directory that 'points' to the version of Java that is the system default. You will need to change where that points to. (Sorry, this is not something I am familiar with, but try looking at Java's installation notes for more information.) Chances are, you've done this before.
Free registration for the first Linux/Unix user that can provide me with a tutorial on how to set the new version of Java as the default.
Send an email to: support@moviefinderonline.com.
If you still want more information or have a specific question, feel free to send an email to:
