Module 1: Getting Started
Product Installation
If you ever need to re-download your Box Theory™ eCourse or Software, you can get the zip file at www.BoxTheoryGold.com/get-software. An alternate download site is on Google Drive. Install the products using the installation instructions provided in the zip file. If you haven’t already, please read the Box Theory™ Software Quickstart Guide
You can install your company database to the computer you will be working on, or to a file server that can be shared by multiple people (only one person at a time can work in a company database), or you can install the database to a thumb drive and move it between computers (e.g. work and home).
The first time you enter Box Theory™ Software, you will be asked to enter your activation key. The key is given in your Box Theory Software Installation Instructions.
Upon entering the program, you will be asked to type your company name, personal name, and job title. I suggest that you limit the company name to 25 characters. Use a short or abbreviated version of your company name if it is longer. You can also modify the name later within the software.
A. Re-Install Software on the Same Computer
Occasionally, a person needs to re-install the Box Theory™ software and continue with their existing company database. Below are instructions for this procedure.
- Use the Box Theory™ or Windows uninstall program to uninstall your current Box Theory™ Software. Your company database with all the work you have done will remain.
- Download the zip file and install the software using the activation key found in the Box Theory™ Software Installation Instructions. After the software loads, enter the activation key.
- When the software asks for your name/company name, click on “Cancel.” This will open Window’s folders. Go to “My Documents,” or wherever you put your company file and look for your company name followed by (BTG). Go into this directory.
- Find your company “.btg” file and double click to open it. This will load your existing company database into the software.
B. Re-Install Software on Different Computer and Move Company Database
If you intend to re-install Box Theory™ software on a new or different computer and need to move your company database to that computer, use the following procedure.
- Email or transfer your company .btg file to the new computer. It is located in the “Documents” or “My Documents” folder in a directory with your company name followed by (BTG). Place the file in the “Documents” or “My Documents” folder of your new computer.
- Download the latest version of Box Theory™ software onto the new computer. Run the “InstallBoxTheorySoftware.exe file.
- After the software loads, enter your activation key found in the Box Theory Software Installation Instructions.
- When the software asks for your name/company name, click on “Cancel.” This will open a Windows directory tree. Go to “My Documents,” or wherever you put the company .btg file you transferred from the old computer.
- You will see a red “Restore” button at the top of the software home page screen. Click to restore your company database.
- The software will automatically replicate the folder and contents you had on the old computer with the company name followed by (BTG). This will include all the component documents you have created.
C. Other Installation Issues and Possibilities
- The Box Theory™ database file can only be opened by one user at a time. It is recommended that one or two designated people become experts with the software. Note: To prevent problems of overwriting data, the database is locked to others when one user has the software open. Simple scheduling will allow more than one person to work on the same database. While it is encouraged for team members to collaborate when “roughing-in” a system flowchart using a whiteboard, a person who is familiar with Box Theory™ software will be the most efficient at developing and refining the final system documents.
- If you have more than one person working in Box Theory™ software, I recommend that the software be installed on a fileserver or in a peer-to-peer networking arrangement where both people have access to the same database file. For a second client installation within your company, you can install using the same activation key found in the installation instructions. With the proper setup, you can also access Box Theory™ software on your business fileserver from your home computer.
- It is possible with the second activation key to have two separate installations on different computers—each having its own company database. Some people have successfully installed to a thumb drive and moved the company database between multiple computers. Be sure the thumb drive is present before the software is launched and not removed until the software is closed. This enables the software to keep track of its location. (You may even be able to install and share the company database file on Dropbox, but this is untested.)
- If someone other than the business owner does most of the work in Box Theory™ software, they can periodically email the owner an updated version of the .btg file. When going back and forth, be sure that the most updated .btg file is emailed and copied over the older one.
- Upon completion of a single business system, a person could also export and email a System/box (.box file) with all of its components (e.g. flowchart, checklist, documents, measurement reports) to another person for importing into their database. All or selected parts of the Organization Blueprint (except the System Framework) can also be exported and imported between databases (.blu file). (See more on Exporting/Importing)
Let me know if I can help!