Getting LIDA Up and Running
This page contains a collection of things we have learned about what it takes to get LIDA up and running. Please read through this page to find those sectins most applicable to you and your computer.
First: Do You Have MS Office Installed?
YES! I do have Microsoft Office Installed.
In this case, you will need to determine the “bitness” of your version of office – whether it is 32-bit Office or 64-bit Office.
If you don’t know for sure what bitness your installation is, please see this (less than 2-minute) video to find out.
The reason this is important is because Microsoft, in its infinite wisdom, has determined we are not allowed to run 32-bit applications simultaneously with 64-bit applications.
Once you determine the bitness of your office installation, you will need to get the version of LIDA that matches that bitness. If you mismatch the versions, LIDA just won’t run.
If you have Office installed, including Access, you should not need to install the Access runtime included in the package. If you have Office installed but NOT Access, you will need to install the runtime.If you don’t know whether you have Access installed, you can simply follow the Install instructions below and try to run LIDA. If LIDA won’t run, and you see an error message that says you need Access or the Runtime installed, you can at that time install the runtime that came with the install package.
NO. I do NOT have Microsoft Office Installed.Have Office? (menu)
In this case, you do not need to worry about bitness.
You should be just fine installing either the 32-bit or 64-bit version of LIDA, but you WILL need to install the Access Runtime included in the installation package.
I don’t know if have Microsoft Office Installed.Have Office? (menu)
The easiest way to find out whether you have Office installed is to try to start one of the apps.
Since WORD is the most-used application in the Office suite, you can try to start it by clicking in the Windows search box (usually in the lower left corner of your screen) and typing Word.
If you do have Word on your computer (and tharefore have MS Office) you will see a popup screen that shows the Word icon and app link, thus:
If you type in Word and get no results, there’s a very good chance you do not have Office installed. But just to be sure, you might want to try typing Excel and/or PowerPoint. If you get no results with any of those, you can be fairly confident you do not have it installed.
In either case. please follow the appropriate procedures above, I Have Office Installed or I Do NOT Have Office Installed.
Downloading LIDA[Top]
Next, go to the download page and download the correct version. If you are authorized, you will be able to see the download page on the main menu. To downlod LIDA, click on the proper link.
When you click on this link, you will be taken to a Dropbox download page. In the upper right corner, you should see a sign in link and a download button (a down-pointing arrow with a line under it):
You do not need to sign in. Just go ahead and click the download button, and then select Direct Download.
You will then be asked where on your computer you want to download this file to. You should select or create a directory where you want to keep all your LIDA components, and click OK. We suggest a directory named something like “LIDA Install Files.” This will be different than the directory where the active version of LIDA lives, and will allow you to keep your install files separate from your operational files.
Once the download has been completed, you are finished with the download process, and may begin the install process.
Installing LIDA[Top]
With LIDA now downloaded to your computer, it’s time to INSTALL it. The first thing you will need to do is to unzip the package you just downloaded. Unzip it into the same folder.
Once you have unzipped the zip file, you should see two files, a PDF and an EXE file.
Open and read the PDF file first. If you do not do this, you might miss some important information about LIDA and how to install it.
After reading the PDF file, install LIDA by double clicking on the LIDA##.exe file (where ## is 32 or 64, depending on the version you chose. This will open the LIDA installer.
If you get a User Account Control dialog asking if you want to install LIDA## from an unknown publisher, click yes.
The reason you see this screen is that LIDA is being installed for all users on your computer.
You will then see a license screen. You must accept the license to be able to install LIDA. Whether or not you actually read the agreement is up to you.
The next screen is some pre-installation information, which primarily confirms which version you are installing, and has some of the same information as on this page.
IMPORTANT! If You Have NEVER installed LIDA before, or if you have uninstalled the previous installation of LIDA, the next screen will ask you where you want to install it. We STRONGLY recommend you do NOT accept the default installation location provided, but select or create a specific folder where you want your LIDA components to live. Whichever folder you select, the install procedure will create a LIDA folder in that directory.
For example, in my test installs, I am selecting my D:\!Temp folder for installation. Once I select that folder, the dialog box shows D:\!Temp\LIDA32 as the install folder.
The next page asks if you want to create a desktop shortcut. We urge you do check this box.
The next page is simply a summary of your selections so far, and is the last page before actually installing the program.
Click INSTALL.
The next-to-last screen is post-install information, again urging you to read the PDF and giving contact information.
The final screen simply asks if you want to launch LIDA once the process is finished. If you check the box, your computer will attempt to launch LIDA after you click the Finish button.
We suggest to check this box, simply to test whether LIDA is set up correctly on your computer. If it is, then LIDA will launch and ask you to connect to your data file.
Reporting Problems[Top]
Therefore, we request you let us know of any problems you have with running LIDA.
If you have our email address, then you can send us an email directly. If not, then please make initial contact on our Contact Us page.
In your report, please include as much detail as you can, including all the steps you took, any unexpected results you saw, and include screenshots if possible showing us error messages and any other images you think might help us nail down the issue.