Support

Common enquiries about OAK are answered in the list of FAQs that follows. Questions that are not addressed here should be directed to oak@operis.com

What's new in OAK 4 is listed under About OAK. A version history that sets out the differences between revisions to OAK 4 is set out in the online help.

I've got an earlier version of OAK. What do I have to do to get the latest version?

The automatic updating feature built in to OAK may be prevented from working by the firewalls defending a high-security institution. In such circumstances you should download the latest OAK4.msi file and double click on it to install the upgrade. You may need help from your IT department to do this.

If you have version 3 or earlier of OAK, you will need to purchase an upgrade, and download the new software onto your computer.

OAK 4 will not work with Excel 97, but OAK 3.92 is still available for users of that product. Contact oak@operis.com if you want to buy that product.

Three setup files are offered for OAK. What's the difference between them, and which one should I choose?

The first of the three files offered to install OAK is OAK4-setup.exe. It contains

•	OAK4.msi: the OAK software in a form acceptable to the Microsoft Software Installer, which is built into Windows

•	additional material that is probably on your computer already, but might not be. Since OAK won't work without this prerequisite material, the OAK4-setup.exe includes it in case it it needed, and installs it where it finds it necessary

The second of the three files offered to install OAK is OAK4.msi alone. This is the file that OAK downloads and runs when asked to update itself to the latest version. Since OAK has to be running for such an update to be initiated, it follows that all the prerequisite material must be in place when OAK4.msi is invoked in such circumstances.

If you are quite certain that your computer already has the necessary components already installed, you don't need any more than this file, even to do an initial installation, and you can download it alone. Being about half the size, it is quicker to download and quicker to install than the full shipment. The time saving will be noticeable in an environment where you are installing OAK on several workstations.

•	A computer running Windows Vista or 7 and Office 2007 is likely to have everything that OAK needs already installed.

•	Software configurations that are older are less likely to have all that is needed.

But it's entirely possible that a corporate IT department has removed bits from Windows Vista, or added pieces to earlier versions of Windows, to reverse this position. The installation of software applications from manufacturers other than Microsoft or Operis can change what is available on a workstation, too, positively or negatively

OAK's prequisites are set out in the online help. If in doubt, use the larger setup file.

The third of the three files offered to install OAK does not contain OAK at all. It contains a program so small, at 359K, that it should download very quickly. This in turn will then supervise the downloading of the much larger setup file. It offers the option of downloading either of the other two files. If it is interrupted, intentionally or otherwise, OAK4-downloader.exe can resume the process. It will persist until it gets a good download. This makes OAK accessible in locations where internet connections are not fast or reliable, which describes the outposts of some of OAK's multinational users. The utility uses technology supplied by GetRightToGo.com.

Some companies set up firewalls to prevent employees from downloading executable files. Companies that do that will probably also prevent executable files from being sent by email, and prevent executable files that do arrive from being installed on workstations except by designated staff. Your best bet is therefore to get help from your IT department.

•	Download in a location not controlled by the firewall and transfer it to your computer using a memory stick

•	Ask oak@operis.com to send a CD of the file.

When I try to install OAK, my computer says that the setup file is "not a valid Win/32 executable". What does that mean?

Your download has stopped prematurely, giving you only part of the OAK set up file; or, less likely, the downloaded file is complete but corrupt. Examine the size of the file in the Windows Explorer. The expected sizes are given here.

If you persistently get bad downloads, you might like to try the OAK download manager. Failing that, ask oak@operis.com to try emailing you the program, or to send you a CD.

The OAK download manager is not making any progress. It sits there showing ???/??? bytes downloaded. Why doesn't it work?

The OAK download manager is likely blocked by your company's firewall. It is not uncommon for firewalls to be set up to allow web browsers to make downloads (which is how you managed to secure a copy of the download manager) but to block all other programs from doing so. You might like to try a download manager that adds-in to your web browser. Internet download manager is a good one; though it is not free, it will work for some days before insisting on payment. Failing that, ask oak@operis.com to try emailing you the program, or to send you a CD.

I have a computer at work and a computer at home. Can I use OAK on both of them?

If you contact oak@operis.com explaining that at any moment you could be using one computer or the other, but never both, Operis will provide a key for the second machine. Don't forget to include the OAK product ID, as it will be different on the two machines.

I have switched to using a new computer. What do I have to do to get OAK to work on the new machine?

Download OAK and install it on the new machine. Find out the OAK Product ID and send it to oak@operis.com , explaining that you wish to transfer OAK to the new machine. Operis will be happy to send you a new key. (The new product ID will be different from your old one, and so you will need a new key to unlock it.)

You can instruct Excel whether or not to load OAK through the Add-in manager. A complication is that Excel 2003, and earlier releases, have two of these Add-in managers, one that is easy to find, and one that is not. While the first one controlled earlier versions of OAK, you need the second one to control OAK 4. This is further explained in the on-line help: see here for Excel 2007 and here for earlier versions of Excel.