Communicator Help: Technical Appendix

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Technical Appendix

The information provided in this appendix is for advanced users only. You don't need it for normal operation of AOL® Communicator.

Location of Installed Files
Updating a Previous Installation
Changing Your Regional Options

Location of Installed Files

This information is provided for advanced users only. You don't need to know these details for normal use of AOL Communicator.

Unless you changed the default location during installation, the AOL Communicator installation directory is located here:

C:\Program Files\AOL Communicator

Your preferences and other personal settings are stored here:

Windows 2000/XP: `C:\Documents and Settings\Windows_Profile_Name\
Application Data\AOL Communicator`

Windows 98, single user: `C:\Windows\Application Data\
AOL Communicator`

Windows 98, multiple users: `C:\Windows\Profiles\
Windows_Profile_Name\Application Data\
AOL Communicator`

where Windows_profile_name is the name of the Windows profile you are using when you install AOL Communicator.

In addition to `AOL Communicator`, the `Application Data` directory includes the directory `NSS PKI Store`, which stores your passwords, certificates, and other security-related information.

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Updating a Previous Installation

Updating AOL Communicator is easy—just follow the regular installation instructions in Installing AOL Communicator. If you're asked whether you want to keep your existing profile information, click Yes.

AOL Communicator can detect that an upgrade is available and ask you whether to download it. If you see such a message, click Upgrade Now to download the software.

If you are updating a beta release older than AOL Communicator Preview Release, follow these steps to update it with AOL Communicator while preserving your Address Book entries and local mail:

1. Close every AOL Communicator window.
2. Open the My Computer icon on your desktop and navigate to the Application Data directory for your system user profile:

Windows® 2000/XP: `C:\Documents and Settings\Windows_Profile_Name\
Application Data\`
Windows® 98, single user: `C:\Windows\Application Data\`
Windows® 98, multiple users: `C:\Windows\Profiles\
Windows_Profile_Name\Application Data\`
Note: If you cannot see the Application Data directory inside your profile directory, open the Tools menu, choose Folder Options, click the View tab, and select the option labeled "Show hidden files and folders".

3. Inside the `Application Data` directory, open the directory `AOL Communicator`, which contains your user profile information (such as account settings and preferences).
4. Inside the directory `AOL Communicator`, find the `local` and `pop` directories, and drag them out onto your desktop or any other convenient location.
5. Click the Start Menu, choose Programs, then AOL Communicator, then Tools, then Uninstall AOL Communicator.

When asked whether you want to delete your previous user profile for AOL Communicator, click Yes.

6. Open this directory on your computer: `C:\Program Files\`
7. If the directory `AOL Communicator` is still present inside the Program Files directory, delete it.

If you see a message saying that it can't be deleted, go on to the next step.

8. Download and install the software as described in Running the Setup Program.
9. Use the Account Wizard to set up your mail accounts again (as you did for the previous release).
10. Close every AOL Communicator window.
11. Inside the directory `Application Data`, locate the directory `AOL Communicator` (the location of the new user profile you just created).
12. Inside the `AOL Communicator` directory, delete these directories:
    `local`, `pop`, `mcache`, `scache`.
13. Move your old `local` and `pop` directories (which you moved in Step 4) into the directory `AOL Communicator`.
14. Double-click the AOL Communicator icon on the desktop, or open the Start menu and choose Programs, then AOL Communicator, then AOL Communicator.
15. When the AOL Communicator Mail window opens, click the Local Mail folder, open the File menu, and choose Refresh Folder List. Then select each top-level POP account folder and refresh it in the same manner.

All the Local Mail folders from your old profile should now be present, as well as any local POP mail you may have stored for your POP accounts.

The procedure described above is the most reliable way to install AOL Communicator and preserve local mail information. If you run into problems after installation, follow Steps 3 through 15 again.

Upgrading without creating a new user profile: Not recommended for this release. If you are updating a previous installation and you attempt to retain all your old user profile information rather than creating a new profile as described above, Communicator Mail opens without first launching the Account Setup Wizard. Your original accounts will all be preserved, but you may run into problems.

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Changing Your Regional Options

New versions of AOL Communicator will soon be available in other languages. To display buttons, menus, Help, and other elements of the software correctly in a given language, you must do two things:

- Download and install the version of AOL Communicator for the language you want to use.
- Make sure your Regional Options have been configured correctly for that language.

To change your Regional Options for Windows 2000:

1. Click the Start Menu and choose Settings, then Control Panel, then Regional Options.
2. Under Language settings for the system:

Make sure the writing system for the language you want to use has a checkmark beside it.
Click Set Default, choose the appropriate locale for the language you want to use (for example, Japanese if you are trying to use Japanese), and click OK.
Click Apply. If the files required for your selection aren't available on your hard disk, you'll be asked to insert the Windows® CD so that the system can copy them to your computer. You may also be asked to restart your computer.

3. Under Settings for the current user, choose the name of the language you want to use from the drop-down list.
4. Click OK.

To change your Regional Options for Windows XP:

Note: These instructions assume you are using the default Windows XP control panel interface—not the "classic" interface.

1. Click the Start Menu and choose Settings, then Control Panel.
2. Click Date, Time, Language and Regional Options.
3. Under Pick a Control Panel icon, click Regional and Language Options.
4. Click the Advanced tab.
5. Under Language for non-Unicode programs, select the language you want to use from the drop-down list.
6. Select the checkbox near the bottom labeled "Apply all settings to the current user account and to the default user profile."

If the language you want isn't available: If you can't see the language you want, you may need to install supplemental language files:

1. Click the Languages tab.
2. Select the appropriate checkbox under "Supplemental Language Support."
3. Click Apply.

If the files required for your selection aren't available on your hard disk, you'll be asked to insert the Windows CD so that the system can copy them to your computer. You may also be asked to restart your computer.
After you install the files, be sure to open the Regional and Language Options control panel again and change the settings in the Advanced tab as described above.

7. In the Regional and Language Options control panel, click the Regional Options tab. Select the language you want to use from the drop-down list under Standards and Formats.
8. Click OK.

When you're finished adjusting your Regional Options, launch the version of AOL Communicator that supports the language you just set up. The interface should be displayed in the correct language.

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Last Updated September 16, 2003