You can put the ConnectedChemistry.jar file anywhere on your hard drive, whether on your desktop, an apps folder, or another directory. However, if you’re having trouble, put this file alone in a folder by itself, so other, older files don’t interfere.
If you attempt to launch the ConnectedChemistry.jar file directly from a CD, the Simulation will not work.
The ConnChem Simulations actually require two files to run:
- ConnectedChemistry.jar
- chemdb
If you don’t have the second file, don’t panic: when you run the “ConnectedChemistry.jar” file, it will create the “chemdb” file in the same folder for you. In fact, it’s best if the “ConnectedChemistry.jar” file is alone in whatever folder you put it in. This will prevent you from using an old, obsolete database from an earlier release.
I fact, when you download the software, it’s best if you delete any files named chemdb you can find. Don’t worry… the system will make a new one when it needs to. This doesn’t mean you have to delete chemdb each time you run the file, but with a new version it’s best to start from scratch.
Do not rename any files. Sometimes if you are downloading ConnectedChemistry.jar to a crowded downloads folder, there may already be an older file with the same name, in which case your system will rename ConnectedChemistry.jar to something else, like “ConnectedChemistry-1.jar“. This won’t work. Rename the file to “ConnectedChemistry.jar” and follow the instructions below.
To run the software, follow these steps exactly
- create a new folder on your desktop, named whatever you like (ConnChem is a good choice)
- drag the file ConnectedChemistry.jar into your new folder. It should now be alone in this folder.
- double-click on the ConnectedChemistry.jar file in your new folder. This should automatically create the database “chemdb” in the same folder, and the software will run.