Downloads on the Datachem Software web site serve one of two purposes:
Demo software is designed to give a prospective customer an idea about the look and feel of a product to support the purchasing decision. It usually has abbreviated content or a short life-span (for example, it will not work 30 days after it is run for the first time).
Patches retrofit a correction to the program or database onto software that has been shipped and installed by customers. Patches replace files that are part of the original installation with newer versions. Obviously, patches do not correct the installation disks/CD, so any subsequent installations will have the error in it and will have to be patched as well. We advise coying the patch file onto a diskette (where possible) and keeping the diskette with the original installation media.
Patches will not run by themselves and Datachem Software is pretty careful not to put both the program and the content up as a patch - you'll get one or the other - so people who have not payed for the software license cannot get a working version of the software by downloading several patches.
First, click the link to initiate the download. Usually, a window will appearr on your screen asking you if you want to save the file to disk or open it. Choose "save to disk". You will then be asked where to save the file. The instructions on the web page will tell you where to save the file, but usually you save it in the same folder you installed your software. Don't change the name of the file being downloaded.
Second, apply the patch to the Datachem Software. A patch is usually a single file, but that single file may contain many files inside itself. These kinds of files are known as archives or compressed files. Archives may be self-extracting (.EXE) or may have to be unzipped (.ZIP).
Self-extracting files can be executed once they have been downloaded. As and example, if you downloaded PATCH1.EXE into "D:\SAFETY\CHMM", you would start Windows Explorer (or NT Explorer), point it to the D: drive and click on the the SAFETY\CHMM folder to open it. Then locate PATCH1.EXE among the folder's contents and double click on it. When it executes, it will extract whatever files are contained within it.
Contents of ZIP files must be extracted using WinZip. Start WinZip and open the downloaded file or locate the downloaded file using WIndows Explorer, if it appears with a WinZip icon (a vise) next to it, you may double click it and WinZip will open it. You will have to tell WinZip to extract all the files and you will have to tell WinZip where to save the extracted files. As a rule, save the extracted files into the folder the application you are trying to patch is installed.