SETUP AND INSTALLATION

Install, move data, and troubleshoot common issues.

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Install on Mac

Table of Contents

I. Traditional (Legacy) Installation

(Option only on Windows; Macs automatically use “Home Folder” option below)

Program Folder

C:\NBWIN (default)

ALWAYS UNDER PROGRAM FOLDER

– SET BY PROGRAM ––––
User Settings ………………………………………………………………………………… C:\NBWIN + USERS\DEFAULT
Archiva Databases …………………………………………………… C:\NBWIN + USERS\DEFAULT [same]
Support (User Files) …………………………………………………………………………………. C:\NBWIN + SUPPORT

– USER FILE DEFAULTS ––
Documents ………………………………………………………. C:\NBWIN + DOCUMENT OR Windows/Mac                                                                                                                My Documents folder
Ibidem Databases ………………………………………………………………… C:\NBWIN + IBIDEM\DATABASE
Orbis Textbases …………………………………………………….. C:\NBWIN + USERS\DEFAULT\TEXTBASE

  • Program + Settings/Data can also be installed under “Program Files (x86)” but you must then run NB in Adminstrative mode
  • Starting with NB 13 (and thus in versions after it, including NB 14), the “support” folder is split — a DEBUG folder has files shipped with the program, while a parallel SUPPORT folder has user-specific files (both go under the Program Folder)
  • Familiarity — you may have been using this for as long as you have used NB
  • Makes saving data in a cloud/sync folder more difficult
    • The configuration process is complex
    • Only certain elements can be shared across computers
  • Default program location does not comply with many IT department preferences

II. New "Home Folder" Installation

(Recommended on Windows / Automatic on Macs)

Program Folder

Common options include:

  • WINDOWS
    • Legacy C:\NBWIN folder (as above)
    • Under standard “Program Files (x86)” folder (preferred by IT departments)
  • MACS
    • In “Wine bottle” folder (pre-set location)

UNDER SEPARATE NEW “NB HOME” FOLDER (by default, “Nota Bene”) in:

  • User’s existing Windows or Mac home folder (i.e., Users/YOU)
    OR
  • Cloud/sync folder (iCloud, OneDrive, GoogleDrive, Dropbox, etc.)
 

– SET BY PROGRAM ––––
User Settings ……………………………………………………………………………… NB HOME] + SETTINGS
Autosave Files ………………………………………………………………………. [NB HOME] + AUTOSAVE
Archiva Databases ……………………………………………………………….. [NB HOME] + ARCHIVA
Style Templates ………………………………………………………………….. [NB HOME] + TEMPLATES
Images (Import) ……………………………………………………………………….. [NB HOME] + IMAGES
Sample NB Files ………………………………………………………………………. [NB HOME] + SAMPLES
Support (User Files) ………………………………………………………………. [NB HOME] + SUPPORT

 

– USER FILE DEFAULTS ––
Documents ……………………………. [NB HOME] + DOCUMENTS OR Windows/Mac                                                                                                   My Documents folder
Ibidem Databases ……………………………………………….. [NB HOME] + DATABASES
Orbis Textbases ………………………………………………….. [NB HOME] + TEXTBASES

  • If you switch to this option when first installing on a computer with an existing legacy structure, the existing setting files and temporary Archiva databases will be copied to the corresponding new folder ([NB Home] + Settings / Archiva)
  • If installing on a Mac, any documents and/or Ibidem databases saved under the old bottle are copied to The DEBUG/SUPPORT folders are split — files
    shipped with the program go in DEBUG, under the program folder, while user data is saved into the SUPPORT folder under the NB Home folder
  • The DEBUG/SUPPORT folders are split — files shipped with the program go in DEBUG, under the program folder, while user data is saved into the SUPPORT folder under the NB Home folder
  • Easy to access all files, documents, and settings across multiple computers
    (when selecting a Home folder in a cloud/sync folder)
  • Folder names are more intuitive
  • Allows installation of program in folder preferred by IT departments
  • “Power” users accustomed to directly changing settings files will no longer
    find them in the same location (other users will not notice any change)
  • To optimally utilize this new structure, you may need to re-create Orbis textbases

Troubleshooting the New "Home Folder" System

Program Folder

You can install the program proper (the location of which is largely invisible in the new structure) either to the legacy C:\NBWIN folder, or (preferrably) to the standard C:\PROGRAM FILES (X86) folder (see above for details).

User Settings

  • User dictionaries
  • Phrase libraries
  • Recent files
  • Other similar files

 

These are now in a different location, as noted above

  • You will be given the option of letting Nota Bene automatically copy all of your settings files to the new location
    • Be sure to select this option when installing if you want to preserve all of your original settings
  • If you don’t let the program automatically copy your files, you can later copy some files manually, although other settings will need to be re-created
    • User spelling dictionaries — copy .SPL files from legacy users folder (see above) to Settings folder under new Home folder
    • Phrase libraries — copy .LIB and (any) .LIX files from legacy users folder to Settings folder under new Home folder
    • Other settings — default page-layout settings, screen colors, skins/themes, etc. — will need to be re-created by selecting the desired setting under Tools, Preferences (or other similar processes)

Nota Bene has always allowed you to save your documents in any folder and on any drive. But if you have not taken advantage of this flexiblity, and instead have saved them all under the original Document folder, there are multiple ways to get your documents to the new location(s):

  • If moving to the new structure when first installing NB 13 or later (including the current NB version), you will be given the option of letting Nota Bene automatically copy all of your documents that were saved under the default legacy location (C:\NBWIN\DOCUMENT) to the new Settings\Documents folder
    • This process copies both the files in that folder, and in all subfolders (and sub-subfolders) under that folder
    • The files are only copied; they are not moved or deleted
      • Once you assure yourself that all of your files are present in the new location, you can delete the versions in the original location if desired
  • If you instead saved your files in other locations (that is, not under C:\NBWIN\DOCUMENT), and you want them in the new NB Documents folder (again, this is optional) you will need to copy/move them manually, including from:
    • The My Documents folder (the standard Windows and/or Mac documents folder) if you instead saved them there
    • The cloud (a sync folder) if you used that location instead (if your new Home Folder is in the cloud, this may be copying them from one sync folder to a different one, depending on your setup)
  • Note that in either case, if the files are now in new locations, the list of the most-recently-accessed files, both under the main File menu, and also on the Documents Pane (Alt+D), will show the old locations until the files are called from their new location (thus updating those lists)
    • To avoid opening the files from their original location, you should not call them from either of these lists, but instead use the File, Open dialog to open the copies from the new locations
      • This will gradually cause the older ones to fall off the most-recently-used list (but the Documents Pane has a long list, and that may take time, so you should be check that the correct version is being called when using that list)
      • If the files on either of those lists are no longer in their original location, the new NB will (depending on your setup) try to automatically open them from the new location, thus simplifying the process
  • Note that the new Documents folder under your new Nota Bene Home Folder (e.g., Nota Bene\Settings\ Documents) is provided as an option that you might find useful if you want to keep all your Nota Bene files separate from other files, but it is not required (you can use the standard Documents/My Documents folder, or any other folder, on your computer instead)

If moving to the new structure when first installing the new Nota Bene (version 13 or later):

  • You will be given the option of letting Nota Bene automatically copy all of your databases that were saved under the default legacy location (C:\NBWIN\IBIDEM\DATABASE) to the new Settings\Databases folder
    • This process also copies all files in all subfolders, so (unless you have moved these) it should also copy any subfolders containing note-taking files
    • Note that this process only copies the database and note-taking files; it does NOT move them or delete them
      • Once you assure yourself that all of your databases and note-taking fiels are present in the new location, you can delete the versions in the original location if desired

 

  • If you instead saved your databases in other locations (that is, not under C:\NBWIN\IBIDEM\DATABASE), you will need to copy/move them manually
    • One benefit of moving them manually is that you can create separate subfolders under the Nota Bene\Databases folder for each database you might have
    • When copying database files, be sure to also copy any note-taking file folders (these usually have the name of the database, with a number [starting with “1”] appended to it)
    • Alternatively, you can create a backup of the database (File, Backup Database) and then add that backup later (as described below)

 

  • Depending on how your databases got moved to the new location, their location as displayed on the File, Gateway or Open Database dialogs may:
    • Show the new location, in which case you can simply proceed
    • Show the original location, which needs to be adjusted as follows:
      • Open another database (for example, the Demo database that is shipped with the program)
      • Close your working database
      • Go to File, Gateway, select your original database from the list, and click the Remove button at the bottom left (this will only remove the name and location from the list; it will NOT delete the database files)
      • Go to File, Add Database, and point Ibidem to the new location

 

  • While a ..\Databases folder is created under the new Nota Bene Home Folder during installation as a suggested location for your databases, you can save them anywhere
    • Especially when creating a new database, we recommend creating a separate subfolder (under whatever folder you used for your databases in general) for each individual database (Ibidem and/or IbidPlus) you have

Unlike Ibidem databases, Orbis textbases have no data of their own — they are only “indexes” that capture information contained in other files on your system, whether these are regular Nota Bene files, Ibidem note-taking files (also NB files), or (if you have Orbis+) other files, such as PDFs, downloaded HTML files, or DOCX or RTF files

  • You can leave these indexes in their original location
    • If you let the installer copy your original settings file, the location shown in the Orbis Gateway dialog will already be correct — it will point to the original location of these management files

 

  • Alternatively, you can create a new textbase with the management/index files in a new location
    • While a Textbases folder is created under the new Nota Bene Home folder (during nstallation) as a suggested location for your textbases, you can create them anywhere
    • We recommend creating a separate subfolder (under whatever folder you used for your textbases in general) for each individual textbase (so all the management files from one textbase are separate from the files from other textbases)

 

  • However, if you move the files included in a textbase (whether these are Nota Bene files, Ibidem note-taking files, or other files), you must re-create that textbase

While Archiva databases share the format of Ibidem databases, they are distinct in that they are temporary — they let you accumulate records from a broad range of sources, in the process potentially capturing lots of unwanted and/or duplicate records (you would only copy the records you actually wanted to your permanent databases).

Because of this temporary nature, these databases are treated more like “user settings” than like regular Ibidem databases:

  • When installing, if you select the option to let Nota Bene automatically copy all of your settings files to the new location, all Archiva databases will be copied as well (to the Archiva folder under the new NB Home folder)
    • Be sure to select this option when installing if you want to preserve your existing Archiva temporary database records

 

  • If you don’t let the program automatically copy your files, the temporary Archiva records you had not yet transferred/copied to your permanent Ibidem databases will be inaccessible (although they will not be deleted)

Moving Data to a Sync Folder in the Cloud

You can copy your files to any location in your sync folder

  • If you want to keep your Nota Bene documents distinct from your other documents, you may want to use the Nota Bene\Documents folder that is created in the cloud sync folder (when you install with a cloud folder as your NB Home folder)
  • Since only you know where you saved your files before moving to the cloud, we are not able to help you with moving your document files
  • Note that if you copy your files to the cloud, the files shown on the drop-down list of recently opened files (under the File menu in NB) will point to, and thus call up, the file from the old location, not the new one (if you moved the files instead of copying them, NB may tell you that the file is not found). So be sure to use the File, Open dialog to open the version now in the sync folder in the cloud, until the version of those files in the original location drop off that list.
    • It will take longer to update the files in the Alt+D Document Dialog Bar list.

While you can save your Ibidem databases anywhere under your cloud folder, it is strongly recommended that you save them under the Nota Bene\Databases folder that is created when you select a cloud folder as your NB Home folder during installation

  • Ideally (in order to keep your databases distinct from each other, if you have more than one [for example, a bibliographic database, and an IbidPlus database that manages some other data]) you should create a subfolder under that Databases folder
    • For example, you might have a MyDatabase folder under the Nota Bene/Databases folder (where “MyDatabase” is the name of the files that compose your database)
    • Since the installation program does not know which databases you have created, it does not create this folder during the initial program install
    • However, if you use option #2 below, NB will offer to create this subfolder when you add a database to the list

 

There are two ways to get your database into the desired cloud folder:

1. Manually

  • The first step is to manually copy all the database files
    • You need to copy all the database files from their current location to the cloud folder (preferrably, Nota Bene/Databases/MyDatabase)
      • As noted above, you will need to create this MyDatabase folder yourself
  • Be sure to also copy any note-taking folder (these generally have the name MyDatabase#, where # is usually “1,” although you may have additional numbered folders)
  • Only you know where your database files were originally saved, so we cannot help with finding them
  • However, you can use your computer’s file search function (File Explorer or Finder) to search for files of type *.#00 to locate the folder where these files might be present
    • Once you find this folder, you should check to make sure that there are a dozen or two files with that same name (e.g, MyDatabase), but with different file types/extensions (depending on how many records you have in your database, these may includes files of type .#01, #02, etc.)
    • If you do not find at least a dozen or two such files, then this folder, while containing what is likely an Ibidem data file (where your records are stored) is not a working database, so you should keep searching
  • After the files have been copied to the cloud folder, go (in Ibidem) to File, Add Database, select the first Direct from Database Files Already Present in Specificed Folder option, and and point to that folder in the cloud where the database files have been copied

 

2. By restoring the database from a previously saved Ibidem backup (.NBB) file

  • Simply go (in Ibidem) to File, Add Database, and select the second Retrieve from Archived Backup File, and browse to the folder that contains that archived backup file
  • After selecting it, Ibidem should suggest a location where you want the database to reside (by default, this will be Nota Bene/Databases)
  • When you click OK to continue, Ibidem will offer to create a subfolder for that database, which you should let it do
  1.  

Orbis textbases need to be recreated, since the data files included in the textbase have now been moved

  • While a Textbases folder is created under the new Nota Bene Home folder (during nstallation) as a suggested location for your textbase management files, you can create them anywhere
  • We strongly recommend creating a separate subfolder (under whatever folder you used for your textbases in general) for each individual textbase (so all the management files from one textbase are separate from the files from other textbases)

Orbis differs from other components of the Nota Bene Workstation in that when creating an Orbis textbase in the cloud, you cannot simply rely on the shared NB Home folder, but you also need to make sure that that home folder has the same name on all systems that access that folder. To do so:

1. In Nota Bene, go to File, File Options, Set Alias for Home Folder to set up a mapped drive:

  • This is necessary on the Mac as well as on Windows (even though the Mac does not normally rely on drive letters)
  • This creates an “alias” that is shared across/identical on all systems that have data in that same home sync folder (this alias replaces the part of the path name that is different across each of these systems, so that the path name, as far as Orbis is concerned, is identical)
  • For further details, see the notes under Fil,e File Options, Set Alias for Home Folder

 

2. When designating the location for the textbase management files, browse to the desired folder (normally, Textbases, as noted above) under this alias drive name (do NOT find this under the actual path name, since that may not be identical across systems)

3. And add the files to be included in the textbase using this same alias location (Orbis will NOT work across systems if you specify them using their non-alias name)

The temporary Archiva databases (used to hold captured records until you transfer them to a permanent database) are automatically saved in the Nota Bene/Archiva folder that is created when you install NB into a home folder in the cloud, so there is nothing that you need to do.

Installing Nota Bene on a New Computer

From Legacy System

To install Nota Bene on a new computer, while retaining the settings and data from an existing computer in which Nota Bene was installed in the legacy C:\NBWIN folder:

  1. Copy the C:\NBWIN folder from the old computer to the same location on the new (the root of the C: drive)
  2. Then install (copying will not work) NB over that existing installation

 

You can install the program proper (the location of which is largely invisible in the new structure) either to the legacy C:\NBWIN folder, or (preferrably) to the standard C:\PROGRAM FILES (X86) folder (see above for details)

Technical Support

If you are asked to send files to technical support to help diagnose problems, these files can be found in the following folders:

  • Legacy Install — C:\NBWIN\USERS\ DEFAULT
  • New Home Folder Installation — in the “Settings” folder under the new home folder, such as:
    • C:\Users\You\ Nota Bene\Settings
    • C:\Users\You\ Cloud Folder\Nota Bene\Settings
  • If you do not know what kind of installation you selected, you can find out by going to File, File Options, Set Home Folder (in Nota Bene)
  • Some of the files you may be asked to send include NB.INI, NB.DFL, and SYSTEM.INI, among others
    • If you are asked to send an “.INI” file, it may show up — depending on the view shown in File Explorer or Finder — simply as the filename, without the “.INI,” with something like “Configuration File” showing up in the “Type” column

Sometimes you might be asked to restore the shipping/default version of these files to see if the problems you are encountering are related to customizations you have made:

  • Go to Tools, Defaults, and select the file you are asked to restore
    • This will make a copy of your version of that file in a “CUSTOM” folder under the folder shown in green above
  • After restoring, you may need to quit and restart Nota Bene for the changes to take effect
  • Restoring the shipping version of a file may result in the loss of some customized settings
    • For example, in the case of NB.INI, the list of the last nine most recently opened files will be lost (the list, not the files; the list will be rebuilt as you open files while working after having restored the shipping version)
  • If restoring the shipping version solves the problem, then you may need to reset the various customized settings affected by the file you were asked to restore
    • When restoring earlier customized settings, you may want to do so step-by-step or group-by-group (making the change, then restarting NB), so you can see if a particular customized change was the one that caused the problem in the first place (if you identify this, please let us know)
  • If restoring the shipping version does not resolve the problem, and you want to restore your original versions (to get back all of your customized settings):

                1. Quit NB
                2. Using File Explorer or Finder, find the original version in the                              ..\CUSTOM folder (see above), and copy that into the proper                        folder (see the green text above)

    • When prompted if you want to overwrite the existing version, you need to reply Yes

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