PRL Software Installation Guide

This page describes how to install the free PRL Reporting Software (Options A, B, and C).

Uninstall previous versions...

We recommend uninstalling previous versions of the software before installing a new version, especially if you are upgrading from a version older than version 6. Uninstalling the old version is not usually required but can help avoid confusion caused by having more than one version of the program installed at the same time.

Uninstalling the software will not affect any saved data files.

Recent versions of the PRL Reporting Software include an “Uninstall” shortcut in the All Programs->Pesticide Reporting group, but for older versions you will need to open the Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features dialog from the Control Panel and remove the old program from there.

System and User Requirements

System

Option A - Microsoft Windows 2000³ or later.

Option D (installed version) - Microsoft Windows 2000³; 32-bit¹⁰ Microsoft Excel 2000⁴ or later.

Option D - Microsoft Excel 97 or later.

Option O - “Excel-compatible” spreadsheet program, such as Apple’s Numbers, Google Sheets, or OpenOffice.org’s Calc.

User

Windows 2000 and XP - users must log on using an account with administrator rights.

Vista/Windows 7 - 10 Operating Systems - Depending on how your computer has been set up, you may need to log on as an administrator or provide user name and password for an account with administrator rights in order to run the installation package. It is generally advisable to log on as administrator but may not be required.

Installation

After you have determined which Pesticide Reporting Software Option to install, download and save the installation file on your computer.

Running the installation program from the web site not recommended...

You may be able to run the installation program directly from the web site, but we recommend saving it somewhere on your computer and running it from there. Saving the installation program to your computer allows you to install the program at a later time without re-downloading it from the web site.

Double-click (or right-click and choose Install) the installation file. There are several steps in the wizard; for some of the steps, you can change the default values. We recommend that you keep the default values unless you have a good, compelling reason to change them. As you click through the steps, please note the following

Step 2 provides contact information. For Option B installations it also informs you that macros must be enabled in Excel for the application to work properly.
Step 3 allows you to choose the installation folder. The default is C:\Program Files\NYSPRL.
Step 4 sets the Report Root or parent folder for your PRL report folder, which is the folder where your reports will be stored. The default is the C drive.

You can change the default Report Root setting here or while running the PRL Reporting Software. The Report Root will contain a folder for each report year; the sub-folders are named PRLyyyy, where yyyy is the report year. For example, if you set the Report Root to C:\PRL and create reports for 2011 and 2012, the C:\PRL folder will contain two sub-folders: PRL2011 and PRL2012.

After Installation

After you complete installation

The report folder folder has been created, if necessary.
There is a program icon on the Desktop for the software option (either A, B or C) that you installed. Double-click to run the program.
There is a program group (on the Start menu or Start Screen) called “Pesticide Reporting” that contains links to start or uninstall the software option (either A, B or C) that you installed.

Configuration

If you installed Option B, it is critical that you change the macro security setting in Excel before you start to use the application. You may also need to enable macros when you open one of the eForms for the first time.