Office Cafe

How to Install Info Select 8 on your Mac

Ever since switching from Windows to Mac, the one application that I tried the hardest to replace was Info Select from Micro Logic. I used Info Select for many years and have amassed a huge amount of well-organized notes that just didn’t work in any Mac OS X program with the ease that it works in Info Select. That’s not for lack of trying, either. Since May of 2005, I examined the likes of DEVONnote, iNotePad, LittleSecrets, Mori, Notae, TopXNotes, VoodooPad, NoteTaker, OmniOutliner, Yojimbo, NoteBook (by Circus Ponies), and others. Many of these are fine programs. But I was looking to replace certain features of Info Select, such as automatic outlining, automatic encryption on exit, free-form notes, placement of the notes on the workspace, etc. The software I tried each had many of the features, but I didn’t find one that worked the way I had grown accustomed to working.

Those of you who use Info Select know exactly what I am talking about. Once all of your notes are organized, you would rather not do that again!

For me, the real power of Info Select is its lightning-quick search capability. I can find my most obscure notes with just 4 or 5 keystrokes. It is simply amazing.

Although I was willing to go to many lengths to keep Info Select, I really did not want to install Windows on my Mac, just for this one application. A few months ago, I tried (unsuccessfully) to install Info Select with CodeWeavers’ CrossOver Mac. I just couldn’t make it work. I fiddled with it for a few days, but Info Select just wouldn’t load. I kept getting errors: necessary files not found, etc.

Today, I decided to give CrossOver Mac another chance. I downloaded the latest version (6.2.1) and installed it on my MacBook Air.

UPDATE: CrossOver Mac has been updated. See my Update Post.

Success! Wow! Back in business!

Here’s exactly how I did it:

Download CodeWeavers CrossOver Mac from the Codeweavers Site: www.codeweavers.com

Installation of CrossOver Mac is, like many Mac applications, simple. Just drag the application into your Applications folder, and start the program.

Open the CrossOver application you just dragged into your Applications folder.

The opening screen is where you begin the installation. Click on the CrossOver Software Installer.

We are going to install unsupported software, so click that button: “Install Unsupported Software…”

We just continue, ignoring the warnings. Although Info Select is unsupported, it works anyway.

This is the part where you have to be a little patient. You really do have to wait several minutes (at least 3 minutes on my MacBook Air).

If you downloaded Info Select (or you kept it updated over the Internet), you have an installation file, so we click on the icon for “Choose Installer File…”

Locate your .exe file (mine is is80038.exe, which I copied over from my Windows machine).

(Click on “Use this installer”)

With any luck, the installation should begin automatically.

Good… this looks familiar. We are well on our way. Click the “Next >” button a few times.

Finish the installation by clicking “Finish >”

Ah… I had almost forgotten: Windows likes to reboot. It won’t be disappointed. We may do it a couple times, just to make everybody happy.

And just like magic, you have Info Select in a folder.

I got a warning. I looked at the log file. That was a useless exercise. Don’t bother unless you have trouble later.

I had a little trouble with Info Select freezing before the first splash screen. It was easily fixed… you guessed it: simulate a reboot in CrossOver Mac (you don’t need to reboot Mac OS X, just the “bottle” containing Info Select). That fixed my problem. You might not even have this trouble. If you do, don’t panic, just try rebooting. It makes Windows feel better.

Be patient. Info Select takes a really long time to produce the opening splash screen the first time. It seems to do that only on the first time. Subsequent starts are relatively quick on my machine.

Here you see the main reason that I use Info Select. My entire file is encrypted. So every time Info Select is closed, my data is encrypted and locked away. 

So there you have it. Best wishes. Info Select may be the one application that would have kept you from switching from Windows. But here it is on my MacBook Air. And all in just enough space to run the application. I really don’t need the entire Windows operating system just to run this one program. Your mileage may vary, as they say, but I am really happy to have made this work! I think you will be happy, too.