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 >”
![Click \](http://www.officecafe.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/picture-15.png "Ready for you to click \")
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.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Thanks for the tip. I have used Info Select (v7 - hard copy) for over 6 years and have tried to find a similar program on mac to no avail. I will try this - do you think it will work with a hard copy CD of info select (vs. the online upgrade?)
Thanks again for the tip.
Patrick
May 11th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Patrick, thanks for the comment. According to the User’s Guide, an installation CD should work just fine:
http://media.codeweavers.com/pub/crossover/docs/userguide-crossover-mac.pdf
See the bottom of page 8. Crossover should look for the CD. If it doesn’t find the location of the installer, you might be able to “help” it, telling it where to look.
Hope this helps!
David
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I had no problem installing Info Select 8 using Crossover. Many thanks. But I cannot open any of my old .wd2 files from my IS 2007. I get an error message. Do I need to convert them somehow? Thanks.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Randy:
Since Info Select 8 is older than IS 2007, it might not know what to do with IS 2007 data files. Did you try installing IS 2007 with CrossOver? I think we would all be very interested in your results!
David
July 4th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Thanks for the guide. Already had Crossover and just installed IS. Very easy.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Phil:
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you made it work! Thanks for letting me know about your success. Best wishes.
David
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
[...] Info Select Installation on MacBook Air [...]
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:51 am
I installed Infoslect with no problem & it seems to run well however I don’t know where the .wd2 data files belong.
I’m not “allowed” to drag them into the Infoselect folder.
Consequently, I can open any file I double click but all the folders are not present in my finder to choose from.
I guess the question is, …. after installing the program, where do the backup files live?
Have I missed something obvious?
thanks for all your research etc.,
Terry
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Hi Terry,
My .wd2 files are in this folder:
(my_user_name) / Library / Application Support / CrossOver / Bottles / default / drive_c / Program Files / Info Select
They also appear on my system in the following folder:
(my_user_name) / Library / Application Support / CrossOver / Bottles / win2000 / drive_c / Program Files / Info Select
Hope this helps.
David
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
[...] How to Install Info Select 8 on Your Mac [...]
November 16th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Thank you for pointing the way.
I’ve been using Info Select for nearly 20 years now, and with my recent move to an iMac I was VERY reluctant to drop Info Select, as one can imagine.
Initially I tried Parallels with a virtual Windows Xp installed, but it sometimes conflicted with Info Select. I next tried the Boot Camp method for XP. There Info Select ran as normal, BUT…… the switching from Leopard to Xp was so slow and drawn out it was not very convenient.
After searching the forums I came across your publishings on the subject of Info Select and tried CrossOverMac 6.2.1Info Select 2007-0-42 works 95% OK.Leopard 10.5.5 for OS. It’s early days yet, & tranfer of data files has not been trouble free, but it looks VERY promising. THX for leading the way. I’m now about to buy the CrossOver software.
November 16th, 2008 at 11:12 am
John,
Thank you for the comment. You certainly have a long history with Info Select! I really struggled to replace Info Select with a native Mac application, but I was never satisfied with the other programs. Info Select simply works the way I do.
Thanks for letting me know that IS 2007 works.
I use Info Select daily, and I would really like for Micro Logic to create a Mac version. That would solve a few of the minor issues that I have experienced (like not remembering the size of my window from session to session).
David
January 4th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
HI David
I’m trying to bring infoselect from my old PC to my new Mac & am trying to follow your instructions.
I’ve gone to the codeweavers website & filled in the info to trial Crossover Mac 7.1.0. An pix/icon comes up beside ‘Download crossover Mac 7.1.0′. It is not the same as the icon in all the info re installing. When I drag it over to application it is just a 4KB pix that does nothing.
when i hit download-something downloads & when I go to that in downloads it says that there is no default application to open the document & it won’t allow anything to open to open it.
As you may guess I am not strongly mac literate.
Am I missing something obvious?
thanks for any help you may give me.
Liz
January 4th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Liz,
The file you should be trying to open is named something like this:
crossover-7.1.0.dmg
… or …
crossover-pro-7.1.0.dmg
The file should be about 35.7 MB when you locate it in finder.
If you do not see that file in your downloads folder, then it did not download successfully (which I’m sure you are painfully aware. sorry).
You can use Spotlight to find it…
1) Press command-space (the command key next to the space bar and the space bar).
2) Type: crossover
If the crossover-7.1.0.dmg appears, you can double-click it to get the process going.
If it is not in your list, you’ll have to try again with the CodeWeavers site.
http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/download_trial/
If you are still having trouble, please post another comment and we can attempt to keep working on it. Let me know how it works out.
David