Installation in seconds

You can install SuperMemo in seconds by simply running the downloaded file sm2002zip.exe and then running sm2002.exe. Skip the rest of this file. It was written for those who are less experienced with computers!

Un-installation in seconds

SuperMemo does not install any files in folders other than its own. It does not pollute your Windows with DLLs. To uninstall, simply delete the folder in which you unzipped sm2002zip.exe. 

Installing SuperMemo for Beginners

If you already know the basics of using Windows such as copying files, creating directories, etc. you can skip blue insert boxes

You will always download all components to the same folder/directory, for example c:\sm2002 and run downloaded EXE file(s). This will create all files and place them in appropriate locations. Only help file is provide in its native chm format and should be downloaded to bin subfolder

This text describes the following procedures:

1. Installing SuperMemo
2. Providing the password
3. Installing help
4. Installing collections downloaded from SuperMemo Library (including Palm and Windows CE)
5. Installing SuperMemo 2002 over SuperMemo 8, SuperMemo 98/99 or SuperMemo 2000
6. Installing SuperMemo 2002 over Advanced English
7. Where is my SuperMemo?

See also: Frequently asked questions

Installing SuperMemo 2002

1. Create a new folder/directory in your computer in which you will keep all files used by SuperMemo. For example, create a folder c:\sm2002 on your drive C:

   This is how you can create a folder/directory c:\sm2002 in Windows: Double-click the icon My Computer on your desktop Double-click the icon (C:) Choose File : New : Folder on the menu (note that a new folder will have been created ready to accept a new name) Type SM2002 to replace the default name of the new folder: New folder (or New folder (2)), etc. If the computer says Cannot rename ..., you must have already created folder c:\sm2002

2. Download SuperMemo 2002 from SuperMemo Store

   This is how you can download SuperMemo 2002: Go to SuperMemo 2002 page at SuperMemo Store Click Order Fill out the order form (remember to correctly fill out the billing address which should be your cardholder address, not your current residence address) Click Place a secure order Click SuperMemo 2002 download icon Choose Save when your browser asks you if you want to Open or Save the file to be downloaded In the File Save dialog box go to the folder created in previous steps (in our case c:\sm2002), or simply type the path to which to save, e.g. c:\sm2002\sm2002zip.exe

3. Run the file sm2002zip.exe, e.g. by double clicking its icon in Windows. Once you run it, it will create the file sm2002.exe which is the proper SuperMemo program

   This is how you can quickly run the SuperMemo installation file downloaded from the Internet: Click the button Start on the taskbar Choose Run on the menu Type in the name of the file. In our case it is: c:\sm2002\sm2002zip.exe

4. Add SuperMemo icon to your desktop

   To add a SuperMemo 2002 icon to your Windows desktop and to your Start menu: Run SuperMemo 2002 (as described above) Choose File : Installation : Install icons on the menu Now or in the future, you can run SuperMemo by double-clicking the created icons. To delete icons in Windows, right-click over the icon and choose Delete See: Where is my SuperMemo? to find out about yet another method for creating a SuperMemo icon

5. Run SuperMemo by double-clicking the icon created in the previous step. Read ABC of SuperMemo to start your speed-learning adventure. It is also recommended that you download and install SuperMemo Help file
6. Within one business day since ordering SuperMemo, we will contact you with instructions how to input the password needed to continue your work with SuperMemo. Read below about providing the password
7. If you have any doubts about any of the steps of the installation procedure, please do not hesitate to write to SuperMemoMail. Even if you are a computer novice, you should not be shy or afraid of asking questions. By understanding your problems we can better support other users in the future

Providing password

SuperMemo 2002 is protected with a password. Without a password it can only run for a limited period of time. To better understand the reasons for which we introduced the password, read about Unlocking SuperMemo. Within a business day since buying the program, we will contact you via e-mail and provide you with the unlock password and further instructions.

Important! You should not be afraid of losing the password. Once you input it in SuperMemo, you are not likely to ever need it again. If you ever see the red bar again, it is enough to open any of your previously used collections to restore the program to full functionality. If you lose the password and all your collections, you can always get the password back from us by writing to SuperMemoMail.

You should input the password using File : Installation : Input password. Alternatively, you can just continue using SuperMemo and it will at some point ask you to input the password. If the option Input password is grayed, your SuperMemo has been already unlocked (no action necessary).

Installing help

SuperMemo Help provides detailed instructions for using SuperMemo and a number of overviews useful for the student. You can either use SuperMemo Help on-line at www.supermemo.com/help or you can download the help file that will make it possible to view the help off-line (this file also includes all articles available from SuperMemo Website). If you have a good access to the Internet, it is recommended that you use on-line help. On-line help is constantly being updated upon discovering errors or pages that need clarification.

This is how you can install SuperMemo Help for viewing it off-line:

1. Go to SuperMemo Help download page
2. Download SuperMemo Help or short SuperMemo Help and save it in the SuperMemo bin subfolder (e.g. as c:\sm2002\bin\smhelp.chm)
3. Run SuperMemo 2002
4. Press F1 to open the help file off-line (i.e. without connecting to the Internet)

Note that once your chm file becomes outdated, SuperMemo will automatically attempt to connect you with the page on the web from which you can download an update. If you do not wish that to happen, choose Tools : Options : SuperMemo : Help system : Microsoft Help (CHM) (otherwise leave the default setting, i.e. Tools : Options : SuperMemo : Help system : Optimize). If you prefer SuperMemo to always open the most recent help pages directly from SuperMemo Website, choose Tools : Options : SuperMemo : Help system : Internet Help

Installing collections downloaded from SuperMemo Library

1. If you have not installed SuperMemo yet, start with Installing SuperMemo 2002 (or your Windows CE or Palm version)
2. Download the collections you plan to install (you can download commercial collections from SuperMemo Store or freeware collections from SuperMemo Library). Always download to the SuperMemo folder (e.g. c:\sm2002 by default in Windows version). Remember to save with the extension EXE to be able to execute the file
3. Run the downloaded file, e.g. by double clicking its icon in Windows. Once you run it, it will create all collection files in the folder systems located in the SuperMemo folder (c:\sm2002\systems\ by default). Remember that the downloaded file must be located in the SuperMemo directory!

Notes:

1. Users of SuperMemo CE and SuperMemo for Palm Pilot should import text files located in each collection's txt folder. For example, if you have run RomanceMix.exe in e:\romance, your Spanish vocabulary material will be importable from e:\romance\systems\Basic Spanish\txt\spanish.txt (refer to your SuperMemo for Pocket PC or for Palm manual for import instructions)
2. If your collections are in SuperMemo 98/ 99 or 2000 format, SuperMemo 2002 will upgrade them instantly on first opening with File : Open
3. SuperMemo 2002 automatically installs true type fonts that ship with your collection. Only Classical Greek comes with non-true type fonts. If you downloaded Classical Greek, please have a look below

    

   This is an exemplary procedure for downloading and installing Medical Biology for SuperMemo 2000 in Windows: Go to SuperMemo Library page at SuperMemo Store Click Medical Biology Click Order Fill out the order form Click Place a secure order Click the download icon Choose Save when your browsers asks you if you want to Open or Save the file In the File Save dialog box point to the SuperMemo folder/directory (c:\sm2002 by default), or simply type the path to which to save, e.g. c:\sm2002\medbiol.exe Run the downloaded file (e.g. click Start, click Run and type in the name of the file such as c:\sm2002\medbiol.exe). This will create Medical Biology files in the folder systems (e.g. c:\sm2002\systems\medbiol.kno, etc.) Run SuperMemo (e.g. by double clicking its icon created earlier) Choose File : Open in SuperMemo Choose the file medbiol.kno Choose the button Learn in SuperMemo to start learning

Installing SuperMemo 2002 over earlier installations

This is how you can install SuperMemo 2002 over SuperMemo 8, SuperMemo 98/ 99 or SuperMemo 2000 downloaded from the Internet or installed with SuperMemo CD-ROMs such as Advanced English, MegaMix, etc. Please read these instructions carefully. You should avoid using older versions of SuperMemo along SuperMemo 2002! Otherwise you can run into serious incompatibility problems!

1. Download SuperMemo 2002 from SuperMemo Store and save the downloaded file sm2002zip.exe in your SuperMemo 8 or SuperMemo 98/99/2000 folder (usually c:\sm8, c:\sm98, c:\sm99, d:\sm8, d:\sm98, d:\sm2000, or c:\adveng, c:\megamix, etc.)
2. Run the file sm2002zip.exe, e.g. by double clicking its icon in Windows. Once you run it, it will create the file sm2002.exe which is the proper SuperMemo 2002 program
3. Before you start using SuperMemo 2002, delete or rename your old SuperMemos to avoid serious compatibility problems:
   • If you are installing over SuperMemo 8:
     1. Rename file sm8.exe to sm8.old to make sure you never run SuperMemo 8 by mistake
     2. Rename file sm2002.exe to sm8.exe. This will effectively supplant your old SuperMemo 8 with the new SuperMemo
   • If you are installing over SuperMemo 98:
     1. Rename file sm98.exe to sm98.old to make sure you never run SuperMemo 98 by mistake
     2. Rename file sm2002.exe to sm98.exe. This will effectively supplant your old SuperMemo 98 with the new SuperMemo
   • If you are installing over SuperMemo 99:
     1. Rename file sm99.exe to sm99.old to make sure you never run SuperMemo 99 by mistake
     2. Rename file sm2002.exe to sm99.exe. This will effectively supplant your old SuperMemo 99 with the new SuperMemo
   • If you are installing over SuperMemo 2000:
     1. Rename file sm2000.exe to sm2000.old to make sure you never run SuperMemo 2000 by mistake
     2. Rename file sm2002.exe to sm2000.exe. This will effectively supplant your old SuperMemo 2000 with the new SuperMemo
4. Once you open your collections in SuperMemo 2002, they will automatically be upgraded. Only the windows layout may change slightly. You can adjust the layout and save it with Ctrl+Shift+F5
5. Within one business days since ordering SuperMemo, we will contact you with instructions how to input the password needed to continue your work with SuperMemo. Read above about providing the password

Where is my SuperMemo?

Frequently Asked Questions

(Steven M, Austria, Nov 15, 1999)
Question:
I am a beginner. After downloading SuperMemo 2002, I cannot find the file. Can you help?
Answer:
By default, the file should be named sm2002zip.exe. You could search for it with Start : Find : Files or folders in Windows. If this does not help, you can download again (remember not to change the name this time). To download again go to www.super-memo.com and click Download on the left. For further assistance write to SuperMemoMail  

(Robert Whitinger, USA, Mar 4, 1999)
Question:
I installed smhelp.chm file in the bin folder but SuperMemo still attempts to connect me with the Internet help!
Answer:
Make sure that you choose Tools : Options : SuperMemo : Help system : Microsoft Help (CHM). If you choose Optimize instead of Microsoft Help, SuperMemo will always check the date of your chm file, and if it becomes outdated, it will attempt to connect you with the newer version of the same help page on the Internet

(Eugene Holst, USA, Aug 31, 1999)
Question:
I am using the Classical Greek but I'm not getting the Greek characters, but some strange symbols instead. I copied the font called graeca.fon from the sm2002\systems\... folders to my d:\Windows\Fonts folder. Is there something else I have to do to have the font available in Windows 95?
Answer:
Yes. Instead of just copying fonts you should install them. Use Control Panel : Fonts : Install New Font. In the Folders panel, choose the location where your graeca.fon font can be found (here: sm2002\systems\graeca\font\graeca.fon). In rare instances, if Install New Font is not visible, you may have to reinstall Windows or try to set the System attribute on the font folder in Windows (this problem appears in some OEM installations of Windows and is not related to SuperMemo)

You can use F1 to access on-line help (#6433)
(Garry Gross, Sat, Sep 01, 2001 10:45 AM)
Question:
Why I should not be able to just hit F1 to get help after installing SuperMemo?
Answer:
F1 will work. However, this way you will access the on-line help. This is a recommended way of using the documentation due to daily updates and corrections. Only if you want to use off-line help, you need to download a 3.6 MB help file. This file is not included with SuperMemo for the following reasons: 

• it would increase the size of the download five-fold 
• it requires Internet Explorer installed 
• on-line help is more up-to-date