Downloading the Virtual Cell
Step 1 - Determine your needs. Each section of the Virtual Cell is available in a seperate EXE/ZIP file, so you download only what you need. The Virtual Cell tour is one section, and Chapter 3 of the textbook is a seperate section. If you only need the textbook, you can save about 8 megabytes worth of download time.
Step 2 - Download the root EXE/ZIP file. This EXE/ZIP must always be downloaded and installed; it is the base from which the rest of the Virtual Cell functions. When you download the file, place it in any folder on your computer, the location does not matter for the root file, just remember where you put it! Click here to download ROOT.EXE. If asked what to do with the file, choose to save it to disk (not to open the file).
Step 3 - Install the root EXE/ZIP file. The easiest way to do this is to go to "My Computer" and find the folder in which you saved the root file. Double click on the root file (named "root.exe"). In the window that pops up you can enter any folder name to install the Virtual Cell into; the default of C:\VCell should suffice for most users. Click the "Unzip" button to install the files.
Step 4 - Download the files for the sections you want from the list below. All of these files must be saved in the C:\VCell folder (or whichever folder you installed the Virtual Cell in, if you changed the default).
Step 5 - Install your downloads. For each file you downloaded, go to "My Computer" and find the file. Double click on it, and click the "Unzip" button. DO NOT change the default folder in the window; simply click the unzip button.
tr_cell.exe - The Virtual Tour of the cell
tb_ch3.exe - Chapter 3 of the textbook, "Cell Biology"