Getting Started - Installing and Running Trading Blox

System Requirements

Trading Blox runs on standard Windows operating systems including Windows 2000, NT,  XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Trading Blox also runs native on 64 bit computers, Xeon and Athlon processors, as well as with the Parallels, Bootcamp, or Virtual Box software on Intel based Macintosh computers. No additional software or equipment is needed. If installing on Vista be sure to install directly in the C: drive and not in the default Program Files directory. Vista has some new security features for the Program Files directory that interfere with the smooth operation of Trading Blox. There is also a native x64 version available on the Customer Login section of the website for those with x64 computers.

If using an Intel based Mac, be sure to install Parallels or Bootcamp with your choice of Windows Operating System. Trading Blox will then install in this virtual windows environment.

A minimum screen resolution 1024 x 768 or larger is required at 96dpi. If using a larger size, such as 125% or 150% with Windows 7 a larger screen resolution will be required. A minimum of 1 GB of RAM and a 2 GHz processor speed are recommended for normal testing. If you are testing with large stock portfolios or huge amounts of intraday data, we recommend at least 4 GB or more of RAM and an x64 computer running the native x64 version of Trading Blox.

Trading Blox's Parameter Stepping feature allows for the concurrent testing of multiple distinct parameter value combinations. These kinds of tests finish significantly faster on high-performance machines. Ideally a machine would have 4 GB or more of RAM and a processor speed well over 3 GHz.

Trading Blox is very fast, however, and will run reasonably well on an older machine.

Installation

Trading Blox customers may download the Trading Blox installer from the www.tradingblox.com web site. Once a customer has purchased the software, they will automatically receive an email with a link to the download location, and the license keys required to install the software. The install takes a few minutes, and is completely automated.

Clicking on the download link in the email will start the download of the installer. The installer will run when the download is completed, and the installation process is automatic by default. Once the installation is completed, the customer enters their License Name and License Key from email, and the program is up and running.

Trading Blox can be launched by clicking on the Start button to bring up the Start Menu, go to Programs | Trading Blox | Trading Blox.