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| Questions and Answers about "CDC EZ-Text" |
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- What is the default password for the Administration system or for modifying the Codebook?
To create a new database, you need to give the Administration system the default password "Admin" (note the capital "A" and the lowercase "dmin" Do not type the " " marks). The same thing applies for the default codebook password.
If you change the passwords from the default, be sure to write them down and keep them in a safe place!!! A unique case-sensitive password can be given to each EZ-Text database file. If you forget the password associated with a specific database file, you will not be able to get back into the Administration system for that database file. Without the correct password, you cannot modify the data entry templates for a database. Similarly, persons cannot modify the codebook unless they provide the correct password.
The best source of information on EZ-Text passwords is provided in the User Guide. You can view the
User Guide while on the Internet (click the HTML option on the EZ-Text web page), or you can download and print WordPerfect or Word versions of the Guide. Password related information is found in the following sections:
Section 2.4
Section 5.2
Section 5.4(a)
Section 5.5
Section 6.5, "Method 2," Step 3
Section 6.6(e)
Finally, similar (although somewhat abbreviated) discussion on database and codebook passwords can be found in several places within the on-line Help file, and also within the "Example.mdb" file that was automatically installed when you put the program on your computer.
- It takes a long time when I try to download the EZ-Text installation files from web. Sometimes the downloading process is not successful or my modem connection gets broken before completing the file download process. What do you suggest?
The majority of users have no difficulty downloading the EZ-Text installation files from the web site. However, all users should understand that downloading files as large as these may take some time, and users must have a good Internet connection for the process to succeed. With a 56 Kbps speed modem, downloading the single big installation file ("Option 1" on the main EZ-Text web page) may take as much as 15 to 30 minutes to complete. Downloading any one of the four separate Installation Diskette files ("Option 2") will each take a much shorter time, but the total time needed for obtaining all four small installation files will be approximately the same as that needed for the single large file.
The total length of time you need may be affected by your modem's speed, the quality of connection provided by your Internet service provider, as well as the number of other users on the web (Internet traffic). If you experience difficulties, here are several ideas to try:
- Try downloading the files at a different time of day when there is less Internet or phone line traffic.
- Use a friend's computer with a faster modem or a more reliable Internet connection.
- Use "Option 2" (download the four separate Diskette Installation files instead of the single large installation file). This is the best option if your modem is slow or unreliable, and the connection gets broken when you try downloading the single large file ("Option 1" fails).
- How do I uncompress and install the EZ-Text program on my computer?
The installation files you download from the EZ-Text web site are compressed. This greatly shortens download time and reduces errors. However, before you can install the program, you must first uncompress the files.
Instructions are provided on the main EZ-Text web page for both "Option 1" and "Option 2"
After you uncompress the files, follow the instructions on the web page to install the program on your computer (click the word "Instructions" on the EZ-Text web page).
- How is EZ-Text related to CDC's other qualitative data analysis software program called AnSWR?
"CDC EZ-Text" and "AnSWR" are separate software programs, although they share a number of features (e.g., similar codebook structures, provision of inter-coder reliability statistics, etc.). One important difference is that EZ-Text has a variety of specialized functions designed for use with semi-structured qualitative databases. AnSWR can be used with a more general array of qualitative database structures.
If you would like to learn more the program or download a free copy of the AnSWR software installation files, please consult that program's web page:
For questions specific to AnSWR, send email inquires to:
answr@cdc.gov
- During the EZ-Text installation setup process, I changed the default folder where the program files would be stored. But now the program does not work correctly. How can I fix this problem?
The EZ-Text setup procedure normally installs the program into a folder called c:\eztext30. We strongly recommend that users accept this default folder during the setup process (see
Section 3.1 in the User Guide).
However, during installation users can change this default if there is some compelling reason (e.g., change the default to a folder with a different name or different drive location). If you change this default location, you must manually edit the configuration settings in a file called "eztext30.ini" to tell your computer how to find the correct path to the EZ-Text help file and the dictionary files. The "eztext30.ini" file is usually found in your c:\windows or c:\winnt folders.
- What sources of help are there for EZ-Text users?
There are several different sources of documentation for EZ-Text. They are all made available free of charge off the EZ-Text web site. These include:
- The fully indexed "CDC EZ-Text User's Guide" (pp. 1 to 128). The document can be viewed interactively from the EZ-Text web page using your web browser (click on the HTML option), or the entire document can be downloaded in either WordPerfect or Microsoft Word formats for viewing and printing.
- The on-line Help file can be accessed and printed from the menu bar after you start the EZ-Text program.
- An example EZ-Text database file is automatically loaded during installation of the program (called "example.mdb").
- Three published journal article reprints related to EZ-Text functions can be downloaded from the EZ-Text web site.
- I have downloaded the User Guide WordPerfect or Word file. However, when I try to view it or print it with my wordprocessor, the diagrams do not seem to be in the correct locations within the text, and unnecessary blank pages are printed. What is wrong?
This format problem occurs because the printer drivers you are using on your specific computer are not fully equivalent with the drivers on the computer used to create the User Guide files. The specific driver files we used are listed on the EZ-Text web page. Consult your printer's documentation or your local computer support technician for assistance in resolving this difficulty.
- Are there limits to the size of an EZ-Text database files?
For most practical purposes, users can enter data for an unlimited number of persons into a single EZ-Text database (usually this corresponds to the sample size). Similarly, there are no limits to the number of open-ended questions asked per respondent, and the permissible length of the response to each question is large (however, please refer to
Section 4.5 in the CDC User Guide for further important discussion on the recommended length of single responses). In addition, you may experience problems if you try creating or using a large EZ-Text file on an old computer with weak hardware capabilities (see
Section 2.2 in the User Guide).
- I get an error message when I try to merge two database files with the EZ-Text Merge Agent. What is wrong?
The merge process is successful ONLY when two conditions are met (see
Section 7.3 in the User Guide):
- There is no overlap in the ID numbers used in the two files, and
- Identical template versions have been used to create the two files.
To ensure that data files created on separate computers can be merged, project managers should assign a different ID number series to each interviewer. In addition, each interviewer should check the date and time information for his/her copy of the database, available under the About Menu on the Interview Information Screen. By comparing the dates and times of the last template modification, project managers can verify that all interviewers have EXACTLY the same revision on their computers before data entry begins.
- When I attempt to install EZ-Text using the Setup.exe file, I get an error message that says the
"Setup has run into a conflict with a running application. Please close all applications and try again." Even after I close
my other applications, I still get the same error message. What is happening?
This problem may occur if you are "running" the setup.exe file using Windows Explorer to view the file in your temporary folder, and then "double-clicking" the "setup.exe" file to run it. To avoid this problem, do the following steps:
- Be sure to close all other application before running the EZ-Text "setup.exe" file.
- Then try running the "setup.exe" through the "Add/Remove Software" option on your Windows Control Panel. Alternatively, click the Start button in the lower left corner of the screen, and use the Run option you will see listed.
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