The Issue

It has been brought to our attention that some folks are having issues with Operator Basics 2005 not properly saving and/or retrieving saved data. We are aware of this issue and, unfortunately, there is not an easy fix for this problem.

This issue has been reported with Windows 7, Windows XP and Windows Vista.

We can say that we've had many reports of the program running fine on Windows XP, Windows 7 and Mac, up to and including Snow Leopard. We have had few positive reports with Windows Vista.

We've tried to recreate the issue on our computers, but so far we have not experienced this problem. As much as we can test it on different operating systems, we cannot replicate every computer system variation and configuration that is out there.

Please keep in mind ... Operator Basics 2005 is an old program. And, as much as we'd like, we have no funding available to update the program. We'd like to continue to offer the program FREE for download as many people have still found it to be a valuable tool.

Therefore, we offer this program "as-is" -- please use it with that warning in mind! The Montana Water Center is not in a position address any issues related to lost data or time.

Our Recommendation

Again, please be aware that there are reported and potential issues with OB 2005 and that any use of the program is undertaken with this in mind. We cannot offer any other technical assistance for this program.

In general, we would recommend that anyone who is just beginning to use the program test it on their machine before proceeding too deeply into the program.

We cannot guarantee that this is a solution for everyone, but some people might want to try it.

1. Create a user.
2. Save your progress.
3. Exit the program.
4. Use the screenshots below to find the saved data files on your computer.
   
   
   • Windows 7 data files
   • Windows XP data files
     
     
5. If you find the files, we would recommend making backup copies of these files and saving them elsewhere on your computer. In the future, if the files are ever missing, you could copy your backup files into the correct folder.
6. We also recommend saving your work and making backup copies of your data files often.

Again, please do not use this program without knowing the potential issues.

Thank you.

The Montana Water Center