Running the TOAD Installer
As a typical Win-32 app, TOAD provides a simple graphical installer—but you have several choices to make during that installation process. Most of these choices are quite simple and straightforward. Figure 1.3 shows the installer. There are two key items that you must decide during the installation process. First, will you be installing just TOAD by itself or will you install other members of the TOAD family of products (e.g., TOAD for Data Analysts, TOAD Group Policy Manager, TOAD Data Modeler, SQL Optimizer, Spotlight, Benchmark Factory)? The list of available programs to install will depend on which TOAD install image you download from Quest: the base install, the developer's bundle, or the DBA bundle. Second, into which directory are you installing TOAD? If you choose a new directory, that's considered a fresh install. But if you choose or let the installer choose an existing TOAD directory, then the process is actually an upgrade. You will probably want to do a fresh install in most situations so that you can keep your old version around in case you run into any problems with the newer version.
Figure 1.3 Running the TOAD Installer
Sometimes, as with most Windows applications, you may find that your TOAD installation needs to be refreshed or removed and replaced. However, before you lay the blame on TOAD, make sure that your database connectivity is not the real issue. For example, sometimes people install Oracle updates or new tools that modify the Oracle Home setting, which is where the database connectivity information resides. In such a case, TOAD may seem to stop working. Once you're 100% sure it's not a connectivity issue related to something else and, therefore, you know you want to reinstall TOAD, then simply run the TOAD installer and uninstall TOAD.
Furthermore, TOAD creates directories in two key places. First, it places the executables under C:\Program Files\Quest Software\Toad for Oracle. You may decide to manually delete these files if the installer leaves any remnants. Second, TOAD places your custom files (i.e., those special to your Windows login) under C:\Documents and Settings\%USER%\Application Data\Quest Software\Toad for Oracle.