These are some of our most frequently asked questions.  If your question isn't here, feel free to contact us via the online support form.

Janus 4 Minimum System Requirements

• IBM compatible PC
• Pentium or equivalent processor
• Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP or Vista
• 128 MB RAM or more
• 250 MB free hard disk space
• XGA colour monitor
• 1024 x 768 pixels or higher screen resolution
• Mouse

Screen Area, Resolution and Display

What is the minimum setting for Janus?

A minimum of 1024 x 768 pixels offers the best on-screen resolution for using Janus. To check your computer's screen settings do the following:

• Right click your mouse on your Windows Desktop
• Select "Properties"
• Click the "Settings" tab and check the Screen Area frame

Installing Janus 3

My computer does not have a floppy disk drive, how can I register Janus 3?

Please contact Janus technical support for instructions on how to register the program.

How do I stop the Janus program installer automatically starting when I put the CD in the CD-ROM drawer?

Open the CD-ROM drawer. Insert the CD in the drawer. Hold down the shift key on your keyboard. Keep holding the shift key down while you close the CD drawer, and wait for the mouse pointer on your screen to change into an hour glass then back to an arrow. Release the shift key.

What is the Procedure for Installing the Jansans Bitmap Font in Janus 3?

You will need to install the Jansans bitmap font before the Janus program will work correctly. The Janus installer copies the Jansans font to the Fonts folder, but we have to tell Windows that the font is present. To do this on Windows XP, please follow these instructions.

From your computer Windows desktop, click the Start button (it is normally at the bottom left hand corner of your screen on the taskbar). A panel of menu choices should appear. Click on the Control Panel item and the Windows Control Window should appear.

In the Right Hand Side (RHS) of the Control Panel Window you should see a list of icons, such as "Accessibility Options", "Add Hardware" etc. Find the icon labelled FONTS and double-click on it.

The Fonts Window should now appear. At the top Left Hand Side (LHS) of the Fonts Window you will see the menu bar with items: File, Edit, View etc. Click on File, and a sub-menu should appear under it. In the sub-menu, click on Install New Font.

The Add Fonts Window should now appear. At the bottom LHS you should see a list of folders. We want to select the folder c:\Windows\Fonts.

When you first see the list of folders, the c:\Windows folder should already be selected. Scroll down the list of the Windows folder sub-directories until you see the Fonts folder.

Double-click on the Fonts Folder, and your computer should retrieve a list of fonts in your computer and display them in the list box at the top LHS of the Add Fonts Window.

Note: If for some reason, the list box (top left) does not fill with a list of fonts, then close the Add Fonts Window, and re-open it by going File, Install new Font.

When the list of fonts appears in the list box top left, scroll down the list of fonts until you get to the font named Jansans 5, 7, 8, 10 ... (96 dpi).

Left click on this font name, and click on the OK button. Windows will display a message that the font is already installed etc. Just click OK to this message. The Jansans bitmap font is now installed. Close the Fonts Window.

Checking Updates

Note:  Regular Updates are posted on this website. Check for the Latest Updates HERE

How can I check my Janus program to see which update is currently installed?

From the Janus main screen menu bar, click Help, About Janus. The second line will read something similar to Update 17 Sep 2003 installed.

Setting Personal Preferences and Using Janus

Setting Local Place (Default is Auckland, New Zealand)

How do I change the default Local Place settings to the correct date, time, place and time zone for where I live?

From the Main Screen, go "Settings", "Defaults" to open the Default Settings window. Next click on the "Local Place" tab and select your country (and state if required) and city. Click the "Save Place" button. Next click on the "Atlas" tab and select your country (and state if required) from the list box. NB. the date and time used in Janus for current charts, such as the chart that is calculated when you start Janus, or Horary and Electional charts is based on your computer's internal clock. When Daylight Savings Time (DST) is effective in your country Janus will automatically correct the local time for DST or Standard Time (ST) as required.

Adding a City in the Atlas

I cannot find a particular town in the Janus Atlas, but I know the longitude and latitude of the town, how do I add it to the atlas?

As comprehensive as the atlas is, from time to time it is possible that a small town or village in the world is not listed in Janus. However, if you know the coordinates of the town adding it to the atlas, with the correct time changes, is straightforward to do. From the Main Screen click "Edit" on the menu bar then "Atlas". In the "Country File" list box, select the country the town is in and highlight it. Next click the "New" button in the "City" frame on the right-hand side of the window. Type the name of the town in the "New City" window and click OK. Optionally, type in the county, if applicable (some countries have more than one listing of a town name, e.g. "Hamilton" is the name of a city in the North Island of New Zealand, but it is also the name of a small town in New Zealand's South Island), and the longitude and latitude of the town in the spaces provided. Highlight the country's abbreviation in the "Time Change File" drop down list box and click the "Copy Filename" button. In special circumstances, there may be more than one time change file for a country or state. To ensure that your new entry picks the correct time change file, click the "Find TCF" button next to the "Time Change File" field after you have entered the town's co-ordinates. Janus will find the time change file of a town close to your new entry. Click the "Update Record" button to save the new entry.

Selecting Planets for Wheels, Maps, and Interpretation Reports etc.

I have selected the planets I want to display in my chart wheels, why is it that some of them do not appear on the AstroLocality Maps or Graphs and Transit lists?

The reason for this is that some of the modules, such as the Mapping & Interpretation modules, work independently and require separate planet editing. To make your planet selections go to "Settings" on the Main Screen menu bar and click "Planet Selection". Select topic from "Category" and check the planets to be used. With respect to the Graphs and Transit lists, these modules have their own "Select Planet" buttons.

Casting a New Chart

How do I cast a new chart in Janus?

Click on the "New" icon on the Main Screen (top left hand side of screen) to open the "Cast New Chart" window. Type the chart details in the fields provided. Note: When entering dates, you must type the full year. Example: 1980, 1950, 2015, 1750. The program does not convert 2 digit years to the current century. For example, if you enter the year as 90 the program will read this value as 90 and will not convert it to 1990. Use valid separators between day and month, month and year. The valid separators recognized by Janus are:

Space ( ); comma (,); period (.); slash (/); semi-colon (;); colon (:); quote single (') or hyphen (-).

Month can be either numeric 1 to 12 (Jan to Dec) or 3 letter abbreviations Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec.

Using the Atlas when Entering Birthplace Details in 'Cast a New Chart'

How do I enter birth place data?

There are three ways you can enter birthplace data:

1. Manually, by typing the City name, Country name, Longitude & Latitude of the birth place and Zone (time zone) in the fields provided. NB: The "City" field is next to the "Atlas" button, and the Time Zone field is next to the "Zones" button.
2. By clicking the "Atlas" button. This will open a "Country" and "City" Window, from where you can make your selection. Janus will automatically look up the town's coordinates and the appropriate Time Zone.
3. By clicking the "Search" button in the "Find City" frame, after typing the city name in the "City" field.

Using the "Find City" Feature in "Cast New Chart"

What are the "Find City" and "Search" commands in the "Cast New Chart" Window?

If you selected the Janus Atlas option under "Atlas" in 'Set Defaults', then the "Find City" frame will be visible in the "Cast New Chart" window. Use this feature to search the Janus Atlas for the city name entered in the city text box. Select the Atlas "Country" file then click the Search command button. If a unique match is found then that city's longitude, latitude, time zone and country name will be automatically copied to the corresponding text boxes. If more than one match is found then a list will appear from where you can make your selection.

Primary and Secondary Charts under "Chart" on the Menu Bar

What is the difference between a "Primary" and a "Secondary" chart in Janus 3?

Primary charts are Radix charts, such as Natal, Event, Eclipse, Ingress, Lunar Phase & Planet on Angle. Secondary charts are charts based upon the Primary charts. They include Progressed, Directed, Return, Harmonic, Relocated, Combined, Arc Transform and Zodiac (including Draconic).

Draconic Charts

How do I cast a Draconic chart in Janus 3?

Janus treats Draconic charts as "Secondary" charts (see above) based upon the current chart you have displayed on the Main Screen. From the Main Screen menu bar, select "Chart" then "Cast a Secondary Chart" and then "Zodiac". Click the "Draconic" command button.

Printing from Janus

How do I print Charts, Graphs, Lists, and Maps etc in Janus?

Either click File and Print from the menu bar or right click the mouse on the screen and select Print.

 

Managing Chart Files

Saving Charts to Disk

How do I save a chart to disk?

Janus saves charts in two ways:

1. Save the "Current Chart", i.e. the chart on the Main Screen, by clicking File > Save Current Chart on the menu bar or click the Save the Current Chart to File icon on the main screen. When exiting Janus, you will be asked if you want to save any of the charts cast during your Janus session. If you select NO Janus will close. If you click YES the "Save Charts to Disk Window" will open. In this Window the procedure is similar to option #1 above except that you will be asked if you want to "Save/Don't Save?" chart. For charts you want to save, highlight the file you want them to go to and click "Save Chart".

Backing up Chart Files

How can I back-up my chart files?

Chart files in Janus 3 end with the file extension .cha and Chart files in Janus 4 end with the file extension .chb They are stored in the folder where you installed Janus, typically c:\Program Files\Janus.

To back-up your chart files: Start Windows Explorer, select the c:\Program Files\Janus folder for Janus 3 and c:\Program Files\Janus4 folder for Janus 4 . From the Windows Explorer menu bar, select View, Details, and also select View, Arrange icons by, Type. These settings will allow you to see full file names, and will also group all like file types together.

Scroll down the list of file types until you see your chart files ending in .cha or .chb

Select the files you wish to save and copy them to floppy disk, CD or memory stick.

How do I transfer charts from my old computer to my new computer?

A. In your old computer, use Windows Explorer to copy all your chart files (they end with the file extension .cha for J3 or .chb for J4) to a floppy disk, CD or memory stick. You will find the charts in your Janus or Janus4 folder. When using Windows Explorer, we suggest you select View, Details, and View, Arrange icons by, Type. This will group all like file types together to help you identify which chart files you want to transfer.

To copy the chart files from your floppy disk, CD or memory stick to your new computer:

Use Windows Explorer to copy the chart files from your floppy disk, CD or memory stick the drive and folder where you installed Janus.

Moving Charts from One File to Another

I have saved a chart to a particular file and would like to transfer it to another file. How is this done?

All chart management is done through Janus' "Chart File Manager". To open the "Chart File Manager" click "File" on the Main Screen menu bar, then click "Chart File Manager". Select the file that the chart is in from the "Source File" list box, then find and highlight the chart in the "Source File Chart Records". Next highlight the file you want to move the chart to in the "Destination File" list box. Click "Chart" on the "Chart File Manager" menu bar, and then click "Move".

Deleting Charts and Files

Where do I go to delete charts and chart files?

The Chart File Manager.

Can I delete more than one chart at a time?

Yes in Janus 4, no in Janus 3.

What happens to deleted chart files?

They are sent to the Windows Recycle Bin, and can be recovered if necessary.

Importing/Exporting Charts

Can Janus import and export charts from other astrology programs?

Yes, there is an Import/Export utility in Janus. You can Import/Export charts to and from other astrology programs, including Janus 2, Janus 3, AstroDatabank, Winstar, AstroCalc and programs supporting Matrix's Quick*Charts format.

NB. Importing charts from Solar Fire. Janus cannot import charts directly from Solar Fire. However, Janus can import charts from Quick Charts file format. To import charts from Solar Fire, first export charts from Solar Fire using the Quick Charts file format, then Start Janus, and import the charts from the Quick Charts file.

Editing Janus 3 Interpretations

Can I edit the interpretations in Janus 3 and, if so, how?

Yes you can edit the interpretations distributed with Janus and create your own additional interpretation files. Editing the interpretations is carried out in your word-processor. To edit an interpretation, start your word-processor and open the desired Text file in the "Interps" folder. The typical path to the "Interps" folder would be: c:\Program Files\Janus\interps. Select the file you want to edit, e.g. "natal planets in houses.txt" and open it. You must follow these guidelines: Use 10pt Courier New font to edit this resource. Do not use tab spaces, bold, italic or underline characters. Do not use bullets. Only left alignment is permitted. Only standard alpha-numeric characters are permitted. Type your interpretations between the Header (i.e. the line with the # symbol and text) and the Trailer (the bottom line with $End). An example interpretation from the "Natal Planets in Houses" interpretation text looks like this:

#Sun in 1st House
You have a strong presence, personal charisma and an ability to make an impact on others. Strong-willed and proud, you express yourself with confidence and authority. You have leadership capabilities, coupled with a strong desire for recognition and personal success. At times, you can be inclined to overwhelm other people with the power of your personality, or prone to excessive pride and egotism.
$End

Note: the interpretation texts with Janus have been purposefully written in a style that is for general-purpose use. You can also create different interpretation files for specialised applications, by opening existing Janus interpretation files and saving them under new names. An example of a specialised application could be a "Child Report" interpretation.

Transferring Interpretations from Janus 2 to Janus 3

I have created my own interpretation files in Janus 2, are they compatible with Janus 3?

No. The interpretation file structure in Janus 3 is different to Janus 2's. The main difference is that Janus 3 has been designed to enable the user to create interpretations that are unrestricted in length. In order to achieve this, it was necessary to alter the way in which Janus handles interpretations. If you want to use your Janus 2 interpretations in Janus 3 you will need to copy them to the clipboard and paste them into the appropriate file in the C:\Program Files\Janus\Interps folder. See the Janus Help Index for further instruction on how to edit interpretations.

Desktop Publishing

How do I copy a chart wheel, square chart, map or graph etc to the clipboard?

Right click on it with the mouse and choose either "Copy to the Clipboard" or "Copy to a Disk Metafile".

How do I copy a single wheel with data in its centre to the clipboard for publication?

Select chart for publication and ensure that it is the "Current Chart" on the Main Screen. Next, open "Wheel Designer" from the "File" item on the Main Screen. Click on "Wheel Designer". Then click "File" and "Open". Select "DTP_Data_centre 1, 2 or 3". After wheel has displayed, click "Copy" and choose "To Clipboard" or "To Disk Metafile". For detailed instructions on Desktop Publishing using Janus see "Desktop Publishing" in the Janus Help Index.

How can I put astrological symbols in a Word document?

Open "Character Map". It is a utility supplied with Windows and shows the entire range of characters available in a selected font and the keystroke to use to get each character. On Windows XP Home edition, to get to Character Map, go Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Character Map. The menu sequence to get to character map on other versions of Windows may be slightly different. When the Character Map Window appears, select the Janus font in the drop-down list box of available fonts. You can also copy a character or selected characters from Character Map to the Windows Clipboard, and paste them into a word document.

Troubleshooting

My Janus 3 registration number does not work, what's the problem?

When you enter the registration number, use the big bold black number stamped on the back of the floppy registration disk (not the number on the label starting with the letters NZ).

Downloading the Janus Demonstration Version from the Internet

I downloaded the demo trial program, but when I try to install it, I get the following error message "invalid Win32 application"

The demo download is one large file, and if the data transfer during the download process is interrupted this problem can occur. The solution is to order the demo on CD-ROM though the website. There is a $20 USD charge to cover the cost of materials, postage and administration.

Run Time Error Messages

When I start Janus, I get runtime error 53 file not found. What fixes this?

There are several reasons why this error message can occur.

Recommend you un-install Janus.
To do this, go Start, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, select Janus 3 and click OK.
During the un-install process, select the KEEP option to any shared files.
When un-install has finished, please use Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer) to delete the folder where you installed Janus, typically c:\Program Files\Janus. That will remove any remaining Files.

Before you re-install the program:
If your computer is connected to a network, then you will need to log off the network, as this can interfere with the install process.
If you have a 24 hour or permanent connection to the internet, then you will need to disconnect from your internet service provider, i.e. turn your modem off.

You are now ready to re-install the program.

When you install the program, please ensure that you install it to its own folder, and not the root directory of a drive.

Examples:
Installing to c:\Program Files\Janus (the default) is OK.
Installing to d:\Program Files\Janus is OK.
Installing to the root directory c: is not OK.
Installing to root directory d: is not OK.

Install the Janus program.
Start Janus.
Register the program.
The atlas and time change files will then install.
Close Janus.
Install the Janus update.
Start Janus.
The revised time change files will install.

Janus is now completely installed.
You will not need to re-install the Jansans bitmap font.

Janus and Windows 2000

Closing Janus running on Windows 2000 produces a "runtime error 76 path not found" message, what can I do to fix this?

Please use Windows Explorer to create the folder c:\Windows. That will fix the problem.

Irregular Screen Characters

Some screens display the astrology symbols correctly, while other screens display strange looking characters instead. How can I fix this?

Right click on your Windows Desktop and select "Properties" to open the "Display Properties" window. Select "Settings" tab and click the "Advanced" command button to open the "Display Driver Properties". Click the "General" tab. In the "Display Frame" select "Small Fonts" option from drop down box. Click the "OK" command button

Map Screen Display Incorrectly

When a map is displayed the sea colour extends beyond the map border and covers the latitude and longitude scales. What is the fix for this?

Right click on your Windows desktop. Select "Properties" to open the "Display Properties" window. Click the "Settings" tab. Then select the True Color (32 bit) option in the "Colors" frame. Click the "Advanced" command button to open the "Display Driver Properties" and click the "General" tab. Next, in the "Display" frame, select the "Small Fonts" option (normal size, 96 dpi) in the "Font Size" drop-down list box. Click the OK command button.

Print Error Message

If you get a Print Error message e.g. "Run time error 482" when you start Janus please do the following: From Windows Desktop go to Start>Settings>Printers and check that the Default Printer has been selected. If you do not have a Default Printer installed you will still need to select one even if you do not have a physical printer connected to your computer. To "Add a Printer" double click "Add Printer" icon and select a standard printer such as a HP Laser Jet 5P.

Unable to Install Jansans Bitmap Font

If you are experiencing difficulty installing the Jansans Bitmap font it may be that your computer has been set up to prevent easy access to the Fonts Window - e.g. on a Compaq Presario or a Gateway computer. If this is the case please do the following:

From Windows Desktop go to Start>Programs>MS DOS.
You should now see " C:\windows>" on your screen
Type attrib + s fonts at the MS Dos prompt (>) and then press Enter
Type exit at the MS Dos prompt (>) and then press Enter to return to Windows.
Restart your computer using the Start>Shutdown>Restart option.
Reinstall the Jansans Bitmap Fonts from the Control Panel - Start>Control Panel>Fonts.

Progress Bar Stops Part Way Through Installation

If your computer has problems reading the CD-ROM then cancel the installation process. Remove the CD-ROM from the CD Drive. From Windows Desktop go to Start>Settings>Control Panel>System Properties and select the "Performance" tab. Click the "File System" button and select the "CD-ROM" tab. Under the "Optimise access pattern…" select no-read ahead. Re-install Janus.

How to Un-install Janus

Un-install Janus 3 Demo Trial Program

From your Windows task bar, go Start, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. Select Janus 3 Demo and click OK. During the un-install process, select the KEEP option to any shared files. When un-install has finished, use Windows Explorer to delete the folder where you installed the demo to, typically c:\Program Files\J3FDemo to remove any remaining files.

Un-install Janus 3 Registered Program

From your Windows task bar, go Start, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. Select Janus 3 and click OK. During the un-install process, select the KEEP option to any shared files. When un-install has finished, use Windows Explorer to delete the folder where you installed the demo to, typically c:\Program Files\Janus to remove any remaining files.