Q: When I run Theophilos I see the blue title screen with the copyright information and I see the Theophilos program running behind it, but no menus are active -- nothing works.

A: When Theophilos first launches it tries to play an opening song. It can lock up if it has unexpected problem with your sound configuration. Use the Task Manager to stop Theophilos, then edit the Theophilos "ini" file to turn off the introductory sound. To do this, find theophil.ini in C:\Program Files\theo30\system (or C:\Program Files (x86)\theo30\system if you're running a 64-bit version of Windows) and open it in Notepad. Look for a section like this:

[Media]
Start sound=intro.wav
Play intro=1
From CD=1
Quality=2

Change "Play intro=1" to "Play intro=0" then save and close the file. Now run Theophilos again and see if that makes it work. If it does, then something's up with your sound configuration that you can work on at your leisure if you want.

Q: What is Library Manager and how do I use it? (Topic is missing from built-in help.)

A: First, the help topic is there; it just doesn't work when you press the Help button in the Library Manager. Choose Help from the Edit menu in the Library Manager and you'll see this:

Library manager will let you organize your library to your liking. With hundreds of modules for Theophilos available on Internet and several CD titles sold worldwide you will find this tool indispensable. The library structure that you create will be used in the Navigator's Library tree and also in the menus.

The left panel shows the tree structure of your library, while the right panel shows the items contained by the currently selected folder on the left.

The following example will show how you can easily organize your Bible versions (more Bible versions are accessible from the Theophilos Library CD). The same technique will work for all other types of documents:

1. Open the Library manager
2. Click on the Bible folder icon on the left panel (Menu tree).
3. Click on the New menu button.
4. Type in "Foreign versions" as the new menu item's title and press Enter when done.
5. Click on the Bible folder icon again to show the Bible versions.
6. Drag and drop the Bible versions from the right panel (Menu content) onto the newly created "Foreign versions" folder icon on the left (instead of drag and drop technique you can use the clipboard to move the icons. Click on Copy button to copy the selected version icons, select the desired folder icon on the left and click on the Paste button).

Q: I get "Error 103" when I launch Theophilos.

A: Theophilos needs to be able to write to your Program Files folder in order to update its configuration file (theophil.ini). When running as a "user" instead of an "administrator", you may not have access to this folder. The solution is to run Theophilos as an administrator.

Q: After I installed from the CD I do not see any add-ons in the library.

A: There are several hundreds of megabytes of data on the CD. The setup program will install only the system files to your hard disk to save space for other programs. To use the data files or narrations you need to have the Theophilos CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive at all times when running the program.

Q: Can I access the files on the CD somehow without having the CD in the drive?

A: Yes, you can, but you need to have at least 600 megabytes of free space on your hard disk. To use the files from the CD without the need to have it physically in your CD-ROM drive follow these steps:
 

1. Create a new empty folder on your hard disk called "THEOCD" (NOTE: this folder should NOT be created on your desktop. Use Windows Explorer to create the folder in the root directory of the "C:" drive instead.)
2. Copy the entire content of the CD to this folder
3. Remove the CD from the CD-ROM drive
4. Start Theophilos
5. Go to Program menu and click on Settings command
6. Select the Paths tab
7. Enter the path to the new directory you just created (e.g. C:\THEOCD) as the Data path
8. Restart Theophilos

You should now see all add-ons in the menus.

Please note: If you own the Theophilos Library CD 3 Updated Edition, use the Theophilos CD Loader to copy files from the CD to your computer.

Q: I have an older version of Theophilos CD. Can I use the new Theophilos 3 with it or do I have to purchase a new CD from you?

A: You can use Theophilos 3 with the CD you have. Unless you want to have also new add-ons which were not available when the previous version of the CD was published, you do not need to purchase anything. Just install the new Theophilos 3, insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive and continue to enjoy it.

Q: I'm trying to use the Audio Bible on Windows Vista or Windows 7/8.x but I can't hear any audio.

A: For some reason, Microsoft did not include the TrueSpeech codec with Vista or Windows 7/8.x. The solution is to download the TrueSpeech codec from any one of a number of sources on the Web. Google "tsp_codec_install" to find it.

Q: How can I install the Audio Bible to my hard drive so I don't need the CD?

A: It's a little tricky but it can be done. In the instructions below, if you're running the 64-bit version of Windows, use C:\Program Files (x86) instead of C:\Program Files.

1. Install the latest free version of Theophilos from our website into the default folder. In most cases that is C:\Program Files\theo30.
2. Copy the scourby folder from the Theophilos Audio Bible CD into the C:\Program Files\theo30 folder. You should then have a C:\Program Files\theo30\scourby folder.
3. Copy these two files from the Theophilos Audio Bible CD into the C:\Program Files\theo30 folder.
   • theocd.inf
   • verses1.nar
4. Start Theophilos and go to Program > Settings > Paths. Set Data files path to C:\Program Files\theo30.
5. Close Theophilos and start it again. You can now do "Verse Sound" or "Auto Play" and they should work.

Q: When playing the narration the audio suddenly stops and the text starts scrolling. What is happening?

A: The free Theophilos package contains only one sample passage from the 45 "Greatest Bible Passages" audio narrations that are on our CD-ROM products (Basic, Student, and Scholar CDs).

The passage included with the free package starts at Genesis 1:1 and ends with Genesis 2:3. When the text of the passage is all read Theophilos will start scrolling the text automatically in an attempt to find next available narrated passage. Since there are no other narrated passages available in the free package you can stop the search by pressing F11 at any time.

See also the answer to the next question.

Q: How can I get more narrated passages?

A: If you liked what you heard and saw maybe you would like to order either Theophilos Library CD or Theophilos Audio Bible CD with many hours of narrated passages.

Here is a summary of the audio options for Theophilos:

• Free Theophilos Package: Contains one sample from the "Greatest Bible Passages" from our CD products.
• Basic, Student, or Scholar CD: These contain the full set of 45 "Greatest Bible Passages". It is not the entire Bible but rather a selection of passages.
• Theophilos KJV Audio Bible CD: This CD contains the entire KJV audio. It is the only way to get the entire Bible narrated (short of doing it yourself, which you could do with Theophilos).

Q: I can't access the built-in help. I'm using Windows Vista or Windows 7/8.x/10.x

A: For reasons only Microsoft understands, neither Vista nor Windows 7/8.x/10.x includes the WinHelp engine that has been a standard feature of Windows since version 3.1. Windows Vista, 7, and 8.x users can download it here.

Windows 10 users have to go through a little work, but it is all described here.

A Theophilos user has created a PDF version of the Help, suitable for printing. You can download it here: theo30.pdf.

Q: I get "Code 1722. The RPC server is unavailable" when I launch Theophilos.

A: This problem is common to many apps running under Windows 7. It seems to be caused by the Windows Print Server Service being set to "manual". If you start this service it should fix this problem. Look in the Control Panel for "Services".

See also I'm trying to use the Audio Bible on Windows Vista or Windows 7/8.x but I can't hear any audio.

See also I get "Error 103" when I launch Theophilos.

Q: I'm running the 64-bit version of Windows and can't find any of the books I download.

A: Theophilos books need to be installed into the same folder into which the Theophilos program was installed. Historically, Windows always installed Theophilos into C:\Program Files\theo30, so the books you download from our site automatically unzip themselves into that folder, where they expect to find the Theophilos program. If you're running 64-bit Windows, Theophilos will be installed into C:\Program Files (x86)\theo30, so it won't be able to find your books if they're installed into the other folder. When installing a user-download or one of our books, make sure it gets unzipped into the correct folder for your version of Windows (C:\Program Files\theo30 for the 32-bit version of Windows, or C:\Program Files (x86)\theo30 for the 64-bit version). If you're not sure which version of Windows you're running, search for the theophil.exe file (the Theophilos program) and see which folder it's in. Your books should be installed to that folder.

Q: Where do I go to download the products I've purchased?

A: You should've received an email confirmation after your purchase with complete download and installation instructions. Go to www.theophilos.com/login.asp and follow the instructions sent to you to login and download your files.

If you do not have the confirmation email Go to www.theophilos.com/login.asp and you'll find a form that allows you to enter your email address to have all your confirmation messages re-sent to you for all products you've purchased using that email address. If your email address has changed, contact Laridian technical support at support@laridian.com and tell us your old and new email address and we'll update our records.

The files you download from our site are setup programs that install the various products you've purchased. After you download the file to your computer, run it to install the product on your hard drive. In general it's best to accept the default answers to any questions it asks you about where to install. This makes it easier for Theophilos to find its add-on books without you having to make a change to program settings.

Q: I installed a new book but it's not in any of the categories in Theophilos (Bibles, Commentaries, Dictionaries, or Writings). Where is it?

A: There are three possibilities: 1) You didn't really install the book, 2) you didn't unlock the book after installing it, or 3) Theophilos doesn't know where you put it.

Remember the files you download from our site are either setup programs (the ones that end with .exe) or zip files (end with .zip). Setup programs need to be run in order to be installed. After downloading an exe file from our site, double-click on it to run it and it will lead you through the installation process. After downloading a zip file from our site, see the questions below for an explanation of how to un-zip and install the books.

If you purchase a book from us (i.e. it's not a free download), chances are there's an unlocking code that needs to be entered. You need the module name and the unlock code from the order confirmation email we send you. Go to Program > Unlock add-on module and enter the module name and unlock code from the email, then press the Unlock button. If you've entered the correct code, you'll be instructed to restart the program. If you get an error message when you press the Unlock button, you'll need to enter the module name and unlock code again.

Some email clients use a variable-width font to display plain-text emails and it causes the columns in the unlocking information table to be distorted. As a result, some people enter the wrong module name. The module name is always a short abbreviation, like NIV for the New International Version. If the table gets corrupted it might look like "New International Version NIV" is the module name. That is not correct. Only the "NIV" at the end is the module name that you enter into the program.

Once you've installed the book(s) Theophilos will probably be able to find them. But if it still can't see them, go to Program > Settings > Paths and verify there's a path to the directory into which you installed the books. If not, add it. You'll need to re-start Theophilos after making this change in order for it to find the book(s).

If you're running the 64-bit version of Windows, see also I'm running the 64-bit version of Windows and can't find any of the books I download.

Q: What is a Zip File?

A: Some of the files that are available for download on this website are in what is called a "zip file" format. A zipped file is a file that has been compressed and most often has a file extension of ".ZIP". We zip the files on our system for two reasons. First, we have some add-ons that are huge. By zipping the file we collapse the file to 1/3 of its former size, significantly reducing the amount of time that it takes to download the add-on. Second, we are concerned about space on our server and zipping allows us to keep more files on our system. This is a very common way of distributing files on the Internet.

Q: How do I download these Zip Files?

A: Most browsers allow you to right click with the mouse on the link and save the file to your hard drive. Select the "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" option. Select the location (directory) on your system where you would like to store the download, and click "OK". Depending on the speed of your connection and the size of the file that you are downloading, this download process could take less than a minute or quite some time.

Q: I downloaded a file, what's next?

A: Once you have saved the file to your hard drive, you need to "unzip" or expand the file back into it’s normal size. If you do not have a program to expand zipped files, we recommend that you download WINZIP. This can be found at www.winzip.com. It has a user-friendly interface and contains all the help you need to help you accomplish the task of unzipping the downloaded zip files.

Q: The File has been unzipped, but where does it go?

A: The easiest way to have Theophilos recognize the new add-ons is to simply place the unzipped file directly into the same directory where the theophil.exe program is (the startup directory). By default this is the C:\Program Files\theo30 directory if you're running a 32-bit version of Windows, or C:\Program Files (x86)\theo30 if you're running the 64-bit version of Windows. If you installed Theophilos into other directory, you will need to copy the unzipped files there. Next, start Theophilos and go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and select the appropriate category (i.e. commentaries, dictionaries, writings etc.) and there you have it.

Q: I put the file in the same directory as the Theophilos program, but I don't see it. What happened?

A: You can't add add-ons into the directory and have them recognized by Theophilos while Theophilos is running. You have to restart Theophilos.

Q: I run the Theophilos program from my CD. Where do I put the addon?

A: Another option, and one that you obviously have to do if you purchased the Theophilos CD and run the program from the CD, is set a directory path to a directory that you want to store your files in. This is accomplished by selecting "Settings" from the "Program" menu. You can then set paths to the data & user directories. If you click on the help file in Theophilos it provides details on how to use these paths.

Q: How do I get maps to show up in the Multimedia menu?

A: When you download maps from the Online Library here at the website, unzip them into the picture folder of your Theophilos program folder (C:\Program Files\theo30 if you're running the 32-bit version of Windows or C:\Program Files (x86)\theo30 if you're running one of the newer 64-bit versions of Windows). They will now show up in the Multimedia menu. You can use Program > Library Manager to create a submenu called "Maps" in the Multimedia folder and put them there if you'd like. See What is Library Manager and how do I use it? for more information.

Q: How can I organize my "picture" directory to put different sets of images in different folders?

A: You can put your image files into a subdirectory in the "picture" directory, but then Theophilos won't be able to find them. To solve this, run Theophilos, go to Program > Settings > Paths. Add your new directory to the "Additional search paths" list using the Add button. Exit Theophilos and re-launch it so the program can discover your additional images.

At this point you'll see all your images in the Multimedia menu. To move them into a submenu, go to Program > Library Manager. Select "Multimedia" from the Menu Tree pane. Select the "New Menu" button and name the menu something related to your images — you'll probably use the same name here as you did for the subdirectory you put them in. Now select "Multimedia" from the Menu Tree pane and drag the images from the Menu Content pane into your new submenu in the Menu Tree pane. Select the Save button when you're done. Now you should see a submenu under Multimedia that contains your new images.

These questions are related:
What is Library Manager and how do I use it?
How do I get maps to show up in the Multimedia menu?

Q: I want to download all you have to offer on your website. What should I do?

A: For a limited time you can download all you want for one low price of $139.99. If you would purchase all paid packages individually you would spend over $220, so by getting all at once you will save over $80. To order this DOWNLOAD-ALL PACKAGE now click here. After your order is received we will send you all download and installation information via e-mail. Note this only includes downloadable products. The Audio Bible CD is not downloadable and is not included. Furthermore, there is multimedia content on our CD collections (Basic, Student, and Scholar CDs) that is not downloadable and is therefore not included.

Q: Shouldn't I be considering the purchase of your Theophilos Library CD instead?

A: All titles in the paid packages are also available on our Theophilos Library CD (the content of individual Theophilos Library CD editions varies). We recommend the purchase and download of individual packages only if you do not need the complete add-on collection on a CD. Further, Theophilos Library CD contains some additional materials like the audio Bible narrations, illustrations, music or maps. If you want to give Theophilos to someone you love as a gift, then you should probably choose the Theophilos Library CD. You may also find some of the Theophilos Library CD editions more affordable, depending on your needs.

For more information about the Theophilos Library CD pricing and ordering click here.

Q: The text of my non-English Bible does not display correctly.

A: Open the Bible in Theophilos. Right-click on the window containing the Bible and choose "Font settings". Make sure you have the correct setting for "Script". For example, Russian Bibles use Cyrillic script and Romanian Bibles use Eastern European script. You might also try the suggestion in the question about searching non-English Bibles.

Q: I can't search for words that include diacritics or non-English letters.

A: Go to Windows' "Regional and Language Options" in the Control Panel. Look for the setting for "language for non-Unicode programs" and change it to your language (the language you're trying to search in). In Windows XP this setting is under the Advanced tab.

Q: I want to create my own modules. Is that possible?

A: This can be achieved by directly building your topics, notes, jumplists, etc. in the Theophilos program. These add-on modules are editable to other users. You may also use Scribe for Theophilos, to generate these modules as well as non-editable dictionaries, commentaries & writings.

Q: I have created an add-on for Theophilos. How do I upload it to the Theophilos Online Library?

A: We are no longer adding books to the Theophilos Online Library.

Q: Are ESV, NASB, NIV, NKJV, The New Living Bible and other modern translations available for Theophilos?

A: Most contemporary Bible translations are copyrighted and their distribution must be approved by the copyright holder. We offer several modern translations on our Theophilos Library CD or for download from our Theophilos Online Library.

Q: Where can I get more add-ons for Theophilos?

A: There is a great number of free add-ons available on the Internet. We also offer a large collection of add-ons on several CD-ROM products. On our Theophilos Library CD you will find many valuable study resources. Also available is Theophilos Audio Bible CD published by Audio Bible, Inc. with the entire KJV Bible narrated by Alexander Scourby who is known as "the Voice of the Bible". You will get over 72 hours of audio on a single CD-ROM accessible from Theophilos. You can also visit our Theophilos Online Library for many downloadable add-ons for Theophilos.

Q: What does the name "Theophilos" mean?

A: Theophilos means "a friend of God" or "a lover of God". Theophilos (or Theophilus in Latin) mentioned by Luke (Lk 1:3) was a person we do not know much about. All we know is that he was a man of honor and probably a high ranking Roman officer. Scholars agree that it is more than certain that he was a Christian. We believe that users of our Bible study software can closely relate to the meaning of the name "Theophilos". Therefore since we are committed to excellence in our work we do our best to let you experience the "most excellent Theophilus" in our software.

Q: I purchased a download package for myself. Can I install the files on my relative's or friend's computer also?

A: While the Theophilos program itself and many of the add-ons are freeware and can be distributed freely under the conditions in the Warranty and License Agreement, all our products are copyrighted. Some we distribute freely and some have a nominal charge to help support our ongoing effort to bring you quality reference books and Bibles. You can install the products you purchase from us on all computers you personally own and use. Your friends and relatives must purchase their own copies of the products and shouldn't install from your downloads or CDs.

Q: My question wasn't answered by this page. How do I get it answered?

A: Theophilos is no longer actively developed or supported. If your question isn't answered here, try Google.

Q: How can I reach you by phone?

A: We do not have phone support.