PHStat2 readme file

PHStat2 is Windows software that assists you in learning the concepts of statistics while using Microsoft Excel 97, Microsoft Excel 2000, or later. PHStat2 allows you to perform many common types of statistical analyses working with and using the familiar Microsoft Excel interface. PHStat2 is an enhanced version of the original PHStat statistical add-in system. If you have used PHStat previously, read the "What's New?" section to discover the improvements that PHStat2 contains. (In this textbook, you should interpret any general reference to "PHStat" as a reference to PHStat2.)

The rest of this document is organized into sections to assist you in setting up and using PHStat2. Revelant sections of this readme file are also including in the PHStat2 help system for easy reference when using PHStat2 (select Help for PHStat2 from the PHStat menu in Microsoft Excel).

Table of Contents

1      PHStat2 technical requirements

2      Configuring Microsoft Excel for PHStat2

3      Setting up PHStat2

4      Using PHStat2

5      Updating PHStat2

6      Troubleshooting PHStat2

7      What's New in PHStat2?

1 PHStat2 technical requirements

In order to set up and use PHStat2 successfully, your computer system must meet the following technical requirements.

-Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP operating systems.

-Microsoft Excel 97, Microsoft Excel 2000, or later. If you are using Microsoft Excel 97, you must have previously applied SR-2, service release 2, (or later). PHStat2 is not compatible with earlier versions of Microsoft Excel including Microsoft Excel 95.

-Sufficient main memory. Memory requirements vary based on system configuration; 32MB is the suggested minimum although PHStat2 can run on any system that can successfully load Microsoft Excel.

-Approximately 6 MB hard disk free space during setup process and 3 MB hard disk space after installation. On some systems, the Windows system files that may get replaced or added during the setup process will require up to 3 MB more hard disk space.

-Display settings set to 800 by 600 pixels (or larger) with Small Fonts. PHStat2 will run with any display settings, but setting your system to use Large Fonts setting may cause certain dialog box captions to be truncated and setting your system to 640 by 400 pixels will require you to use the scroll bars inside Microsoft Excel to view all parts of many outputs.

Special note for network users: If you are setting up PHStat2 on a computer system that is part of a network, you need to have a user account that allows you to set up Windows software. Most campus lab student accounts and many faculty network accounts do not include this permission. If you have such an account, ask your network or lab technician for assistance in setting up PHStat2.

2 Configuring Microsoft Excel for PHStat2

Certain components of Microsoft Excel need to be already installed before you can set up PHStat2. These components may not have been included, depending on the options chosen when Microsoft Excel was originally set up on your system. To verify that your copy of Microsoft Excel is fully configured for PHStat2, open Microsoft Excel and:

1      Select Tools | Add-Ins.

2      In the Add-Ins dialog box that appears, select the Analysis ToolPak and Analysis ToolPak - VBA check boxes from the Add-Ins available list and click the OK button.

3      Exit Microsoft Excel (to save the selections).

If the Analysis ToolPak choices do not appear in the Add-Ins available lit, you will need to rerun the Microsoft Excel setup program using the original Microsoft Excel (or Office) CD-ROM.

Special configuration notes for Microsoft Excel 2000 users: If you plan to use PHStat2 with Microsoft Excel 2000, you should also verify the following:

Macro Security setting. If you are using Excel 2000 version SR-1 or later, select Tools | Macro | Security and in the Security Level tab of the Security dialog box select the Medium option button and click the OK button. (If you select the High option, you will prevent PHStat2 from running inside Microsoft Excel.)

Tools Customize setting. Select Tools | Customize. In the Customize dialog box, deselect (uncheck) the Menus show recently used commands first check box and click the Close button. While not a mandatory requirement for using PHStat2, this setting will prevent the confusion that could occur when Microsoft Excel hides PHStat2 menu items on the PHStat menu that appears inside Excel.

3 Setting up PHStat2

Run the PHStat2 setup program (Setup.exe) that can be found in the PHStat2 folder on your textbook CD-ROM. The setup program begins with an opening dialog box that greets you and invites you to continue. Step through the dialog boxes, reading all informational messages and clicking the Next button. During the setup process, you will have the opportunity to specify a target directory for the PHStat2 files other that the default \Program Files\PHStat2 directory.

After the setup program completes successfully, desktop icons and a Start menu programs group are both created for PHStat2. With the exception of certain systems that might require a reboot after the setup program updates certain Windows system files, PHStat2 is ready to be used with your copy of Microsoft Excel.

4 Using PHStat2

You use PHStat2 by double-clicking the Desktop PHStat2 icon or selecting PHStat2 from the Start menu PHStat2 program group. If you prefer, you can use the Excel (File) Open dialog box to open the PHStat2.xla file, containing the component of PHStat2 that works inside Microsoft Excel. Once properly loaded, PHStat2 will add a new PHStat menu to the Microsoft Excel menu bar. You are then ready to begin work with PHStat2.

The PHStat2.xla component of PHStat2 is technically a Microsoft Excel add-in, and some users prefer to have Microsoft Excel automatically load their add-ins when Excel itself opens. If you are such an user, you can "install," as Excel calls it, Phstat2 for automatic loading.

Note about the macro virus warning dialog box: Depending on your version and configuration of Microsoft Excel, you may see a dialog box that warns about the possibility of macro viruses when PHStat2 in Microsoft Excel. Should this dialog box appear, click the Enable Macros button to allow PHStat2 (virus-free, as shipped) to be loaded.

5 Updating PHStat2

From time to time, enhanced versions of PHStat2 that add new capabilities or clarify user issues may be published on the Prentice Hall web site. If you plan to use PHStat2, you should regularly check the PHStat web site at www.prenhall.com/phstat for updates. PHStat2 updates will be freely downloadable by you if, at the time of download, you possess the original CD-ROM and the textbook in which it was packaged.

6 Troubleshooting PHStat2.

Unable to complete the PHStat2 setup process. Review the section "Technical requirements for Phstat2." Most problems of this type are caused by user accounts that do not permission to setup up application software in a networked environment.

Windows or Microsoft Excel error message appears when starting PHStat2. Most problems of this type are caused by attempting to use PHStat2 with a version of Microsoft Excel earlier than Excel 97 or with a copy of Microsoft Excel 97 that as not been properly updated with the service release 2.

PHStat menu fails to appear on Microsoft Excel menu bar in Microsoft Excel 2000 version SR-1 or later. The macro security setting is incorrect. Change setting to Medium option as explained in section "Configuring Microsoft Excel for PHStat2."

"Unexpected error" message when attempting to run a PHStat2 procedure. First verify that PHStat2 was properly set up of your system. Then review the PHStat2 help system topics for the procedure as well as the topic "Preparing Data for Analysis" to verify that any data necessary for the procedure has been properly organized in your worksheet.

If you need further assistance, visit the PHStat website www.prenhall.com/phstat for the latest information about PHStat2 or to ask technical support a specific question about PHStat2. Also remember to regularly check the web site for the latest updates to PHStat2 as discussed in the "Updating PHStat2" section.

7 What's New in PHStat2?

PHStat2 contains many enhancements and improvements to the original PHStat system. If you have been a user of the original version, you will discover the following changes:

General enhancements:

Complete Help system available through PHStat menu and procedure dialog boxes.

Dialog boxes redesigned to Microsoft Excel 97 & later standard.

Enhanced user data entry checking.

Elimination of splash screen upon loading.

PHStat menu reorganized by topic.

Quicker execution of procedures.

Redesigned and reformatted worksheets with color-keyed ranges (For more information, see the PHStat2 help topic "How PHStat2 Presents Its Results.")

Enhanced statistical procedures:

Box-and-Whisker Plot: Plots appear horizontally and in better proportion of length to width.

One-Way Tables & Charts: Accepts frequency tables as well as raw data sets as the data.

Tukey-Kramer Procedure: Generates the necessary sample statistics and MSW value automatically. Means comparisons tabulated in list.

Simple Linear and Multiple Regression Procedures: Generates corrected residual plots on separate chart sheets.

New statistical procedures:

Chi-Square Test for the Variance: Performs the Chi-Square test for the variance on a new worksheet.

Dot Scale Diagram: Generates a dot scale diagram as a chart object on a new worksheet that also contains the numerical data plotted and a summary table of statistics.

Estimate for the Population Variance: Calculates the confidence interval estimate for the population variance and standard deviation on a new worksheet.

Frequency Distribution: Generates a table that contains frequency counts and percentage frequency values on a new worksheet. When used with a multiple group option, the frequency tables of each group are placed on separate worksheets. (This procedure enhances the tables generated by the Data Analysis Histogram tool.)

Histogram & Polygons: Generates a frequency table and a histogram (as a chart object) on new worksheet and optionally generates polygons on separate chart sheets. When used with a multiple group option, the frequency table and histogram for each group is placed on a separate worksheet and the multiple group data are plotted together on the same polygons. (This procedure enhances the frequency tables and histograms generated by the Data Analysis Histogram tool.)

Stepwise Regression: Generates a stepwise regression analysis on a new worksheet using either the general stepwise, forward selection, or backward elimination methods.

PHStat2 revisions through version 2.1.3

Hypergeometric Probability Distribution: Table values generated corrected to show X = 0 to sample size, not X = 0 to population size.

Kruskal-Wallis Rank Test: Problem that lead to incorrect results when groups were of unequal sample sizes corrected.

Poisson Probability Distribution: Problem that did not allow non-integer values to be entered into Average/Expected No. of Successes corrected.

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Check the PHStat website www.prenhall.com/phsat for the latest updates and enhancements to PHStat2.

Note: Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.

This document is current as of January 2002.