This section of the manual provides background information on MINFILE/pc and MINFILE/www. It
will also tell you how to install MINFILE/pc on your computer. If you already have the
5.0 Version installed, you might find it useful to skip ahead to the Operating MINFILE section. If you have never worked with MINFILE/pc, and need to install it,
the following sections will be exactly what you need. Please note that the information
contained in this manual is the property of the BC Geological Survey Branch (GSB), and may not be commercially
reproduced or sold without the express permission of the GSB.
A. About MINFILE/pc and MINFILE/www
1. The History of MINFILE
In 1967, a card-based inventory of mineral occurrences in British Columbia was
created and maintained by the BC Geological Survey of the British Columbia Department
of Mines and Petroleum Resources.
In 1973, at the University of British Columbia, a project was initiated to
transfer the information contained in the unwieldy card-based files to a searchable,
computerized system. The resulting system, called MINDEP, required powerful mainframes or
minicomputers to operate.
In 1976, MINDEP was placed in the custody of the BC Geological Survey of the
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. Renamed MINFILE, the system underwent
numerous evolutionary changes until, in November of 1987, MINFILE/pc Version 1.0 was
released.
With the advent of MINFILE/pc, the database on British Columbia mineral
occurrences was easily and immediately accessible to users throughout the province. Since
1987, MINFILE/pc has undergone further development, Version 3.0 was released in July, 1991
and Version 4.0 was released in January, 1995. Version 4.0a of the software, released in
May, 1995, introduced 3 new extract files, memory management changes, and installation
fixes. MINFILE/pc version 4.5 featured greatly increased flexibility in handling and
storing data, new searches, Y2K fixes and an expanded database.
In 2006,
MINFILE/pc Version 5.0 was released. This version was converted to an MS Access application that is downloadable from the web. Due to the large
file size MINFILE/pc is a compressed (zipped) file. Version 5.0 is not
compatible with older versions of MINFILE/pc. At this time, a new component called MINFILE/www was introduced to provide
online data entry and online access to the MINFILE database.
2. MINFILE/pc and MINFILE/www Features
The user-friendly MINFILE/pc and MINFILE/www programs are a valuable tool for anyone interested in
exploration, mining or minerals in British Columbia. Using MINFILE/pc and MINFILE/www, you can go
"computer prospecting," anywhere in British Columbia. The main features are:
NOTE: Adding or changing data will mean that the user's data
and the distributed MINFILE database are no longer the same. Please send data updates to
BC Geological Survey in Victoria so that the main database can be updated.
The BC Geological Survey, Victoria (see contacts in Chapter VII)
maintains control of all items in the distributed MINFILE database. At this office,
MINFILE numbers are assigned and all data for distribution is created.
B. Installing MINFILE/pc
1. System Requirements
In order to run MINFILE/pc, certain technical requirements must be met. These
include:
