Department of Mathematics | UConn

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http://www.math.uconn.edu/ITResources/LaTeXDownLoad/

University of Connecticut | Department of Mathematics

LaTeX Download Page

Most of this page is dedicated to installing LaTeX on a Windows machine. The reason is that on Mac OSX and on
Unix / Linux installing LaTeX is a rather trivial exercise and a link to a standard website generally suffices even for
a novice.
In any operating system, you might want to check if your installation actually works. If you don't have a latex
source file handy try LatexExample.tex. After compilation, it should look like LatexExample.pdf. If
your reference numbers are missing or all look like (0.0), compile it twice. This is a standard annoyance in LaTeX
and has nothing to do with your system.

LaTeX for Windows

Installing LaTeX for Windows has traditionally been a somewhat cumbersome procedure. This has even lead to the
emergence of PC TeX, a commercial product. However, nowadays, some free versions of LaTeX for Windows are
available and quite straightforward to install. A good example is the ProText package which contains MikTeX (a
freeware LaTeX implementation that has been around for quite a while now), a pretty decent flat text editor, and a
couple viewers so that you can see the end result of your labor. To download, proceed as follows:
Download ProText.exe; you can just dump it on your desktop. Be patient, it is an enormous file (750
MB).
Run ProTeXt.exe. This will create a Folder called ProText on your desktop. In that folder, go to the
folder called Install. In the Install folder, open the PDF file protext-install-en.pdf.
Just go through the steps outlined in protext-install-en.pdf. This document is a PDF file with
working links.
When installing MikTeX, you will be asked several questions. The standard answer is usually a good
one; with two exceptions: choose "Complete MikTeX", rather then "Basic MikTeX" as this will avoid
more download sessions in the future and choose "Letter" as main paper format and not "A4". A4 is the
standard paper format used in most of the world, but not in the US.
The installation of TeXnicCenter is a quick "click next" and confirm procedure and should take no more
than a minute. The same is true for GhostScript and GSview.
If you want to know more about the installation process without actually downloading everything, have a
look at the installation document. Be advised that you cannot install ProText from this document; you have
to go to the procedure that is being outlined here.
Now start TechnicCenter. It should show up as a darkish green icon on your desktop. When you first start
TechnicCenter, you'll be asked for the right path to TeX / LaTeX. It's all in the protext-install-en.pdf file in
paragraph "1.6.4 After The Installation".
The standard thing that you want to do is probably to compile a LaTeX document and then see the end result,
preferably as PDF. To do this, go to the dropdown menu in the middle of TechnicCenter and set that to
"LaTeX => PDF". Now load a test document (see above) or type in some LaTeX commands and compile.
Compiling is done by pushing Ctrl-Shift-F5. Also the button with several papers and a looking glass will do
this (it's the fourth button from the left).
For more information on TechnicCenter, check out their website: http://www.toolscenter.org/
You can now remove Protext.exe and the Protext folder. Deleting them can take up to two
minutes, because these things are huge.
If you want to install this package, count on spending the better part of 2 hours doing so. During this time, you will
not have to do much, but although downloading and unpacking is automatic, it still takes a lot of time. Also make
sure that you have a good internet connection. If you are installing this on your laptop, bring in your laptop and
hook it up to the campus ethernet, rather than using wireless.

Flat Text Editors for Windows

LaTeX has to be typeset in "flat text" or "pure ASCII", meaning that you should never use any editor that does any
formatting like text in bold or letters in other colors, even the relatively modest "Rich Text" will not be compiled at
all. This means that you have to use an ASCII editor. The editor that comes with ProText is pretty decent, but if you

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http://www.math.uconn.edu/ITResources/LaTeXDownLoad/

prefer to use another one, the following are valid options:

NppInstaller: NPP stands for Notepad++. NPP understands the syntax of a multitude of scripts, parsers
and programming languages. TeX / LaTeX text editing is one of it's many Language options.

WinVi32.exe: As you can guess from the name, this is a Vi emulator for Windows. Vi is arguably the
most efficient editor around, but has a bad learning curve. This option is mainly for people who have used vi
before and want to stick with it.
If you're an Emacs adept check out GNUEmacs and the XEmacs websites.
Another fairly popular - and quite sophisticated - choice is WinEdt.

LaTeX for Mac OSX

First, if you are using one of the Macs anywhere in the math department, then LateX is already fully installed, and
you should not be installing it again. Installing LaTeX for Mac is a trivial exercise, just follow the instructions on
the MacTeX website. MacTeX comes with the TeXShop editor that is also the standard editor on our Macs in the
department.

LaTeX for Linux / Unix

If you have a Linux / Unix system, chances are pretty good that LaTex already came with it. If not, the TeXLive
website is a good place to look for releases.

Department of Mathematics
196 Auditorium Road, Unit 3009
Storrs, CT 06269-3009
Phone: (860) 486-3923
Fax: (860) 486-4238
Comments to webmaster@math.uconn.edu

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