Put Wikipedia on a USB key

[James Afflek]

With the free software WikiTaxi compatible with Windows XP and Vista, you can consult the encyclopedia without being connected to the Internet. Manual.

The idea of access to Wikipedia without being connected to the Internet is attractive. Navigating among the millions of information contained in the free online encyclopedia and integrate all on a USB drive seems to hold more fiction than reality. Yet, it is possible. The miracle is WikiTaxi. This software is compatible with Windows XP and Vista, you can download Wikipedia on your hard disk, and then consult the encyclopedia even without an Internet connection.

The program operates a special Wikipedia: directors are in regular backups of the encyclopedia, called Dumps. These files contain articles that clearly present for the backup, so that the most recent items are excluded. If you think your base is too old, you can always connect to the Internet to get a newer version of Wikipedia: you would then repeat the process we describe here.

The software WikiTaxi is in English, but it works with any language Wikipedia, so you can work perfectly with a database in English and another in French. The volume of data necessary to host Wikipedia depends on the size of the backup that you have selected. There is a basic English reduced by 25 MB compressed. It fits on a key 64 Mo.

It can be easily transferred on a USB key standard 4 GB or more. Now you can walk with Wikipedia in your pocket! Warning: manipulation that we describe here are aimed at users of a good technical level.

What you need

• Internet connection in broadband, a PC running Windows XP or Vista, the software WikiTaxi.
  
• Time required: 6 hours

Step 1: Install WikiTaxi

• Download WikiTaxi (1.7 MB compressed Zip) is on the left side of the page. Unzip the file in a folder that you could name and you WikiTaxi put on the Windows desktop. At the end of all manipulation, you can make the choice on an external hard drive, a USB flash drive, memory card or disk of a laptop. It is preferable, as a first step, to keep the software on the hard drive of your PC as the integration of the database Wikipedia requires many disk access. Made from a USB drive, they slow down the process of importation. WikiTaxi software is portable: it does not need to be installed to run.
  
  
• You just have to click on the executable file to launch WikiTaxi.exe. But before using the program, do not forget to download one or several backup files Wikipedia.

Step 2: Download the data of Wikipedia

• Wikipedia safeguard its databases in XML format and creates a file for each language in which the encyclopedia is developed and a file for all sub-parts (dictionaries, quotations, media, etc.).. All backups are stored Wikipedia on Wikimedia Downloads.
  
  
• For easy reference, the bases are accessible in English on dumps.wikimedia.org On this site, download the database the latest by clicking on the link latest. Select the file whose name resembles pages articles.xml.bz2. It enwiki-latest-pages-articles.xml.bz2 is the file which is 4.1 GB . It contains all articles, page templates, tables, multimedia elements or photos. In this case, the download may take several hours because even if your connection is fast, the Wikimedia server does not.

[James Afflek]

Step 3: Integrate backups WikiTaxi

1. After downloading or databases that you want, you need to transform XML files Wikipedia databases readable WikiTaxi. This may take too much time, depending on the power of your computer and especially the size of the file you downloaded. To import backups, run the program WikiTaxi_Importer.exe case WikiTaxi in that you placed on the desktop. Click on the Browse button to select the Wikipedia database that you downloaded. By clicking on the second Browse button, select the folder on the desktop WikiTaxi and enter what you want to give the basis WikiTaxi, for example en.taxi basis for the English base that you downloaded in step
   
   
2. To accelerate the integration process of the base, we advise you to use all available memory of your PC by pushing the cursor RAM for database thoroughly. Then click the Import button now! To start importing. Once the integrated backup, the software provides a summary.

Step 4: Test the functioning

• Once you have imported the basis WikiTaxi to Wikipedia, you can start surfing offline. To do this, run WikiTaxi by double-clicking the file WikiTaxi.exe. Then select a WikiTaxi by clicking on the link Click here to open an existing database. Select your base, in our example, Base en.taxi. Validate by Open . The software will immediately a random page of the encyclopedia, from which you can start surfing.
  
  
• Only text is displayed. Do a search on multiple words at random to check that the software works well. If so, close the software and upload the file WikiTaxi Windows Desktop to a USB drive, an external hard drive or memory card.
  
  
• For the amount of space that will occupy this folder, right click the mouse on the case WikiTaxi and in the menu that appears, choose Properties and then look at the figure opposite Size on disk.

Step 5: Use WikiTaxi offline

• You can search WikiTaxi as in Wikipedia. Click in the search box and enter your query. As for Google, each word corresponds to a query. Similarly, to seek a sentence given, enter this phrase in quotes. If a search returns more results, WikiTaxi offers a full article on the topic (full matches), or an article containing the expression (partial matches). A click on a link you offered to return the items concerned. Last tip, if you use Wikipedia often with the same database and want quick access, you can create a shortcut on the desktop or on your USB drive. Click the right mouse button, select New / Shortcut and the location of the shortcut, write WikiTaxi.exe K : \ WikiTaxi_1.0.3 \ NOM_DE_LA_BASE.taxi then validate. In this example, K: is the letter assigned to your USB key or external drive.