LaTeX on windows

Matlabor is back, but not only about matlab. It's a place to put things that I would otherwise forget.

Today we're going to document how to do LaTeX on windows. Why? Let's just assume the following
(1) I had ubuntu working but when I tried to upgrade it yesterday, I ended up three hours later very demoralized with no more ubuntu on my computer (the fault of incomplete wubi uninstall, and my incomplete understanding of computers)
(2) I've always wanted to be cool enough for LaTeX
(3) I'm just not cool enough for a mac

Here are some steps
(following http://doams.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/how-to-setup-latex-on-windows-7/)

1. install MikTeX
http://miktex.org/2.8/setup

2. install TeXnicCenter
http://www.texniccenter.org

When you start TeXnicCenter for the first time you will be asked where your MiKTeX executables are located (in my case it is in …\program files\MiKTeX2.8\miktex\bin).

Then you will be asked what program you want t use for displaying Post Script files. Skip that part.

3. download journal-specific templates
e.g.
http://www.agu.org/pubs/authors/manuscript_tools/journals/latex/index.shtml

4. add the new class and style files to the path

I got errors if I didn't exactly follow their directory naming conventions:

Make this directory and put the .cls and .sty files in here:
C:\Local TeX Files\tex\latex\misc

Add  C:\Local TeX Files
to MikTeX, following the directions here:
http://docs.miktex.org/manual/localadditions.html

5. Open TeXnicCenter, edit template, and ctrl-shift-F5
I like LaTeX -> PDF

Getting the bibliography to work will be for another day, but I'm hoping that everything will work nicely with JabRef.