You do not need administration rights to install WASP8. No files are placed in the Windows System directories. No services are installed. Everything WASP8 needs is in the installation directory. You DO NEED rights to the directory where it is installed.

Because of all the restrictions of the Windows Environment as far as creating entries on the Start Menu or adding Shortcuts, we have decided on simple installation that would never require administrative rights. The installation process is basically a copy function to put files in a folder specified by the user. We do not create Windows Registry information, everything WASP needs is in the installation folder. To Run WASP, use the Windows File Explorer, navigate to the Directory where WASP is installed and double click on WASP.EXE.

You can create a Windows Short Cut and Place on your Desktop

You will be able to import your WASP7 Advanced Eutrophication input files in WASP8’s Eutrophication Module.  Because of all the major enhancements in WASP8, you cannot open WASP7 WIF files directly with the interface.  You will have to do the following steps:

•    Load the WASP7 File in the WASP7 Interface (You can have both WASP7 & WASP8 Installed on your computer).
•    In WASP7 Click on File->Export  Give the exported file a name, it will have the extension (*.INP)
•    Launch WASP8
•    Click on File->New or Click the New Icon
•    Click on File->Import:  Browse to the INP file you saved at Step 2
•    Once File is selected click okay

You will be prompted to Import Complete Dataset or Just Transport Information.  Transport Information would be segmentation, flows, and exchanges.
To Convert a WASP7 Standard Eutrophication Input file, export the file as described above, open a command shell or double click on the Eutro_to_MA.exe in the WASP8 installation directory, give it the filename of the WASP7 Eutrophication model that was exported, give the name of the translated file. Import the translated file into WASP8 as described above

If you are getting connections errors from WASP when trying to use an Excel or Access connection, in all likelihood it is do to a 32-Bit ODBC driver installed on your machine. This can be the case if you have a 64-Bit version of Windows and Microsoft Office. You will need to download the following driver: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13255 you will need the 64 Bit Version. If you have the 32-Bit version installed on your machine you will need to uninstall before installing 64-Bit version. Confusing? You can thank Microsoft for that one.

Converting QUAL2K input files to WASP is a fairly straight forward process. Most information can be cut and pasted into WASP. The kinetic algorithms utilized in both models are virtually the same. The biggest difference between the models (besides state state vs. dynamic) is how model transport and segmentation are defined. John Yagecic (Delaware River Basin Commission) created a web application to convert QUAL2K segmentation to WASP.