Cfrgtkky

You can set up a local packages repository on your computer.

You need an internet access to download the MikTex packages.

My problem is that I can't succeed in setting up the internet proxy setup of MikTex in my system, so I have tried today the following solution with MikTex 2.9 and it worked with no problems; the on-the-fly package installation worked well too.

1. Create the folder, for example c:miktex_pkgs
   


2. 
   

   Copy the following file to the folder c:miktex_pkgs (If you do not copy the files you will probably get some errors from MikTex. See http://bruceyf.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/miktexs-secret-local-package-repository/ for the details):

   
   
   

   http://mirrors.ctan.org/systems/win32/miktex/tm/packages/README.TXT

   
   
   

   http://mirrors.ctan.org/systems/win32/miktex/tm/packages/miktex-zzdb1-2.9.tar.lzma

   
   
   

   http://mirrors.ctan.org/systems/win32/miktex/tm/packages/miktex-zzdb2-2.9.tar.lzma

   
   



3. You can copy any packages you may need from http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/systems/win32/miktex/tm/packages to your local folder c:miktex_pkgs



4. 
   

   At this point you have two options.

   
   
   
   
   
   • 
     

     Update your MikTex system: from the Windows Start menu -> Programs -> Miktex 2.9 -> Maintenance (Admin) -> launch the program "Settings (Admin)"

     
     
     

     Go to the tab "Package repository" and choose the folder c:miktex_pkgs

     
     
     

     Install packages...

     
     
   
   
   • 
     

     Open a command prompt and navigate to c:miktex_pkgs

     
     
     

     Use mpm.exe --install {name} to install packages. The {name} does not include any of the extensions (.cab, .tar.lzma, .tar.bz2, etc.).

     
     
   
   
   
   

Have you tried to log into your admin account and then - using the shortcuts in the start menu - to go to the package-manager? There you can manually search for the packages which you access using the usepackage-command and install them by simply clicking onto the plus on the top left. Important note: Always open the package manager using a right click and choose "Open as admin".

For me this always works out...

This is a simple and straightforward answer that worked for me.

As an example I'll take the listofitems package of CTAN and Miktex 2.9. We suppose the package is not available in the Miktex Package Manager, otherwise it can be directly installed with the manager.

1. Create a local directory where you are gonna have all your manually installed packages. For example: C:myextrapackagestexlatex (the texlatex folder and subfolder must be there, if not Miktex won't accept the directory as S. Kottwitz said above, but myextrapackage can be any path you choose.)


2. Add the directory C:myextrapackages to Miktex. Procedure: go to Miktex Settings -> select the tab Roots -> and click on the Add Button (more details here)
   Note: See that we have left out the texlatex folders from the added path. If you try to add the full path C:myextrapackagestexlatex to Miktex you may get an error.


3. Download the .zip file with the package (in our case listofitems.zip available on the CTAN page)


4. Unpack the contents of the .zip package file in a package folder with the same name (in our case listofitems.zip is unpacked in the folder listofitems).


5. Copy the package folder into your already new added directory. (in this example the final result is the directory C:myextrapackagestexlatexlistofitems with all the unpacked files inside)

In the future, if you download more packages, you skip steps 1. and 2. And follow steps 3 through 5 using your available local directory (in this case C:myextrapackagestexlatex)

I give here my small personal contribution concerning manual installation of packages in MiKTeX (Windows).

As I find very annoying when there is an error 503 or 404 with the internet connection when trying to install a package (package manager - network update).

My environments:

My whole work is done in the great Debian Linux environment. In fact I rarely use Windows because of its alarming security holes and vulnerabilities.
When there is no Debian Linux available and I am unfortunately forced to use Windows, then I do my Latex work using the USBTEX (Miktex + Texmaker) in Windows environment.

I download the target package from the CTAN repository.

The package xifthen is used as an example.

In Windows:

Directories used:

All the work is done in a USB stick. USBTEX is installed in this USB stick in the directory:

X:USBTeX-1.7

My work directory:

X:LatexMy_documents

How to install a new package from CTAN if the internet connection is not working or I am getting server connection errors 404 or 503:

1. MiKTeX - Missing package error during Texmaker compilation:
   error: LaTeX Error: Filexifthen.sty' not found.`




2. Using your browser download package xifthen.tar.lzma from:
   http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/systems/win32/miktex/tm/packages




3. Using 7-zip open the archive xifthen.tar.lzma
   and enter xifthen.tar.lzmaxifthen.tartexmf



4. 
   

   Copy (just select all and drag) all directories like:

   
   
   

   doc
   
   source
   
   tex
   
   tpm
   
   ...
   
   

   
   
   

   to:

   
   
   

   X:USBTeX-1.7programsMiKTeX_2.9
   
   

   
   
   

   when asked if "Do you still want to merge this folder" answer "Yes"
   and if asked to replace files say "Copy and Replace" to replace the old files.

   
   


5. 
   

   Then run (Windows double click and after give administrator user/password):

   
   
   

   X:USBTeX-1.7programsMiKTeX_2.9miktexbinmo_admin.exe
   
   

   
   
   

   In menu:
   General> click on "Refresh FRDB" to add the copied files to database.
   The files will look as newly installed.

   
   



6. Now you can compile again in Texmaker (>tools>quick build).
   There will be no error concerning this missing package.




7. Please follow the same procedure to install other missing packages.

I hope it will help other users who are having problems with missing packages and would like to perform a manual package installation in MiKTeX (Windows).

A similar yet a little bit different way than Alessandro Jacopson's answer is the following:

1. Use the miktex setting (user and/or admin) program installed with the basic MikTex distribution to set "Install missing packages on-the-fly" to "Ask me first".


2. 
   

   Create a miktex local repository as in Alessandro Jacopson's answer, i.e., create a folder with appropriate name, then place

   
   
   

   miktex-zzdb1-2.9.tar.lzma
   miktex-zzdb2-2.9.tar.lzma

   
   

from CTAN in the folder.

3. Compile a .tex file. If anything used in the file is missing, a dialog window will prompt up to ask you if you'd like to install the first missing package.




4. Go to CTAN and download said package into the local repository where you have put miktex-zzdb1-2.9.tar.lzma and miktex-zzdb2-2.9.tar.lzma.




5. Choose your local repository in the dialog window from step 3. Then click install in the dialog window.




6. Repeat steps 4-5, if any other packages are missing.

This way, you could install needed packages on-the-fly, even on a computer that can only access Internet via a navigator. There is also no need to download everything from CTAN which can be a little challenging to do, if internet access is very limited. Potentially you may need to install quite a few packages, but every package only needs to be installed once. The steps for installing on-the-fly are also relatively short.

I have had to do this a few times, since my company uses a proxy script to control internet access, and MikTex does not allow this kind of proxy.

One thing that you need to look out for is that the two files miktex-zzdbxxxxxx are sometimes updated, and therefore your local repository wouldn't work any more. So if the trick worked before, and suddenly stopped working, it's probably because you have to update (manually download) these two files again.

1. Create a folder in your computer (for example, C:MyUsepackage).




2. Download the following two files at here.
   
   miktex-zzdb1-2.9.tar.lzma
   
   miktex-zzdb2-2.9.tar.lzma
   
   You might need to wait a minute for loading the list if you visit this website first time.
   Thanks for this post.




3. Put these two files into the folder you created.




4. Start->All Programs->MiKTeX 2.9->Maintenance (Admin)->Settings (Admin).
   Don't use "Search programs and files". It's an idiot!
   




5. Switch to the "Packages" label and press "Change" button.
   




6. Select "Packages shall be installed from a directory" and browse the folder you created.
   




7. Wait a minute.
   




8. Now you just download the usepackages you need from the archive
   and place them in the folder C:MyUsepackage. They are all xxx.tar.lzma files. You don't have to extract them if you use WinEdt. It will do that when it is compiling your tex file.




9. Note that sometime the usepackage you included has a different name from the xxx.tar.lzma file. You can know the xxx.tar.lzma file's name in the warning message.