Installing and configuring Metatrader 4

[AstroElite]

To add a new instrument in Metatrader 4

Run Metatrader 4 Go to View->Market Watch main menu item

Click right mouse button to pop-up a context menu Select Show all Click to File->New Chart and select the instrument you need financial data for, Goldman Sachs in the case.

Select in MT4 a time frame you need data for, for example D1 or H4 Close Metatrader. Remember, MT4 saves refreshed data into files only on close.

Now the instrument that was grayed out in AstroElite Financial will appear in a list in black text that means a data availability.

[AstroElite]

A. Get path to Metatrader data historical files

1. Run Metatrader 4 and open Navigator. Note a server name, GCI-Demo in our case
   
   
2. Click File->Open Data Folder
   
   
3. Windows Explorer will open
4. Click history folder and then a folder with the same name as server (GCI-Demo in our case)
5. Click with a mouse right button on the last path item and select Copy address in context menu
   
   
6. A full path to MT4 data folder (P:\GCI\history\GCI-Demo) now is on clipboard.
7. If UAC (User Account Control) is active on your computer the path will be long and ugly like C:\Users\lenovo\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes\Termina l\1DAFD9A7C67DC84FE37EAA1FC1E5CF75\history\ICMarke ts-Live01\. That's how MT4 developers decided to treat the data "for you security". If you don't like it, deactivate UAC.
8. Don't close Metatrader

B. Set path to Metatrader data historical files in AE Trader/Financial

1. Run AE Trader/Financial
2. Go to Preferences-> Fin.data.
3. Paste a data path string that is on clipboard now into Path to MT4 *.hst files box
4. If the path is correct, an Instruments list will be filled with stocks, currency pairs and commodities names available from your broker. The existing files are in black text, those that may be added are grayed out.

C. Alternative way to get and set MT4 data files path

1. Run Metatrader, open a Terminal window (CTL+T) and go to Journal tab. Find a line with Data Folder information. Note that (P:\GCI).
   
   
2. Note current MT4 server name. This will be also a name of the folder where historical data files (*.hst) are stored. In our case it is GCI-Demo.
   
   
3. Run AE Trader/Financial. In main menu select Preferences and switch to Fin.data tab.
   
   
4. Click ellipsis (...) button next to Path to MT4 *.hst files field, navigate to MT4 data folder and in history folder select the folder with server name. In our example it is GCI-Demo.

If everything been done correctly, you will see a list of available instruments. Grayed out items are those available from your broker but not added to any chart. Data files for them are missing yet.

[AstroElite]

Windows User Account Control (UAC) and Metatrader files location

In your examples MT4 data folder location is pretty short like C:\Program Files (86)\TradeKing ..., but in my case MT4 Open data folder point to very long path
C:\Users\lenovo\AppData\Roaming\MetaQuotes\Termina l\1DAFD9A7C67DC84FE37EAA1FC1E5CF75\history\ICMarke ts-Live01\

That's because on my computer UAC is off.



UAC is a well-known troublemaker for all programs, so if you don't mind about UAC status you also may deactivate that.

[AstroElite]

How to register Metatrader 4 free demo account