What is the best way to load security files?       

   I am using Reuters Data, both US Stocks and Indices.  I have copied the MetaStock Datalink Data CD to my hard drive.  I am just looking for the most efficient way to set up Secutity files in folders to facilitate future testing.  Any help is appreciated. 

How you set up folders is really down to personal preference.  It is not really any more difficult to test data spread throughout 100 folders than data stored in a single folder.

The first thing you want to do before creating securities is update the symbol database.  This can be done in MetaStock or The DownLoader via the Tools-->Update Symbol Database menu option.

Once the update has completed, you can now create your own security files/folders.  Click File-->New-->Security and click the Look-Up button.

The symbols are organized via "Type" and "Group".  Think of these as categories and sub-categories.  If you want to keep the data in as few folders as possible, you could organize the data by exchange.  Set the "Type" field to Stocks - Common and the "Group" field to AMEX.

Click Select All and click OK.  Set the folder to something appropriate (i.e. C:\MetaStock Data\Stocks AMEX) and set the "First Date" as far back as you want to go (i.e. 1/1/2001).  Click OK and choose "Yes" to create the folder.

Repeat these steps for the remaining 2 US Exchanges (NASDAQ, NYSE) making sure to specify a different folder (i.e. C:\MetaStock Data\Stocks NYSE and C:\MetaStock Data\Stocks NASDAQ).

Indices are not categorized too much, so you will probably want to be a bit more selective when selecting the indices you want and putting them in a folder.

Once all your securities/folders are created, you would then click Tools-->Download Prices, select your new folders from the left-hand side and click OK.  Ensure "Recollect Commodities" and "Automatic Stock Split" are checked and click OK again to start the download.