Report bugs or suggest a new feature via our Contact page
* BillingTracker's Support Policy
* Download Support Documents
* Upgrading from BillingTracker Free Billing Software Trial Versions to Paid
BillingTracker Standard or
Pro
* Multi-User
Server
* I
bought the software,
where is it?
* Unlock
Codes Don't Work
* Carrying
over the balance from one invoice to the next
* Remote access -
working while away from the office
* MDAC
* When
I try to install I get
the error message
"The system file is
not suitable for running
MS-DOS and Microsoft
Windows
applications"
* When
I try to install I get a
message that my
printer/PDA/something
else is trying to
install itself
* "1/100
units of currency value" error message
* Help on downloading and running files from the Internet
* Files, Folders, and Directories - A Brief Guide
BillingTracker's
Support Policy
Your billing data is critical to
your business - here's how we support you:
- Free email support during
your trial period
- Free email support during
the first 30 days after purchase
- Free upgrades to new versions
up to 3 months after purchase
- Free replacement registration
code (unlock code) and right to re-download your version up to 3 months
after purchase
- BillingTracker Total Care: Sign
up for online
backup, and you will receive FREE email support, FREE upgrades, and FREE
replacement registration codes and re-downloads for as long as you
subscribe.
Online backup itself ensures your billing data is safe if
something should happen to your computer - and the subscription provides
that extra safety net to protect your investment.
Upgrading
from the Trial Version to the Paid Version
The BillingTracker Pro
billing software trial version is exactly the same program as the full (paid) version of
BillingTracker Pro - except that the trial version becomes "locked"
after the trial
period.
When you purchase BillingTracker Pro, you will receive an email with
a special code, called a registration key. Insert that code, and your name
as it appears in the email, into the 'Register' screen. It is important to
insert your name and the code EXACTLY as they appear in the email for the
code to work. When you have done this, the free trial version will unlock
itself, and become the full (paid) BillingTracker Pro billing software.
Installing
the BillingTracker
Multi-User Server
Installing
the module that lets
several BillingTracker
Pro users share the same
data file is fairly
straightforward. Install it
on one of the computers
in your network, and
then keep it running as
you install a copy of
BillingTracker Pro on
each user's computer. (It is part of the same file that you download when
you download BillingTracker Pro. When you double click on the downloaded
file, you will be given an option to install the Multi-User Server). For more detailed
instructions, download this
PDF file.
"I
bought the software,
where is it?"
BillingTracker
is shareware. That means
that you can try it before
you buy it. The
BillingTracker trial is
exactly the same as the
bought version, except
that it stops working
after 20 days.
When you
purchase the software, our
system automatically
emails to you an unlock
code. Use that code in the
'Register' screen of the
trial software, and it
removes the 20 day limit
and becomes the regular
bought version.
If
you bought BillingTracker
before trying it, simply
go to our download page
and download the trial of
the version you bought.
Install it, launch it
(turn it on), and then
look for the 'Register'
screen to enter your
codes.
"I
bought your software,
but the unlock codes you
sent me don't work"
There is
one very common reason the
unlock code may not work:
You didn't enter both fields correctly. The unlock code consists of both a 'Name' and 'Key' field. Both must be copy/pasted EXACTLY as they appear in the email. For example, Your Name is different from your name.
If this does not apply to you, please send
us a screenshot of the registration screen with your details filled in. You can create a screenshot by pressing the "Print Screen" key (sometimes called Prt Scr), which is usually located in the upper right hand portion of your keyboard. Then open Paint or Word, and Paste the image. Save the file.
Then use the Contact
Us page to tell us
about the problem, and
we will send you an
email address to send
the screen shot to.
Carrying
Over The Balance From One Invoice To The Next:
When you use the 'Design your
own invoice' functionality, BillingTracker Pro lets you carry over the
balance from one invoice to the next.
Note that the balance is carried
forward only when you are billing just one project over and over each
month (or other time period). You can't bill multiple projects for that
client on your invoices.
If you don't know how to use the
'Design your own invoice' function then see our 'Invoice Templates' page.
Remote
Access - Working When You Are Away From The Office:
You can access and use
BillingTracker Pro when you are away from the office by setting up Windows
Terminal Server.
Terminal server allows many users
to login using "Remote Desktop" to a remote server and receive a
desktop. Terminal server gives each user his own environment. Basically, all
is needed is to follow the Microsoft instructions, and follow these simple
guidelines:
1. Install the Multi-User Server
in "User Global Mode"
2. Install the BillingTracker Pro
client for each user in "User Specific Installation Mode"
Microsoft instructions: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/186498
MDAC:
For
database access, BillingTracker billing software depends on the database engine that is
included free as part of the Windows operating system.
This engine is called "Microsoft Data Access Components", or
MDAC.
You
may need to download and install these MDAC files yourself if you have an earlier version of Windows, or if the MDAC
installation on your system has been damaged.
These
files are FREE, and can be downloaded from:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/data/downloads/updates/default.aspx
"System
file not suitable"
error message
When
you try to install
BillingTracker, and if
your computer is running
Windows XP Service Pack
2 (SP2), you might get
an error stating "The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications." or
"c:\windows\system32\autoexec.nt. The
system file is not suitable for runing MS DOS and Microsoft windows
applications."
For some reason the installation of Service Pack 2 can cause a file called "AUTOEXEC.NT" to be corrupted or deleted. This file is part of the Windows 16-bit subsystem and usually lives in the system32 folder.
What's happening when you get this error is that the setup for that program uses an installer which is a 16-bit program. Since the AUTOEXEC.NT file is missing, it can't run the install program.
Most
people who install Service Pack 2 will
not have this problem, but
a few will.
Fortunately, you can fix the problem easily. There is a backup of the file living on your hard drive.
Double click "My Computer" then your hard drive (probably C drive) and open the "WINDOWS" folder. Open "SYSTEM32" and see if the "AUTOEXEC.NT" file is in there. Chances are it isn't. If it is, then it's probably corrupt.
Arrow up or hit "Back" to return to the main WINDOWS folder. Go down to "Repair" and double click. You should find "autoexec.nt" and "config.nt" in there. Copy these files (Ctrl+C) then go back to SYSTEM32 and paste them there (Ctrl+V). It will ask you if you want to replace the old one—click "Yes". That's it.
Now try installing BillingTracker and it should work fine.
Printer
is trying to install
itself instead of
BillingTracker
If,
when you try to install
BillingTracker, your
computer starts to
install another program
like your printer driver
or PDA synchronization,
it probably means that
you need to clear out
your temporary files
first, before
installing.
Here's
how:
You
need to get to the
folder called
"Local
Settings" on your
hard drive. By default Local Settings is a hidden
folder, so if you can't
see it then do this: Click My Computer. Click Tools. Click Folder Options.
Click the View Tab. Click Show hidden files and folders.
Next, close all running
applications (e.g. shut
down all your programs).
1. Navigate to the users temporary directory. By default the directory is located at C:\Documents and
Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp (replace "username" with your
user name)
3. Press control A to select all files and folders.
4. Press the delete key.
5. Navigate to the Windows temporary directory: C:\Windows\Temp
6. Press control A to select all files and folders.
7. Press the delete key.
You have now finished deleting your temporary folders.
Try
to install
BillingTracker again.
Help on downloading and running files from the Internet:
In
order to use BillingTracker
invoicing software, you will have to download it and then install
it. Following are some tips for those users that are not familiar with
this.
Start
by clicking on the link to download the free trial of BillingTracker
billing software. If you use
Internet Explorer, a small pop-up screen will appear with the text,
"You have chosen to download a file from this location. What
would you like to do with this file?" Choose "Save this
program to disk" and click OK. Internet Explorer will then open
a 'Save As' screen. If you use Netscape, you should be taken
directly to the Save As screen.
Choose
a folder ( technically known as a 'directory') to save the file to.
You can save it anywhere EXCEPT C:\Program Files\BillingTracker Pro (that is
the name of a folder that will be created when you install BillingTracker
billing software). Write down where you save it so that you can find it
later. For example, you might choose to download the file to 'c:\my
documents'.
When
you click 'Save', the file (the free trial) will download to your computer. This may
take some time, depending on the speed of your connection to the Internet.
If
you need some help on the the idea of Files and Folders and Directories,
please read the section below.
When
downloading is complete, you are ready to install BillingTracker billing
software.
Find the file that you downloaded (you did write it down, didn't you?).
Close all other applications that your computer is running. Double click
on the file and follow the instructions.
Files, Folders, and Directories - A Brief Guide
A
"file" is a document, database, or other set of information that
is saved on your computer. If you wrote a letter with your word
processor and saved it, you'd save it as a file. For example, that
file's name might be "My_Freelance_Business.doc". The
BillingTracker billing software free trial that you can download from this
Web site is a file.
A
"folder," also known as a "directory," is something
that can hold one or more files. A folder can also hold other
folders. Each folder has a name. For example, you may want to hold all
your letters about your freelance business in a folder called "Freelance".
You may have another folder called "Billing". Think
about a physical filing cabinet - it has folders that are labeled by
subject, and each folder contains various documents.
Your
computer (actually the hard disk on your computer) has one folder, called
the "root directory" which contains all the other files and
folders. If your hard disk is drive C, then this root directory is
referred to as "C:\". One of the folders on this disk is
called "Program Files". It is referred to as
"C:\Program Files". When you install the free trial of
BillingTracker billing software, the
default location to install itself is a folder called "C:\Program
Files\BillingTracker Pro" (although you can change this during the
installation process).
For
more information, consult your Windows documentation or an introductory
book on Windows. If you have questions that concern topics like
this, please call Microsoft technical support.
Download
these support documents
1. 16
bit system not suitable for running Windows applications
2. Reasons
the unlock key may not work
3. Steps
to set up BillingTracker Pro in multi-user mode
4. How
to clean your temporary folders
5. Switching
from multi-user mode to single-user mode in BillingTracker Pro
6. How
to uninstall BillingTracker Pro completely
7. Upgrading
from version 1 to version 2 of the BillingTracker Multi-User Server
8. Moving BillingTracker Pro to a new computer
9. How to restore the BillingTracker Pro data file from online backup
|
