BILLINGTRACKER MULTI-USER SETUP AND TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS FOR SETTING UP BILLINGTRACKER PRO IN MULTI-USER MODE:

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1 BILLINGTRACKER MULTI-USER SETUP AND TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Part 1: Setup Part 2: Troubleshooting Part 1: Setup INSTRUCTIONS FOR SETTING UP BILLINGTRACKER PRO IN MULTI-USER MODE: *First*: Download BillingTracker Pro to your computer. It contains the Multi-User Server within the same file that you download. The Multi-User Server is a small module that controls access to the data file, so all users can share the same data file. The basic steps: 1. Install the Multi-User Server module on one computer and add some users. 2. Install BillingTracker Pro on each user's computer. When you first start the program it will ask you if you want to run in multi-user mode. 3. That's it! The rest of this paper will go over some details and troubleshooting that you might need, but the above two steps are basically all you will need to do. Enjoy! ***** Detailed steps to setup: 1. Set up the multi-user module on one computer, which all the other computers are connected to on the network. It can be a server computer, but it can also be any other computer on the network. You can run the multi-user server module on the same computer as BillingTracker Pro if you want. 2. Keep the multi-user server module running as you set up the rest of the software. 3. You will probably need to know the IP address of the computer that is running the multi-user module. The IP address is shown on the screen of the multi-user module, over the 'Close' button (it is labeled ServerIP). When you install BillingTracker Pro, it needs to know the IP address. It can scan your network for you, but all networks are different and scanning doesn't always find it. It is easier to simply copy down the IP address shown on the multi-user server and enter the number when you are asked.

2 4. In the multi-user module, add some users. During the trial period you can have an unlimited number of users (which we call "seats"). The default user is called Admin and has a password of Install BillingTracker Pro on the computers that will be running it. When you first launch it, it will ask you if you want to run in single user or multi-user mode. Choose the third option; multi-user mode client only. 6. When you choose multi-user mode, it will ask you for (1) the IP address and (2) the path to the data file. The path is the location on the computer where you installed the multi-user server that has the file "billingtrackerpro4.mdb". The path is shown on the screen of the Multi-User Server, just above the 'Close' button (labeled Database file). 7. The next screen when launching BillingTracker Pro will ask you for the user name and password of the person logging on. You should have set up user names and passwords already, in step You are done! At this point you should have installed the multi-user module, kept it running, installed BillingTracker Pro on each machine and logged on as different users. Some extra points: 1. Always have the Multi-User Server module running before you turn on BillingTracker Pro in the morning. BillingTracker Pro tries to log into the multi-user module, so it has to be launched first. 2. If you have already installed BillingTracker Pro on one computer in single user mode, for testing purposes, you can switch it to multi-user mode. It can be switched to multiuser mode simply by going to the File menu and choosing "Switch to multi-user". When you choose this, the program will close itself and then when you re-open it, it will ask you for the same details found in step 6 above. ******************************************* Part 2: Troubleshooting If you have set up the Multi-User Server, but are getting problems when you try to log in to BillingTracker Pro, keep reading. This section is arranged by problems and their solutions scroll down to find the problem that you ve encountered. Problem: - "Error: Connection refused" or "Connection Error: Socket error..."

3 1) Did you launch the Multi-User Server first? It needs to be launched first, before you launch BillingTracker Pro, when in multi-user mode. 2) If the Multi-User Server is up and running and you are getting this error, than BillingTracker Pro is looking for the Multi-User Server in the wrong place. After you see the above errors (and click on the OK button), BillingTracker Pro should give you the opportunity to input the ip address for the Multi-User Server - it will show you a field labeled "Server's address". You can find the ip address on the main screen of the Multi- User Server itself. It is important to type in the numbers EXACTLY as you see them. For example is correct, but is NOT correct. 3) You might have a problem with your firewall or Windows permissions. Check to make sure that your firewall and Windows permissions allow BillingTracker Pro to work e.g. to read and write from one computer to another on your local area network. Note that sometimes an anti-virus program will also try to stop communication. Problem: - You've got two machines with BillingTracker Pro running. They both can log into the Multi-User Server, but they cannot see one another's data, even though it is supposed to be a shared data file. In this case, one of your copies of BillingTracker Pro is using the wrong data file. You actually have two ways to fix this: 1) Force an error, which will cause BillingTracker Pro to ask you where the data file is. This is a safer procedure but doesn't always work. 2) Go into the Windows Registry and manually change the path of the data file. There is always a bit of danger when you edit the registry, but it works. Instructions: 1) Forcing an error: - Look at the main screen of the multi-user server. It shows the path to the data file immediately above the Close button. Assuming this is the path you want, write it down. - Close both BT Pro and the multi-user server. - Launch BT Pro. It should give you an error, saying that it can't find the data file. It will give you an opportunity to input the correct path. After you input the path, but before you

4 click OK, you need to launch the multi-user server. Then click OK and hopefully BT Pro will find the correct data file. Note that sometimes this method only gives you the opportunity to input the ip address of the Multi-User Server, and not the data path. If that happens to you, input the server address as shown on the main screen of the Multi-User Server and then continue to the next method. 2) Editing the Windows Registry: - Go into the Windows Registry. On Windows 7 and Vista, type regedit in the search field that appears when you click on the Start button. On Windows XP, click on Start, click on Run..., type regedit. - Do NOT change ANYTHING in the Windows Registry, except what is written here. You could seriously mess up your computer if you make other changes to the Registry. - Navigate down to My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BillingTrackerPro4 - Find the token in the right hand window called DBPATH. - Double click to edit DBPATH. Type in the path that you had copied down earlier (in the above section about forcing an error), from the multi-user server. NOTE: The multi-user server might show the path as c:\... but if your workstation is on a different computer it won't be c:\, as that is always a local disk. You need to use the disk drive letter as this workstation sees it on the network. - Click OK to close DBPATH. - Close the Windows Registry. - Launch the Multi-User Server and then BillingTracker Pro. You should be asked to log in, and then you should see the correct data. Problem: - "FATAL: Could not find username in DB!" There might be a several causes of this error: 1) Did you launch the Multi-User Server first? It needs to be launched first, before you launch BillingTracker Pro, when in multi-user mode.

5 2) BillingTracker Pro is trying to log in with the wrong user name. When you launch BillingTracker Pro, a small screen should pop up asking you to log in. If that small screen does not pop up, than it is trying to log in automatically using a name that had been used in the past. This name is no longer accepted, so the login doesn't work and you get the error. If the small login screen is not appearing, than follow the instructions below for editing the Windows Registry. 3) There is a mismatch between the list of user names in the data file and the list as shown in the Multi-User Server. The list of user names must be the same in both the data file and the Multi-User Server. It is easy to delete the list in the Multi-User Server, so that it copies the names from the data file. Close BT Pro and the Multi-User Server. Then find the file called btserver.ini and delete it. When you re-launch the Multi-User Server, it will think that this is the first time you are using it, and ask you if you want to continue. Click OK. The user names will be restored from the data file, so that they match. NOTE: ALL passwords will be reset to and ALL permission levels to High. You can find the btserver.ini file in the same location as the data file. When it was installed, the default location was My Documents\BillingTracker\BillingTracker Multi-User Server\. 4) It is possible that your copy of BillingTracker Pro is trying to use the wrong data file. If you correct the above three issues (Launching the Multi-User Server, editing the Windows Registry, deleting the btserver.ini file), than the last thing to check is if this copy of BillingTracker Pro is looking at the same data file as the other copies of BT Pro. See the instructions above, in the previous Problem section, about two machines running but they are not able to share data. Instructions to edit the Windows Registry to change the user name: - Go into the Windows Registry. On Windows 7 and Vista, type regedit in the search field that appears when you click on the Start button. On Windows XP, click on Start, click on Run..., type regedit. - Do NOT change ANYTHING in the Windows Registry, except what is written here. You could seriously mess up your computer if you make other changes to the Registry. - Navigate down to My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BillingTrackerPro4 - Find the token in the right hand window called USERNAME - Double click to edit USERNAME. You should delete anything in the Value Data field, so that it is blank.

6 - Close the Windows Registry. - Launch the Multi-User Server and then BillingTracker Pro. You should be asked to log in, and then you should see the correct data. *Important*: You can only log in as a user that is already listed in the Multi-User Server. (Note: When you are asked to log in, the small window that pops up has a checkbox that asks you if it should remember the name. You should uncheck the box if you are testing the software, and plan to change the user name later. And remember, you can always log out and then log in as a new user via BillingTracker Pro's File>log out menu item).