Frequently Asked Questions
Note: These questions apply to a shop that has been running ShopTrac on the current computer for a period of time without problems. This section does NOT apply to someone who just installed ShopTrac or just moved it to a different computer and has not been able to get it up and running.
A word about backing up your data.
While ShopTrac is a solid, reliable program that has been proven over many
years in the field, problems can occur without warning. You can have a
computer malfunction, virus attack, computer theft or even a natural disaster.
All of your customer records are in your computer and your business depends on
safeguarding this information. The only way to protect your business from
these unexpected problems is to make frequent backups of your computer's data
files. For tips on the various ways to backup your data, Click Here
Q: ShopTrac will not come on. I get a red page that says "Bad or Missing Security Block"
Q: I am printing statements or a customer list and received a message "Mem in use is below zero"
Q: I want to create a shortcut for ShopTrac on my desktop.
Q: I installed ShopTrac in a Windows XP machine, but it is only displaying on the top half of the screen
Q: Windows XP will no longer allow me to run ShopTrac. It displays a message: "The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications."
Q: ShopTrac will not come on. I get a red page that says "Bad or Missing Security Block"
A: On Versions prior to 5.3, you are requires to have a Security Block (also called a "Key" or "Dongle") connected to the printer port on the back of your computer. This is a plastic device about 2 inches square and can be either Green or Off White. It will have a sticker on it that says "SmartTrac Computer Systems" It is possible that there may be more than one device connected "piggy back" on that port. Most commonly, the other device is for your AllData program. There is usually a printer cable connected to the back of the block and connected on the other end to your printer.
If you get the message "Bad or Missing Security Block", first, make sure that the block is firmly connected to the computer. Also make sure that the printer is turned on. If you still have the problem, remove the cable and any other blocks attached to the port and only connect the SmartTrac block back on. If you still cannot get in, it is possible that the block has either been de-programmed or has been damaged, possibly by an electrical surge. You will have to call tech support at 631-928-2861 in order to purchase an update to the program that will bypass the block so that you will no longer require it to run the program. If you need it in a hurry, it can be emailed to you as soon as you provide a credit card number. The cost of this update is $125.00 for a single user system or $175 if you have the network version of ShopTrac and are running it on multiple computers that are connected by a local area network.
A: This is usually caused by the program terminating suddenly, such as if the computer unexpectedly shut off due to a power failure or for some other reason. To correct this problem, follow these steps:
Right click on the start button then Left Click on Explore. Windows Explorer will open showing you the contents of your hard drive. You should see a list of folders in the right panel and a list of files in the left panel.
Under the item "Local Disk (C:)", look for a Folder that is labeled "ShopTrac" Click on the small + in front of that folder. That will open the ShopTrac folder and display its contents.
In the ShopTrac folder, you will see a list of Sub Folders. You should see at least 2 folders, one that is labeled "DATA" and one that is labeled "PRINTER"
You are looking for a folder labeled "ShopTrac.VV$" If you see this folder, click on it once in order to highlight it. Make sure that is the only folder that is highlighted.
Right Click on the folder labeled "ShopTrac.VV$". That will bring up a small list of choices. In that list of choices, click on "Delete" to remove the folder "ShopTrac.VV$"
Close all the open windows and restart ShopTrac. A window will come up telling you that the "Program is Already Running". This is because ShopTrac was not properly shut down. Press the F8 key to enter the program.
Make sure that you instruct all of your personnel to always exit ShopTrac before turning off the computer.
Q: I am printing statements or a customer list and received a message "Mem in use is below zero"
A: This is a known bug in the program that will not cause any problems other than the message that appears. If this message appears while you are printing a report, wait for the printer to finish printing, then exit out of the program. Restart the program. Because the program terminated unexpectedly, you will see a message "The Program is Already Running" Look at the task bar to make sure that it is running only once, then press the F8 key to re-enter the program
If the printout did not completely print, you can start the printing at the point where it left off by putting the last name that was printed In the START Name field.
A:
Q: I want to create a shortcut for ShopTrac on my desktop.
A: Windows 98
Windows XP
Q: I installed ShopTrac in a Windows XP machine, but it is only displaying on the top half of the screen
A: Right click on the shortcut that you
are using for ShopTrac, then left click on Properties. If you do
not have a shortcut for the program, you should first create one using the
previous instructions. After you click on Properties, you will see a
window with tabs across the top. Click on the Layout tab. If
you do not see a Layout tab, you should delete the shortcut and create a new
one.
In the layout page, you will need to deal with the Screen buffer size Width &
Height and the Window size Width and Height. The width should be set to
"80" and the Height should be set to "25" in both sections.
Next, click on the Options tab and make sure that the Display options is set to
Full screen.
Click OK at the bottom and try running ShopTrac again.
Q: Windows XP will no longer allow me to run ShopTrac. It displays a message: "The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications."
A: To resolve this problem, see the
Microsoft Technical Article at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;324767
Note: The instructions for
resolving this problem require computer experience and should not be attempted
unless you are comfortable with the instructions and fully understand them.