Assistance with Installation

Initial Installation
Adding a new Computer / Workstation
Single-user Installation
Multi-user Installation
Peer-to-Peer Networks
Upgrading to a dedicated file server
Migrating everything across to a new file server (or NAS drive)
Shifting a single-user installation to a new computer
Known Install Issue with Windows 7 and Vista
Adminsoft Directory Conventions

Initial Installation

As from the introduction of our 2013 version we usually use our remote support capabilities to install a full working copy of the software, and give you a quick tour though it. If you wish to have your own technician install the software, we can send you instructions for doing this.

When we install the software, it will create three shortcuts on your desktop. One of these accesses the set of demonstration data of your choice. You can use this demo data indefinitely, but are restricted as to the number of records you can add to various files, and can't change the "licensee name". The second shortcut accesses your live data. Once you have decided to proceed, you will be able to enter your own name as the licensee, and use this for 28 days with no restriction on file sizes. The 28 days should be ample for you to pay for the software and for us to send you your permanent activation keys. The third shortcut, provides a compressed backup for your convenience - to DVD or local hard disk. You can delete this shortcut if it is not required, because you have other backup mechanisms. But in such cases we recommend editing the shortcut to target the local hard disk drive (or another workstation with spare disk capacity), and using it as a "second parachute" (which may in fact be easier to restore from than your main backup media, should you need to do so).

For multi-user (network) sites, there is also a Workstation installation for us/you to download. You should install the main software first from the main workstation, then run the workstation install for each additional workstation. Workstation installs only create two shortcuts on the desktop. (Just your main workstation gets the "Backup" shortcut.) It is best to set up identical mapped drives for each workstation. If this is not feasible, then you will need to edit the shortcuts that are created, so that they point to the appropriate drive and directory.

The downloads are all self extracting compressed files. It is sensible to save all downloads to disk first, and install them from there. You can save the download files anywhere you like. When you run them, they will attempt to create a directory called "\Adminsoft" on your "C: Drive", and install themselves into this. If you wish (e.g. a network installation), you can over-ride this and specify a different drive or directory. In a multi-user environment, you should specify a mapped network drive on your file server (rather than a "universal network address"). It is usually sensible to use the same drive designation for this on all workstations.

Adding a new Computer / Workstation

As part of our install procedures, we will normally download the Workstation install file for you (usually into a folder \Adminsoft\Install\Download). If we have not done this, you can download a copy yourself from: 2014 (VFP 9) Workstation (EXE - 13 MB)

On the new computer, ensure that you have mapped the network drive letter correctly (to the appropriate drive letter), and use Windows Explorer to navigate to the "\Adminsoft\Install\Download" folder. Run the "AdminsoftWorkstnSetup2013.exe" file from there. (Normally it will ask you to assign Administrator privileges. You can also use the "Run as Administrator" option from the right-click menu when you highlight the file.)

Single-User Installation

This is the simplest installation to perform. The installation program you have downloaded will default to an install folder of "C:\Adminsoft". Simply accept this, unless you have specific reasons for selecting a different target folder (e.g. you may expand shortly to a peer-to-peer environment / usage or already have a dedicated server and want to use this for easier backup and expansion to multi-user in due course). You can accept all the default installation settings by simply pressing the <Enter> key at all points that the install program pauses to offer you the opportunity to over-ride them. The only one that you should be careful to select correctly is your "Profession / Industry", so that the most appropriate set of default initial data and configuration settings will be installed for you.

Multi-user Installation

For Multi-user (network) sites, you need to download both the main software installation, and also the Workstation installation. The software and data will be installed on the designated server. Each workstation will only install the Microsoft Visual FoxPro run-time engine on the local hard disk, and access the main software and data over the network. You must use mapped network drives rather than universal network path names. It is best if the mapped drive letter is the same for all workstations.

Important note when installing on Windows 7 and Vista: There is a bug / design flaw in the Windows installer which affects installation of software onto a network drive (such as running our main install). See the special section below for instructions to work around this: Known Install Issue with Windows 8, 7 and Vista

It is worth repeating that, on each workstation, you must set up a mapped network drive that contains (or will contain) the Adminsoft folder, and use this when specifying the location of the Adminsoft folder during the installation process. You cannot use Network Neighborhood (My Network Places) type references (i.e. Universal Network Addresses), except to find and launch the install programs themselves that you have downloaded from our website. (Map a network drives either using the Tools menu in Windows Explorer or my computer - or better still (if you have the computer literacy) by creating a DOS batch file ("Initialize.bat" say) in your "Startup" folder (i.e. "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup" for workstations running XP, 2000, or NT), that will run an appropriate "NET USE" command. With any Windows 98 computers, simply modify the "c:\AutoExec.bat" file.)

You should install the main software first from the primary workstation. This will configure the default network drive and path settings appropriately. Then run the workstation install for each workstation that will be using the software.

The workstation install will set up the Microsoft VFP run-time engine on the local hard disk. It will also create two shortcuts on the local desktop, and a program group in the Start Menu. It will default these shortcuts to the same drive and directory settings as for the main workstation. (If you are not using a standard drive designation for all workstations, you will need to edit the properties of the shortcuts appropriately. The workstation install program will also configure the local Windows Registry appropriately.

Peer-to-Peer Networks

The "Multi-user Installation" instructions above also apply to small peer-to-peer networks. However, it is wise to create a shared directory ("c:\Shared" say) on the main workstation ("server"), for access by other users (rather than sharing your entire Drive C). Set up drive mappings on the other workstations (as per the instructions above), so that they can easily access this shared resource. The "NET USE" technique is highly recommended in a peer-to-peer environment, because a workstation set up using the Explorer / My Computer technique can easily lose a drive mapping if the main workstation (Adminsoft server) is not turned on first at startup.

On the main workstation itself, you will need to set up a mapped drive letter (preferably the same letter that is used on all other workstations) to this shared resource ("c:\Shared"). Either do this as a mapped network drive, or better still, set this up as a substituted drive (using the "SUBST" command instead of "NET USE" in an "Initialize.bat" file as described above - or c:\AutoExec.bat for Windows 98 computers). Once you have done this and rebooted your computer to test and activate it, then (and only then) install the Adminsoft software into this new mapped drive.

Upgrading Single-User or Peer-to-Peer to a new dedicated File Server

Shifting Adminsoft data and software from a single-user installation over to a dedicated file server is fairly straight-forward. Just copy the whole "\Adminsoft" folder structure to an appropriate resource on the server (including the "\Adminsoft" folder itself). Keep the "\Adminsoft" folder structure on the old workstation for a short while as an extra backup, but rename it (to "\AdminsoftOld" say) to expose any problem where the main (or any other) workstation has not yet been remapped correctly (and is still trying to access the old programs and data).

If upgrading a single-user installation to a dedicated file server, you next need to establish a mapped network drive letter to the server resource in which the "\Adminsoft" folder is located. (This may have already been done if that resource on the server houses data for other applications.) You then need to change the properties for all Adminsoft shortcuts on your main workstation (Adminsoft Professional Practice, Adminsoft Demo, and Adminsoft Backup), so that they point instead to the new data and programs on the mapped network drive. Test that this has been done correctly, by running them. "Re-index all files" (from the "File" menu) is a good test, because it opens all modules and data files. You can then install new workstations, by running the Adminsoft Workstation

In a peer-to-peer environment, change the drive letter mapping on respective workstations so that they point to the new server resource instead of the shared resource on the old main workstation. (If you have decided to change the drive letter for some reason, then you will need to edit the properties of all Adminsoft shortcuts on all workstations accordingly. Note that it is OK to have two or more mapped drive letters pointing to the same server resource - and if done systematically, this can give greater flexibility for increased security in the future as your network grows.)

Migrating everything across to a new file server or NAS drive

It is usually extremely simple to shift the Adminsoft data and programs across from one server to another. Ideally you want to retain the same logical drive mappings on all the workstations. The simplest way to achieve this is by giving the new server the same "server name" as the old server that is being retired, and creating the same "shared resources" as were on the old server (that all the workstations will find using their existing settings - without any need to change these). You may have your own reasons for not doing this (e.g. if the old server will be retained in service and only some items are being transferred to the new server). If that is the case, you will obviously need to re-map the network drive letter used by the Adminsoft software, so that they point to the new shared resource. (You will need to do this on each workstation - or edit a common script (or DOS batch file) that they all run at boot-up.)

If you really do need to change the mapped network drive letter itself, you will need to alter the appropriate short-cuts on each workstation ("Adminsoft Professional Practice" which runs the software, and the "Extra Adminsoft Backup" if this is present on the respective workstation). You will also need to edit the "Adminsoft.ini" file in the "c:\Windows" folder (on each workstation), so that it uses the new mapped drive letter.

Note that the shared resource (that the mapped network drive letter points to) should be the parent folder in which the Adminsoft directory structure is located - not the "\Adminsoft" folder itself. (If the "\Adminsoft" folder is the only item in this parent folder - then so be it. However it is usually sensible to create a Download folder in this parent, and an "Adminsoft" sub-folder hanging off this as a convenient place to store the "WebWkSt.exe" file that you will run when installing new workstations.)

Refer to the general instructions in the preceding sections for additional background understanding.

Shifting a single-user installation to a new computer

At a single-user site, you will probably upgrade your computer hardware from time to time. This is similar to upgrading to a dedicated file server (see above) in terms of copying the whole "C:\Adminsoft" folder structure over to the new computer. But you will also need to install the Microsoft Visual FoxPro run-time library, and appropriate shortcuts on the new computer, so that you can actually run the Adminsoft software on it. (A file server doesn't actually need to run the Adminsoft software itself - it just serves up its files to the workstations that are running the actual programs.) The additional installation can be done simply by running the Adminsoft Workstation Install file (3.4MB) that you can download from our website. Alternatively, you can download and run the "Main software in one file" or "Core Components and Address Book". These will automatically detect that you have existing data, and will not overwrite it with any empty initial data files.

Known Install Issue with Windows 8, 7, and Vista

(This information is provided for technicians who install our software instead of our help desk through a remote support session.)

The only issue we have encountered when installing the software on Windows 8, 7 and Vista (XP didn't have this problem), is that the network drives are sometimes not visible from the special Administrator "user" that runs software installations.

This seems to be caused by a bug / design flaw in the Windows installer, which affects installation of software onto a network drive (rather than purely onto the local Drive C:), such as running our main install. "Account Control" dictates that install programs must run under the "Administrator" account (not the "User" account that you have used to log in to Windows). The "Administrator" account is treated as a separate "user" (with its own privileges and configuration), and it may not be able to see network drives that are visible to you through your current local "User" account. To get past this, you need to first map the appropriate network resource to the desired mapped drive letter for the "Administrator" account. This drive letter will then be visible to the Administrator account, when you run our main install program.

The steps for fixing this problem are relatively simple:

Method 1:

Open a "Command Prompt" using "Run as administrator",
Enter a NET USE command (with appropriate parameters) to map the target network resource to the desired mapped drive letter
Close (or minimize) the Command Prompt
Then run our "Server install" program (from Windows Explorer in your normal user account)

Method 2:

Install everything into a folder on your local hard drive (c:\Adminsoft)
Use Windows Explorer to copy the entire contents of the "c:\Adminsoft" folder structure across to the appropriate mapped drive on your network server,
Edit the shortcuts on that workstation to point to the files on the server mapped drive
Delete the "c:\Adminsoft" folder from your local hard drive

(Click here for assistance with Windows XP)

Adminsoft Directory Conventions

Adminsoft software is very flexible with regard to the directory structure that it can accommodate. Paths for respective data files can be specified during installation, and altered subsequently in the configuration settings (see Tools, Options, System Settings menu). Unless you have over-riding reasons to do otherwise, we recommend that you accept the default settings "as they come out of the box", as this will require minimal subsequent "tweaking" on your part (to shortcuts, path settings etc.).

By default the software and data will be installed together into a "c:\Adminsoft" directory (i.e. off the root directory in Drive C). When installing in a network environment, you need to over-ride this of course, so that the "\Adminsoft" directory is located on the server. You should use mapped network drives rather than "Universal Network Address" (i.e. you need to map a drive first using My Computer or Explorer, and specify this directly. Do not use Network Neighborhood - except to map a drive!!!). It is preferable to place the \Adminsoft directory in the root directory for the mapped network drive (e.g. "T:\Adminsoft"), but the install program and software will handle being pushed down one or more levels of subdirectory (e.g. "F:\Apps\Adminsoft").

When installing the software on a stand-alone computer, we still recommend placing \Adminsoft in the root directory, rather than under "Program Files" because we philosophically don't particularly like the idea of having significant volumes of important data tucked away in the "Programs" directory. Also, with most of our users, the Adminsoft software is the principle activity of the computer/workstation concerned. Hanging it off the Root directory makes it easier for users to find for backup purposes, and whenever they eventually need to shift it over to a server (if upgrading to multi-user) or new replacement stand-alone computer. (It also means that novices are less likely to be confused by all the other sub-directories in the "Program files" directory, and accidentally damage some of these if they are poking behind the scenes in Adminsoft programs and data for some reason.) You are fully entitled to disagree with our philosophy if you like, but at least you can understand our rationale.

If you elect to go for a non-standard directory structure, you will need to alter all "Demo" shortcuts appropriately, in order to get the Demo running properly - start by editing the directories specified in the shortcut, you may also need to change the path settings (see Tools, Options, System Settings menu).

For user convenience (with updates in particular), we keep just one master set of program files (Adminsoft.exe and *.app) on the server, rather than installing them on every workstation. It seems sensible to keep all Adminsoft stuff together (both programs & data) in the \Adminsoft directory structure. However, it is easy to separate the program and data files - e.g. if this is a more convenient way to backup only the data files on a daily basis, say. (However, this is usually not necessary. Adminsoft's basic backup facility (GEBackup.bat) only backs up data and configuration files. If you are using a backup tool like MS Backup, you are able to simply exclude the program files from your daily backups.) It is also possible to store copies of the program files on the local hard drive for each workstation and run them from there, if you need to reduce your network traffic slightly. Contact the Adminsoft HelpDesk if you want to split the location of your program and data files.

The Microsoft Run-time engine (VFP*.* files) is installed according to Microsoft conventions on respective workstations. The install process raises appropriate entries in the system Registry for each workstation. This is why you need to run the "Workstation Install", rather than merely setting up a shortcut that points to the programs and data.

If you need further assistance or have feedback you would like to give us, please contact our Help-Desk:

E-Mail now to: Support@Adminsoft.com

Phone: (09) 262 2020, Fax: 262 2021,

(From overseas +64 9 262 2020, etc.)