Support - Frequently Asked Questions

Does the software need an internet connection?

No, is the quick answer. ALL your data is stored on your computer or network. No data is stored on our website/server, and so no access is required in order for Adminsoft Accounts to run. The Freeware version will attempt to access our web site when you start it up, but this is purely for our marketing purposes. It tells us how many people are using our software, and it displays a web page that keeps you up to date of developments here at Adminsoft. We recommend you allow it to connect to the internet, but it is not necessary. The software will run quite happily with no internet connection.

Note, the full product (ie. not Freeware) does not automatically access our web site on start up.

I wanted to download and try out AutoManager, but can only find Adminsoft Accounts?

Adminsoft Accounts incorporates AutoManager. If you download Adminsoft Accounts, when you install it you will have the option of selecting "Accounts with AutoManager". When running as Freeware, AutoManager will become unavailable after a certain period of time (usually around 45 days from the date of installation).

What is the User ID and Password?

When you first install the software a user is created automatically. The user ID is the word FIRST and there is no password.

For versions of the software before v3.106 the user ID and the password were both the word DEMO This was changed in later versions of the software, as the user ID was confusing users as to whether they were running the software in Demo mode.

Do I need to register the software?

On installation, the software asks for your name, company/organization name and address, and email address. These details are automatically passed over the internet to Adminsoft. Your name, address, and email address are not passed on to a third party. Your email address will only be used by Adminsoft very occasionally. Note, if your computer is not connected to the internet at the time of installation, the installation process will continue, and the software will run.

Can I install Adminsoft Accounts onto a USB stick and use it on other computers?

Yes you can. Simply plug your USB memory stick into your computer, download Adminsoft Accounts, and during the installation process select your memory stick as the place to install the software. Unlike most other accounts packages, Adminsoft Accounts does not copy DLL files into your system folder, or require registration of files, or update your system registry in any way. This means, once you have installed the software on your USB memory stick, you can unplug it from your computer, plug it into another computer, and it will run straight away (the file to start it is accounts.exe). No fuss, it couldn't be easier.

However, there is an exception. If you use the built in email facilities it will need to copy a dll file into your Windows system folder and register it. It will do this automatically (it will ask you first). If you keep using different computers, every time you use the email it will check, and if necessary install the dll. It may require you to enter a different SMTP server (Setup->Miscellaneous->Defaults and Variables). It doesn't make the system any less portable, but it does mean if you use the email facility it will leave a small 'footprint' on each host machine.

I have purchased a Software Registration Key, can I still upgrade to the latest version?

Yes you can. If you purchase a Software Registration Key, it will continue to work when ever you install the latest version of Adminsoft Accounts v3.xxx. At the time of writing (March 2008) there are no plans to produce a version of Adminsoft Accounts that would not accept current Software Registration Keys.

Can I use Adminsoft Accounts over the internet?

Yes you can, but.... The software has been developed in Microsoft Visual FoxPro v6 to work single user on a Windows PC or multi-user across a LAN (Local Area Network). It can not work directly off a web server. To use it over the internet you have to set up a VPN (Virtual Private Network). VPN software is available from several vendors. VPN allows you to connect several computers together across the internet as if they were connected as a LAN. Due to bandwidth limitations, it does run slower than a real LAN. So the best approach is to nominate one computer as the server and place the data on that machine, then put a copy of the program on each workstation. So when ever the user accesses the system they are not downloading the program itself every time. When putting a copy of the program on a workstation, install it as usual, then delete ALL sub-folders ("ledgers" and "system". When you run the program it will then ask you where the data is located, allowing you to specify the server on your VPN. Note, this can not be done with the Freeware version as it requires multi-user capability which is only available with the purchased product.

I want to use two computers, can I copy the accounts data from one to the other?

Yes you can. The data for each company/organization you have set up in the system is held in sperate folders. The name of the folder is the same as the company/organization name. For example, if you set up a company called Smith Inc. and give it a company code of SMITH, assuming you installed Adminsoft Accounts into the default folder, the data for this company will be held in "c:\program files\Adminsoft Accounts\ledgers\smith" The "smith" folder will itself contain three other folders: "data", "docs", and "reports". Pretty self explanatory. "data" contains all the actual accounts data, "docs" contains any letters/faxes created, and "reports" contains any reports that you have told the system to save.

If you are running the system on two computers and want to work on one and then copy the data to the other, you can copy the entire "Adminsoft Accounts" folder (along with all it's sub-folders), or you can just company the specific company/organization folder. However, if just copying a specific folder you must first create that company/organization in Adminsoft Accounts on the destination computer, using the same company code, of course. Otherwise it will not know the company exists, and will not list it when you start up the accounts system.

The system says I am not authorized to access this company/organization?

After you first install the software we strongly recommend you select a password for the default user created by the system, or setup your own user ID and password. The default user is set up with 'supervisor' status, which basically provides access to all parts of the system (subject to some restrictions if running as Freeware). When creating a new user ID, if you do not give the user ID 'supervisor' status, you must click on 'Add Company' and set up a security profile for any company/organization you wish the user to have access to. If not, you get the above message when ever the user tries to access a company/organization for which they have no security profile setup.

Is there a sample Chart of Accounts, or will I need to create my own?

When you install Adminsoft Accounts, it will create a basic Chart of Accounts for you. Of course, each business/organization is different, and each country has different accounting requirements, so you may wish to change or expand the existing Chart of Accounts.

I created an account, but I can't see it in the P and L or Balance Sheet?

Each account in the General Ledger (Nominal Ledger) needs to have a Report Group code in order for it to appear in the P and L or Balance Sheet reports. The Report Group code tells the system where you want the account to appear in the reports. If you have created a new account, and it isn't appearing on either on the reports, then you have probably not given it a Report Group code. There are a few Report Group codes set up on installation. Sufficient to produce basic reports. If you have specific requirements, you can add or delete these codes, to produce Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet reports in just about any format you need.

Is the Freeware version in US Dollars or UK Pounds?

When running as Freeware it is not multi-currency. But it will operate in any one single currency. The currency used depends on the country you select during installation. For example, if you select USA it will operate in US Dollars, if you select India it will operate in Indian Rupees, and so on. So where ever you are, it will use your currency, provided your country is listed, only countries where English is the first language or prominent second language appear in our list. In the very unlikely event your country is not listed, please notify us and accept our apologies.

When running as full product, it works in the same way, except you can set up your own currencies (regardless of country), and use as many of them as you like in the same set of ledgers, even in the same account! Beware exchange rate problems however. Most countries have a floating exchange rate, you will need to update the exchange rate in Adminsoft Accounts as often as possible. In the time between raising a sales invoice and collecting the payment (perhaps several days or weeks later), the value of the currency may well have changed. Adminsoft Accounts converts a currency into the base currency of the ledger at the time the transaction is entered, using the exchange rate you have setup for that currency. Regular adjustments will be required. So operating in a multi-currency accounting environment is not without problems.

How can I change the base currency?

The base currency is dependant on the country you have selected for your company/organization during installation. For example, if you selected USA, then the base currency will be US Dollars. If you need to change the base currency, you will need to change the company/organization country. When you start up the system, click on your company/organization (you may only have the one set up), then click on the 'Company Details' button.  This will display the information about your company/organization, including your 'Region', which in this context is the country.  Change this to the appropriate country for the base currency you require, and click on OK.   Note, any existing transactions will continue to use the currency that was in use at the time the transaction was entered onto the system.

Does the system accommodate more than one bank account?

Yes, you can set up as many bank accounts as you wish. When you create a new account, just answer 'Y' to the prompt 'Cash Book A/c'. It treats cash accounts and bank accounts in exactly the same way. If you click on the 'Cash Book' option it will list all your cash accounts and bank accounts. If the new cash/bank account is to be used for sales or purchases you will need to set up a Sales and/or Purchase Payment code for it, or change the account code used by an existing Sales and/or Purchase Payment code. You can do this in Setup->Miscellaneous->Payment Types. The Payment Code is used when receiving or making payments from/to customers and suppliers. This is a safe and flexible way of implementing customer and supplier payments. It means users can only use accounts you have set up for the purpose.

Does the software handle VAT Cash Accounting?

The system can indeed be set up for the VAT Cash Accounting scheme. From the System drop down menu, select Nominal Ledger, then Defaults and Variables.  On the left hand side of the form, there is a option 'VAT accounting scheme'.  Set this to 'Cash Accounting'. When you run a VAT period end report, only VAT on invoices paid will be reported.  You should be aware, however, that if an invoice is part paid, the whole VAT amount will be reported.  This is a limitation of the software, in that a transaction can only appear on a VAT report once.

Sales invoices have a space for P/O Ref. but where do you enter it?

You can only enter a P/O Ref. for a sales invoice if the system is running in 'Full Details' mode. The accounts system has two modes of operation. When it starts up, by default, it runs in 'Basic Details' mode. This shows the main options a user may require, and the basic details within each accounts and invoice input form. This will actually suite many users who do not require a complicated, feature rich, accounts system. However, the software can be switched to run in 'Full Details' mode. In this mode ALL available options (may be limited if it's been running as Freeware for a while) will be shown, and the main forms will contain a great deal more information. To put the system into 'Full Details' mode, simply click 'Show Full Details' on the toolbar. If you have closed the toolbar, you can re-open it by clicking on the 'Help' drop down menu, and then on "Startup Toolbar". When you create an invoice in 'Full Details' mode you'll notice there are three 'tabs' across across the form: "Test - Quantity & Prices", "Details", and "Costs". Click on "Details" and you'll see lots of input fields where you can enter a whole load of stuff, including P/O Ref. Just ignore any of the other input fields you're not interested in.

The software says 'Too many users' and won't let me in?

This could be due to too many users trying to access the system at once. If you are using a single user version (note when running as Freeware it is always single user) it thinks you or someone else is already in the system. It could be you already have the software running, check your Windows task bar and make sure. If not, it could be the program abnormally terminated when it was last run, perhaps due to a computer crash, or not exiting the software prior to shutting down the computer. To get around the problem, follow this simple procedure: When you start up the software and login, and it says 'too many users', do a single left click on the user in the list (there may only be one user listed) and then click on the 'Log Out' button at the bottom.   The user should vanish.  If you click on 'OK' it should allow you back in to the system.

Uninstalling the software:

When installed and setup with one company/organization Adminsoft Accounts takes up less than 20mb on your hard disk. Which is virtually no space at all in these days of multi gigabyte hard disk drives! So we haven't spent any time creating an automatic uninstall, it has to be done manually, but it is quite straightforward. You can remove it by deleting the folder "c:\program files\Adminsoft Accounts" (assuming you installed it into the default folder) and by deleting the icon on your desktop.   To remove the option from your Start menu you have to single right click on the 'Start' button on the task bar, click on 'Open', you should be able to see the Adminsoft Accounts icon appear in the window, just delete that.  And that's it!

Well, more or less. There is a small complication if you have used the email facility. Unlike most other applications, with Adminsoft Accounts there are no DLL files to unregister and no data keys to be removed from the registry. It's a very clean install. Unless you have used the built in email facility. This makes use of a third party product from Chilkat Software. An excellent product, but it does require registration of the file ChilkatMail2.dll This is copied into the folder \windows\system32 and then registered automatically (it asks you first) the first time you use the email option. If you uninstall the software following the instructions above, this file remains in your \windows\system32 folder. But it is a small file, and will not interfere with anything. If you really want to remove it, you will first need to bring up a DOS prompt. Then type in regsvr32 \windows\system32\ChilKatMail2.dll -u and press then Enter key. This will unregister the file. You can then delete it by typing in del \windows\system32\ChilKatMail2.dll and pressing the Enter key, or accessing the file through Explorer (My Computer) and deleting it in the usual way. To exit DOS, by the way, just type in the word 'exit' and press Enter.

Will the software run on Apple Mac or Linux?

Adminsoft Accounts will not run on the Apple Mac. I understand emulation software exists to make the Mac operating system look like Microsoft Windows in order to run Windows software. Adminsoft Accounts may run using this emulation software, but we have never tested it. The same applies to Linux. If you do manage to run Adminsoft Accounts on an Apple or under Linux, we would like to hear from you so we can share your experience/knowledge with other users.

If the information you require is not here, send an email to support@adminsoftware.biz