CFAL-NetCIL Troubleshooting Guide and Frequently-Asked Questions
Applies
to: CFAL Version 1.99, NetCIL Desktop 1.99, and NetCIL Online
Updated:
7/6/2017
The following common problems can normally be corrected by
following these procedures. If you
continue to experience difficulties, please call ed2c technical support
toll-free at (888) 678-0683 or send email to techsupport@ed2c.com. The link below can be used to initiate a
remote support session. You must be in
contact with ed2c customer support before requesting remote assistance.
Click Here to Start Remote
Assistance
Index of the most frequently asked
questions:
Q1: I can't edit a
record. I type, but nothing happens.
A: The record is locked.
Press the function key F3 to unlock it.
To minimize the chance of accidentally overwriting data, most
CFAL-NetCIL forms require that a user "unlock" records by pressing
the function key F3 or clicking the appropriate link. For users with a privilege level of 6 or
above, selecting "User Knows Best" on the Main form will override
this requirement, and allow record edits without the need to unlock them.
Q2: When I open a form, I get a
message that says “Enter Parameter Value”.
A: Your file server needs to be updated. Select the NetCIL Ribbon and then click
“Check File Server”:
After a few seconds you should receive a message that says,
“File server has been successfully updated.”
If you receive an error, ask other users to exit and try again.
Q3: I’m running two
clients with two file servers. When I
open one it tries to connect to the other database.
A: You need to override information that is stored in your
system registry. To do so, create a
blank text file called “dnr.txt” and place it in the same folder where your
client files (CFAL Client.mde, CFAL Client.accde, or NetCIL Desktop
Client.accde) are located.
Q4: I get a message that the database
is "read-only."
A: You don't have the proper privileges to allow the
necessary write-access to folders where CFAL-NetCIL files are located. We recommend that you be granted
administrator rights on your local workstation, and you need the following
permissions on the folder where your file server is located: Modify, Read & Execute, List Folder
Contents, Read, and Write. More
information is available in the CFAL-NetCIL
installation Guide.
Q5: I received a message that a
"new version" was available. I
installed it, but I continue to get that message.
A: You're probably running Windows Vista. Un-install the application and re-install it,
either from our website or from installation files on your network. You may also need to adjust your privilege
settings as described in the CFAL-NetCIL
installation Guide. Another possibility
is that you are running the current version of one application, but an outdated
version of another. To verify that all
of your software is up to date, run NetCIL Manager and then select File...Check
for Updates.
Q6: When I run CFAL or NetCIL, I get "unexpected error"
messages.
A: If you’re running NetCIL Online, contact customer support,
and we’ll correct the issue for you. If you’re running on your own local
network, check to see if other workstations are experiencing the same or
similar problems. If so, your file
server probably needs to be repaired. To
do so, ask all users to exit CFAL and NetCIL applications. Run NetCIL Manager, and select File...View
Connections. You should receive a
message that no one else is connected.
All users must exit before you can proceed. If connections are still
present, then someone may have a “hung” process; in that case ask everyone to
reboot their workstations. Once all connections are closed, run NetCIL Client,
then select the NetCIL ribbon, and then “Compact & Repair File Server” as
shown below. You can also open the
folder where your file server is located, and then open the file server
directly. You should see an option to
compact and repair the file server. If not, please contact ed2c customer support
to have your file server upgraded. In any event, the compact and repair process
should only take a minute or so. Note
that running this procedure on a weekly basis is highly recommended. Doing so will optimize performance and help
to minimize the probability that errors will be encountered. NetCIL Online
systems perform an automatic compact and repair process on a daily basis.
If only your
workstation is experiencing problems, try selecting the “Compact and Repair
Client” option as shown above.
Q7: My report totals don't match the
values that I expect to see.
A: Make sure that you're using the latest version of NetCIL
Manager. The software should alert you
when a new version is available; you can always check by selecting File...Check
for Updates. The current version can
also be downloaded from our website at http://netcil.com/Downloads.aspx. Note that most NetCIL reports use complex
software logic in order to determine consumer activity within a given
period. It is often not possible to
duplicate this logic in a query without the use of software code.
Q8: I created a Vcard in CFAL, but
Outlook won't let me import it.
A: You're
probably using Exchange Server, and its security settings are preventing data
import. Talk to the person who set up
your mail system.
Q9: JAWS doesn't work
well with CFAL-NetCIL on my computer.
Sometimes it won't let me type, and it won’t read dropdown lists and
some edit boxes.
A: Hold down the Shift key while using the up and down arrow
keys. JAWS will then speak all combo box
and edit box selections. You may also want to review the “Standard Reading Commands
for Desktop Layout” section on the JAWS
Keystrokes page of the Freedom Scientific website. Note for users of Jaws 14
and above: There are some known problems with the way that JAWS is interpreting
MS Access forms. These issues have been reported to Freedom Scientific.
If you continue to have problems, try re-booting your
computer. If the problems persist, check
to see how old your computer hardware is, how much memory you have, and what
kind of a graphics card you are using.
JAWS reads screen data from your graphics card, and it needs a lot of
memory. If you're using an inexpensive
computer that uses shared computer memory for graphics display, you may have
problems. It's highly recommended that
JAWS users be provided with a computer that has a separate - and powerful -
graphics card. Database applications
like Microsoft Access also need lots of memory, and Windows Vista, 7, and 8
versions require a powerful graphics card in order to run correctly. If you have frequent problems with JAWS, you
may need to upgrade your computer hardware. Our recommended configuration: A
computer with at least 4 Gb of memory, a dedicated (NOT integrated!) graphics
card, Windows
7 Professional 64-bit, Microsoft
Office Professional 2010 32-bit, and JAWS 13.0 64-bit. Please note that
Microsoft products are available to 501-C3 organizations at very low cost from Tech Soup. The
hyperlinks in the previous sentences will take you directly to the pertinent
Tech Soup catalog listings.
Q10: I have Microsoft Access 2007 and
after I installed the 2007 version of CFAL Client I receive an error that says
"This database is in an unrecognized format"...
A: You need
at least one Office 2007 Service Pack to be installed on your machine. You can download and install Office 2007
Service Pack 3 here:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=27838
Q11: I have Microsoft Access 2010 and
after I installed the 2010 version of NetCIL/CFAL Client I receive an error.
A: You need Office 2010 Service Pack 1 to be
installed on your machine. The best way
to correct this problem is to follow the steps in Q12. You can also download
and install Office 2010 Service Pack 1 here:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26622
Q12: How do I keep my
computer updated?
A: If you’re
using Windows 7, select Start…Control Panel…Windows Update…Change Settings
(menu in bar to left). Ensure that your settings are configured as shown below:
Please also
follow the instructions for updating your computer that can be found here.
Q13: I can’t log on to
NetCIL Online.
A: Please
ask your system administrator to log on to NetCIL Online using their NetCIL Online
System Administration.rdp file, and then to follow the instructions that can be
found here.
If you continue to have difficulty, please contact us.
Q14: I keep getting
logged off.
Extract from the User Guide: By default, NetCIL Client is designed to automatically
terminate if no activity is recorded for 90 minutes. Level 10 users can adjust this value by
selecting the “Accessibility Features” button near the bottom right of the Main
screen. The following dialog will appear:
Enter
a “System Timeout” value (in minutes) as desired. If a value of 0 is chosen,
the system will never time out. If the
“All Users” checkbox is not selected, users who have checked the “User Knows
Best” option will be exempt from the system timeout limits. Note that the
Accessibility Features menu also allows all font and screen sizes to be reset
to their default values.
Q15: I am using Office
2013 or 2016, and when I generate NetCIL Manager reports that use MS Word, I
get an error.
1. Open an
existing document in MS Word.
2. Click the File menu and choose Options.
3. Click General (This is the default option).
4. Un-check “Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable
files in reading view” as shown below.
5. Click Ok.
MS Word will
now open documents in the print layout view rather than the read-only view, and
NetCIL Manager will be able to generate reports.
Q16: I am using Windows
8 and Office 2013, and NetCIL Client doesn’t display forms correctly.
This is a
bug in Windows 8 that is caused when you configure your display to use “Medium
– 125%” or “Larger – 150%” settings. The issue was reported to Microsoft, and it
has been fixed in Windows 8.1. Ensure that you’re running Windows 8.1, and that
you have all mandatory and optional updates installed. Failing that, you have
two work-around options:
1. Using
Control Panel…Appearance and Personalization…Display, re-configure your setting
to “Smaller – 100% (default)” as shown below.
2. Open
NetCIL Client, select “Colors and Shapes” from the Main screen, and then select
“No Theme” as shown below.
Q17: I am using Office
2013, and when I generate NetCIL Manager reports that use MS Excel, they take a
very long time.
This is a
problem in Office 2013 and 2016 that is caused by an inherent anti-virus
capability that Microsoft added to Office 2013 applications. Ensure that you’re
running NetCIL Manager version 1.96 or higher; it’s been optimized for better
performance. You can install it directly from the downloads page of netcil.com.
Q18: I am using a Mac
(or an iPad). How do I run NetCIL applications?
Method 1:
If you are
running NetCIL on an Amazon Virtual (cloud) server, you can use the Safari web
browser of your iPad or Mac to perform basic data entry. To do so you’ll have
to have a complex password set for your database user account; You can do that
via NetCIL Manager Config...Database Users.
"Complex" means at least six
characters, a mix of upper and lower case, and at least one non-alpha
character. Some examples: Temp123# is valid; temp123# is not valid; Temp123 is
not valid.
Once you've
done that, open your browser to:
http://{your
site}.netcil.com (follow this link to
visit our demo site).
Enter your
site password: “demo” if you followed the link above - Select your name from
the drop-down list that appears, and enter your (complex) database password.
You can then select "People" or "Work Log" from the menu.
If you visit the demo site, use ‘demo” wherever a password is requested.
Full
instructions can be found on our help web site: http://help.netcil.com/NetCIL%20Web%20Forms.htm
Method 2:
You can
install a free Remote Desktop App that works for iPads and Macs. For iPads, follow this link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id714464092?mt=8
For Macs,
follow this link: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=18140
Once
installed, run the app, then use it to go to http://{your
site}.netcil.com - Use your Windows log-on information to access your
system, where you'll find icons for all NetCIL applications available on your
desktop.
Q19: I can’t log on to my NetCIL
Amazon Server because I think that my password has expired. How do I reset it?
Run any
NetCIL Online application as you normally would. When prompted, enter your old
username and password as shown below:
Wait for the
Remote App dialog to appear, and then select “Show Details”:
You’ll then
be redirected to a screen like the one below. Select “OK”.
Enter and
re-enter a new password as shown below, and then press the arrow button or the
Enter key.
Q19: My screen is messed up and I
can’t see anything. The buttons are too big (or too small) or they’re black.
Open NetCIL
Client, press ALT-* and then ALT-! . Your screen will be reset to default
values, and then you can use the Appearance function from the Main screen to
adjust settings as desired.
Q20: I have installed the 64-bit
version of MS Office and it’s causing me problems.
We do
support 64-bit Office, but you can’t mix versions. If one person upgrades, then
everyone has to upgrade. We also have to upgrade your file server for you.
Microsoft recommends against using 64-bit Office unless you have some
compelling reason to do so (see the article link below). But, if you really want
to convert to 64 bits, give us a call and we’ll gladly help you to do so. But
please read this article first:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee681792.aspx
Q21: I’m using NetCIL Online. I
accidentally saved my remote access password and I want to reset it.
Step 1:
Right click on the desktop icon that you use to connect to NetCIL Online, and
select edit:
Step 2:
Select “delete these credentials”, and then select “Yes” when prompted. Select
“Cancel” to close the dialog, and then double-click the NetCIL Online icon to
open it again. You’ll once again be prompted to enter your password.
Q22: NetCIL Client Update is not
being properly downloaded.
Step 1: Run
NetCIL Manager, select File… Check for updates. You’ll be prompted that a new
version of NetCIL Client is available; Select OK:
Step 2:
After download, a window will open to the contents of a zip file. Select all
three files, and copy them to the clipboard:
Step 3: Open
the folder where your NetCIL data is located. IF you don’t know where that is,
open NetCIL Client, and click the link at the bottom of the screen:
Step 4: Open
the Setup subfolder:
Step 5:
Paste the files from your clipboard into the folder. Select “yes” if prompted
to overwrite. All users should then receive a message to install the new
version of NetCIL Client when they next run the application.
Q23: I installed Windows 10 and now
when I try to access my Amazon remote server I get an error.
There is a known
problem with Remote Desktop on Windows 10 64-bit systems when the Fall Creators
update has been applied. If you have a Windows 10 64-bit system with
the Fall Creators update you won't be able to use pre-configured RDP files
until Microsoft fixes the issue. As a workaround you can connect to
generic Remote Desktop, and disable printer redirection as shown below:
