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Frequently
Asked Questions
PHONEslips
Technical Support commonly asked questions:
Error:
Access denied to w##.dat
All
the PHONEslips icons are white
Changing
servers for PHONEslips
Changing
the name of a workstation
Error:
Could not find name in list
Mapping
network drives
Phantom
logins
Rebuilding
Reindexing
Renaming
Users
Error:
Timed out locking file
Undeleting
Users
Upgrading
didn't seem to add any new features
Q:
I get the error message: "Access denied opening file
w##.dat", what should I do?
A:
This error can be caused in a few ways:
1) It's possible that account trying to access PHONEslips is already
using PHONEslips under the same user name. By design, it is not
possible to have two sessions of the PHONEslips program running at
the same time for the same account. Close one of the sessions to
access PHONEslips.
2) Check to make sure you and everybody else has proper access
rights (full access) to the folder where PHONEslips is installed.
Follow this simple step to see if you have the proper rights. Click
Start, Programs, Notepad and type anything. Now click File, Save As
and browse to the drive that contains the Pslips folder. If you
cannot save to that folder, then you do not have proper access
rights. If you can save to that folder then try to delete the file.
If you cannot delete the file then you do not have the proper access rights.
3) Anti-virus programs. At times some anti-virus programs will cause
this error to occur. To test this, simply disable the anti-virus
program and try to open PHONEslips again. If phoneslips opens, then
you can be fairly certain that the anti-virus program is prohibiting
the program from operating correctly. Most anti-virus programs have
the functionality to not scan specific directories. If the anti-virus
software you're using has this functionality, then set it to not scan
the Pslips directory. You may also want to get the latest updates for
your anti-virus software.
4) The file w##.dat
may be read only. Click Start, Run and type the path to your Pslips
folder. If you do not know the path to the PHONEslips server then
click Start, Run and type pslips.ini. Note the Path= line in this
file. It should be the second line of information. Copy the
information after the = and exit the file. Go to Start, Run and paste
this into the Run: field and click ok. Now double click on the Pslips
folder and look for the w##.dat file. Now right click on it and
select properties.
Note the 4 check boxes near the bottom of the dialogue box. These
boxes are: Read Only, Archive, System, and Hidden. You should only
have archive checked. If the others are checked then uncheck them.
5) Make sure that the file does indeed exist, and there are no
directories (aka folders) by that name. You can do this by going into
Windows explorer and looking in the pslips folder on your server. If
the icon associated with the w##.dat looks like a manilla folder,
then delete it.
6) If a workstation was not shut down properly, i.e., (crashed,
froze, etc.) then it did not properly log off the network. For this,
please click here to go to our section on how to clear phantom
log-ins.
Q:
All of my PHONEslips icons have turned white and don't do anything
when I click on them. What's wrong and how do I fix it?
A:
It's possible that you were disconnected from your server for a
moment while PHONEslips was running.
You
may need to reboot your machine to remedy this. Possible causes for
this are:
Possibility
#1) Network components may no longer be operating to specification.
PHONEslips requires a solid network connection to run effectively. If
the connection is having problems due to either aging components or
components that do not work to specification, then as a result
PHONEslips will not function effectively.
Possibility
#2) Anti-virus programs can also cause problems with PHONEslips.
Sometimes the delay an anti-virus program causes when it scans a file
is enough to simulate a network "hiccup" or failure.
Possibility
#3) Sometimes excessive network traffic will bog down a network long
enough to simulate a network "hiccup" or failure.
Possibility
#4) If several or all workstations have the same problem, you might
have a problem with the server, the hub, or the network wiring.
Q:
Our office just bought a brand new server, how do I move PHONEslips
from the old(current) server to the new one?
A:
This is a 3 step process.
Step
1) You'll need to have everyone exit PHONEslips.
Step
2) It is recommended that you reboot the current PHONEslips server
machine. You'll want to copy the entire Pslips folder from the
current server to the new one. NOTE:
Make sure everyone is out of PHONEslips!
If you're using windows workstations you can copy/paste the folders
from a workstation that has access to both servers.
Step
3) This step can be avoided if you're copying everything from the
old server to the new server and the drive letters stay the same. If
that is not the case, then what you'll need to do on each machine is
double click on My Computer, double click the appropriate drive
letter for the new server, (If you do not have a drive letter mapped,
click here
to learn how to map a network drive), then double click on the pslips
folder and run the setup program.
Q:
How do I change the name of a workstation or user for PHONEslips?
A:
Windows users need to rerun the setup program and choose their name
from the list or add their name when prompted.
Here
are some steps to make this easier:
Windows
users with PHONEslips version 4.0 or higher:
Step 1) Go into PHONEslips full application screen.
Step 2) Click on setup.
Step 3) Click on Run
Setup.
Step 4) Follow the on-screen directions and when prompted add the
new user account.
Windows
users with PHONEslips version 3.1 and lower:
Step 1) Make sure you're sitting at the station you wish to change,
and that PHONEslips is not running.
Step 2) Double Click on My Computer.
Step 3) Double click on the drive that is mapped to PHONEslips.
Step 4) Double click on the pslips folder.
Step 5) Double click on the file called setup or setup.exe(depending
on your system view settings).
Step 6) Follow the on screen directions and when prompted add the
new user account.
Q:
I get an error that my name is not found in the list. How do I fix this?
A:
This error means that the name you're trying to log into PHONEslips
with is not valid or has been accidentally deleted.
For
Windows Users:
Window
users will need to double click on My Computer, the drive with
PHONEslips on it, the pslips folder, then setup. On the screen to
choose the user name click on the drop down list and choose the name
you wish to use. NOTE:
If you were a phoneslips user and do NOT see your name in the list,
it's possible that your name was accidentally deleted. To UN-DELETE
your name and retrieve all of your messages, phonebook entries,
schedule items, and to-do list follow these Undelete instructions:
For
DOS User:
If
you get the same error message under DOS, then go to a workstation
that can access PHONEslips, start the program, take a message, and
hit the space bar when the cursor is in the "To" field.
This will bring up the list of valid user names of PHONEslips.
NOTE:
Again, if you think you were accidentally deleted from the Name List
the follow the Undelete instructions.
Otherwise, hit the F2 key to add a new user, type in the name, then
hit enter and the person will be added to the Name List as a new user.
Lastly,
there may be a problem with the database from users crashing/locking
up etc. If this is the case, you may need to repair the database with
the PHONEslips reindexing utility.
Q:
How do I map a network drive?(Win 95/98/Me or NT 4.X/Win 2000)
A:
Follow these steps:
Step
1) Double click on network neighborhood.
Step
2) Double click on the machine that has the folder or drive you want
to use.
Step
3) Right click on that folder or drive and go to map network drive.
Step
4) Make sure that the box for "Reconnect at login" is
checked in, select a drive letter that you like, and click ok to finish.
Q:
What is a phantom log-in and how to disconnect them from the
PHONEslips server?
A:
A phantom log-in is caused when a workstation is shut down
improperly and does not disconnect correctly from the server.
This
can be caused by crashes, lock ups, freezes, blackouts, or by
turning the computer off without going through the proper shut down
procedures. To disconnect phantom logins try the following steps:
Windows
95/98 - Go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and select Net
Watcher. If you
do not have Net Watcher installed please go to Control Panel (Start,
Settings, Control Panel), click on Add/Remove programs, select the
Windows Setup tab, and you can find Net Watcher by clicking System
Tools and then the Details button. During installation you may be
prompted for your Windows 9x cd, so you may want to have that accessible.
Once
you've installed Net Watcher and have it running, look for the
computer or user's
name
to be listed here. Although that user may not be using files on this
computer or that user's machine may even be shut down, this
PHONEslips server may show the user as connected; probably more than
once. This is a phantom log-in. To correct this, click on the
account, then on the Administer menu item, and then Disconnect User.
If connected twice follow the same steps to disconnect the second occurrence.
Windows
NT - For NT, you MUST be running NT server, not workstation. Go to
Start, Programs, Administrative Tools (common), and select Server
Manager.
Click on view, then click on servers to make sure Server Manager is
displaying a list of the servers and not workstations.
Double click on the PHONEslips server, then select users.
On the next screen highlight the user that is the suspect phantom log-in
and click on Disconnect.
If the user shows up multiple times, disconnect each occurrence of
that user's name.
Q:
What are the Rebuild Data Set steps?
A:
Rebuild Data Set is a utility to remove orphaned notes in your database.
Rebuilding
should not be confused with Reindexing as it will not repair any damage
to your database.
Step
1) Make sure everybody has exited PHONEslips.
Step
2) If you already have PSAdmin installed on a machine, then click on
Start, Program, PHONEslips, PSAdmin; once here skip to step #4, otherwise:
Step
3) If you do not have PSAdmin in your PHONEslips program group you
can still run the program clicking on Start, Run and typing
pslips.ini. Copy the path statement after the Path= line in this
file. Example:
Path=P:\pslips
where P: is the mapped drive.
Then
go to Start, Run and paste the information in this field. After the
information is pasted, type at the blinking cursor "psadmin"
(without the quotes) and hit enter.
Step
4) Click on file and Rebuild
Data Set.
Q:
What is a reindex and how do I do it?
A:
Reindexing repairs database corruption and realigns all database pointers.
To
reindex follow these steps:
*For
those more comfortable with DOS:*
Step
1) Make sure everyone has exited PHONEslips.
Step
2) From any workstation, click on Start, Run and type pslips.ini.
Note the Path= statement. Now click on Start, Run and type
"command" (without the parenthesis), (NT workstations type
"cmd"), then hit enter.
Step
3) Now type the drive letter you noted from the path statement in
the pslips.ini. As an example the drive used here is P: If you are
not automatically taken to the pslips folder then type cd\pslips and
hit enter.
NOTE:
If PHONEslips is installed to a folder other than the pslips folder
then you'll have to type cd and then each corresponding folder name
in the path until you are in the folder with the PHONEslips files.
Steps
4 - 6 cover a quick and easy backup procedure. We suggest you back
up with tape backups, and our method listed here is only a suggestion
and is not to be considered a fail-safe backup.
Step
4) At the pslips directory type md backup and hit enter. If you get
a return that the directory already exists
then move on to step 5.
Step
5) Now type "copy *.dat backup" (without the quotes) and
hit enter. If you are prompted to overwrite you may select
"a" for all. You will see the files being copied displayed
and when finished you will be back at the pslips folder prompt.
Step
6) Now type "copy *.x* backup" (without the quotes) and
hit enter. Again, if you are prompted to overwrite you may select
"a" for all. You will see the files being copied displayed
and when finished you will be back at the pslips folder prompt.
Step
7) Finally, type reindex
and hit enter. The database will begin reindexing and subsequently
logging each database file to the screen with the percentage
completed. If you get an error noting a sharing violation, then it's
possible that a user is still in PHONEslips or you may have a phantom
log-in occurrence.
*For
those more comfortable with Windows (And have version 3.0 of
PHONEslips or better):*
Step
1) Make sure everyone has exited PHONEslips.
Step
2) If you already have PSAdmin installed on the machine, then go to
Start, Program, PHONEslips, and PSAdmin and skip to step #5, otherwise:
Step
3) If you do not have PSAdmin in your PHONEslips program group you
can still run the program clicking on Start, Run and typing
pslips.ini. Copy the path statement after the Path= line in this
file. Example:
Path=P:\pslips
where P: is the mapped drive.
Then
go to Start, Run and paste the information in this field. After the
information is pasted, type at the blinking cursor "psadmin"
(without the quotes) and hit enter.
Step
4) Now click on File, Reindex.
Step
5) Choose all databases and then ok.
Depending on your version the screen you see may look different than the
4.0 version.
Version 3.0 looks slightly different but functions the same.
Once
reindexing is complete your users may go back to using PHONEslips again.
Q:
How do I rename a user? (Example: Bob Jones to Bob)
A:
This can be accomplished by doing the following:
Step
1) Make sure everyone has exited PHONEslips.
Step
2) If you already have PSAdmin installed on a machine, then click on
Start, Programs, PHONEslips, and PSAdmin and skip to step #5,
otherwise continue:
If
you do not have PSAdmin in your PHONEslips program group you can
still run the program clicking on Start, Run and typing pslips.ini.
Copy the path statement after the Path= line in this file. Example:
Path=P:\pslips
where P: is the mapped drive.
Then
go to Start, Run and paste the information in this field. After the
information is pasted, type at the blinking cursor "psadmin"
(without the quotes) and hit enter.
Step
3) Now click on Users, Rename.
Step
4) Once here,
you may either type in the old (current) user name, or click on the
button with two arrows to bring up a list of valid names (Example:
Bob Jones). You will then need to enter the new user's name,
(Example: Bob).
Q:
I get the error "Timed out locking file" What is this and
how do I fix it?
A:
This error can be caused by several things, among those it may mean
that that there is a problem with the PHONEslips server sharing files
with other computers.
Possible
causes are:
#1)
If only one machine is experiencing the problem, then the problem is
probably isolated to that machine. It could be several things
including but not limited to: bad network card, permissions issue,
corrupt database, etc. In any case a call to tech support may be in
order so we can further diagnose the problem. Tech Support's Phone #
is 1-800-301-8698.
#2)
Anti-virus programs. Most anti-virus programs scan all files that
are being read from or written to. As our database is constantly
being read, written to and deleted, this causes the anti-virus
programs to assume that our database is a possible threat. Although
the anti-virus file scanning takes a very small amount of time, our
database files are locked open during the scanning and PHONEslips may
"time out" trying to access these files. Additionally, as a
result of the constant scanning from some anti-virus software
programs our database may become corrupt. If so a Reindex
may be in order.
Suggestion:
Try to disable the anti-virus software temporarily and see if that
fixes the problem. If it does we'd suggest excluding the pslips
folder from your anti-virus's list of folder/files to scan. NOTE: If
you are concerned with the ever growing list of email'd viruses and
you have purchased our email gateway you may still continue to use
the anti-virus to scan your received emails, however you need only
scan the SUB-folder of pslips named "pse".
Q:
If a user is accidently deleted, can I get them back?
A:
Yes, but only if you have version 3.0 or newer and have NOT reindexed
your database since you accidentally deleted the user.
To
recover this user, follow these instructions:
Step
1) Make sure everyone has exited PHONEslips.
Step
2) If you already have PSAdmin installed on a machine, then click on
Start, Programs, PHONEslips, and PSAdmin and skip to step #5,
otherwise continue:
If
you do not have PSAdmin in your PHONEslips program group you can
still run the program clicking on Start, Run and typing pslips.ini.
Copy the path statement after the Path= line in this file. Example:
Path=P:\pslips
where P: is the mapped drive.
Then
go to Start, Run and paste the information in this field. After the
information is pasted, type at the blinking cursor "psadmin"
(without the quotes) and hit enter.
Step
3) Once you've running PSAdmin click on User, Un-delete
and select the the user or users you've accidentally deleted.
NOTE:
If you've accidentally deleted the user account and then as a
temporary fix created a new user account with the same name, you will
have to rename the new account to something else in order to bring
back to deleted user account. Example:
A.
You accidentally deleted Bob from PHONEslips.
B.
You then created a new user account named Bob.
C.
You discovered how to restore the accidentally deleted user account.
D.
Using the renaming
feature in PHONEslips, rename the new user account you created to Bob2.
E.
Now follow the 3 steps above to undelete the user account.
Q:
I just ran the upgrade to PHONEslips and I don't see any new
features - what's wrong?
A:
You may have one of the the following problems:
#1)
You could still be running the 16 bit version of PHONEslips. You can
check this by going into the full application screen and then click
Setup, About.
The
about screen
should then pop up showing the version number followed by the words
32-bit in parenthesis. If not, and your operating system is Windows
95/98 or NT 4.x/2000 then click on Setup, Run Setup.
NOTE:
Windows 3.x, Windows for Workgroups, and DOS CANNOT run the 32 bit
version of PHONEslips.
#2) It's possible there is more than 1 copy of PHONEslips on your network and the wrong one got updated. To determine the directory PHONEslips is running from go into the full application screen (first button on the toolbar) and then click Setup, About. If PHONEslips is working properly for you, i.e., you are able to send and receive messages fine, then the assumption is that the path listed for you is the correct one. After clicking Setup, About note the path statement. Now, re-run the install for the upgrade and make sure that the path listed during the upgrade install is the same as in your Setup, About screen shot. If not then type the correct path and continue with the upgrade.
© 2002, Telexis Inc. PHONEslips is a trademark of Telexis. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders