Frequently Asked Questions (and answers!)

PCMAINT has been extensively tested on Vista and Windows 7 and is fully compatible.

There are two functions of registration:

1. PCMAINT is now sold via the internet. Prospective users can download a shareware version and trial the product for 30 days and then register to remove the 30 day restriction.
2. The number of users can be simply altered by issuing an new registration key.

This message occurs when the Workstation components have not been installed.
You must download the Workstation setup from the Support page of this website and then run it on each workstation displaying this message. If you do not have a login for the Support page, please contact support@PCMAINT.com

Please contact support@maiplan.com if you are using Terminal Server or Citrix.

This message only occurs when the user does not have full rights to create and delete files in the location where PCMAINT files are stored

This message only occurs when the client has become disconnected from the databases. In our experience it is always caused by a hardware (network card, router, switch, hub) failure or faulty network cable. Use of wireless connections can also cause this problem. Check the event log on both the client PC and the Network file server for possible issues.

The C0000005 error is commonly caused by DEP. Go into the Control Panel, then System, then Advanced, then click on "Settings" under Performance, then select the Data Execution Protection tab.

You can try either of the following:

1. The best solution is to add the programs (PCMAINT.exe or pcmaint.exe and jobreqst.exe) to the excluded programs section.
2. Alternative solution is to choose "Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only".

If you download and install an upgrade and when you run the program, you see the open dialog box (similar to a save email attachments dialog box) which contains the following text "Do 32" it usually means that the downloaded file is corrupted.
This error is caused by the downloaded file not being complete (a part of the entire file is missing).

The resolution is to download the file again. Holding down the Ctrl Button while clicking on the download link will force Internet Explorer to get a completely fresh file from the upgrade site. If you do not hold down the "Ctrl" key while clicking on the download link, Internet Explorer may just download the file from your ISP's proxy server, instead of from the website, and you will end up with the same corrupted file as before.

If you experience problems such as OLE errors or an inability to register PCMAINT after moving to Windows 2000 or Windows XP, please download and install the latest upgrade (version 9.44.0 or later). These problems were addressed in version 9.44.0

The collating sequence is set to MACHINE by default.

If your PC is set to use a non standard language you may get "YYYY Collating Sequence unavailable" errors, where "YYYY" is a language name or one of the values below. This may be fixed in some cases by putting the line COLLATE=YYYY into the file config.fpw, located in the PCMAINT startup directory.

Values for YYYY are:

• GENERAL (English, French, German, Spanish, Portugese and other Western European languages)
• DUTCH
• GERMAN (German phone book order DIN)
• ICELAND (Icelandic)
• MACHINE (default)
• NORDAN (Norwegian, Danish)
• SPANISH
• SWEFIN (Swedish, Finnish
• UNIQWT (Unique Weight)

You will have to select Housekeeping>Reindex/Repack after changing a collating sequence.

If the collating sequence reported in the error message is a non standard value such as "JAPANESE" the only solution is to disable access to the program on any workstation with the incorrect collating sequence and then perform the following steps:

1. Search the PCMAINT data directory for files of type .cdx containing the incorrect sequence. For example search for all .cdx files containg the text "JAPANESE"
2. Delete all the files found in the above step
3. Log into PCMAINT using the master password (available from support@PCMAINT.com)
4. Select Housekeeping>Reindex/Repack

Please refer to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896054/ The symptoms are an expected and intended effect of installing certain Microsoft security updates. A workaround is described in the above article. Alternatively contact PCMAINT support and we will email you instructions.

Please download and install the latest version of your system User Manual from the Support page

Upgrading from versions prior to 9.40 to 9.40 and beyond can be difficult. The problems are caused by the large number of code and database changes made at V9.40 to implement the registration system.

If the message "You must upgrade immediately etc" is given before login, log in and keep on selecting Ignore to every small error box and Main Menu to every large error box.

Once the Main Menu appears, run the Utilities->Upgrade program, which itself may generate errors - ignore these. When the upgrade is complete shut down PCMAINT - this may be difficult as it may keep bringing up error screens - keep selecting cancel on small error screens and Quit on large error screens until PCMAINT shuts down.

Restart PCMAINT, and again ignore all errors until the main menu appears and on the second start immediately go to the Housekeeping menu and do a reindex. If the reindex doesn't finish without error it may be necessary to run the upgrade program again as detailed above.

Persevere until PCMAINT starts and shuts down without error - it may take several startups to achieve this. There is no danger in repeatedly running the upgrade and/or reindex utilities.

The upgrade program has been thoroughly tested and will (eventually) get all the modifications running properly.

Version 9.44 incorporates a new registration system and some other new OLE objects. The new OLE objects must be registered at least once on each client PC before this version will operate correctly.

To correctly install v9.44 in a network environment, the upgrade must be installed on the server and every client PC even if the executable is being run from the server.

After installing on each client PC, please delete the executable as described under the FAQ Networking >Installation> Network Setup

Installation on client PC's only has to be done the first time any version of 9.44 is installed. Future versions of v9.44 only require the updated executable to be installed on the server.

If you experience problems such as OLE errors or an inability to register PCMAINT after moving to Windows 2000 or Windows XP, please download and install the latest upgrade (version 9.44.0 or later).

The problems that sometimes occurred with Windows NT as noted below are also fixed in this upgrade.

On machines running Windows NT, after installation, occasionally an OLE error comes up just after PCMAINT starts. This is caused by the registration system being unable to complete the initial 30day/50runs default registration. This behaviour has been observed on some but by no means all NT installations and is caused by an inability for the logged in PC user to write to the registry. We believe it occurs when specific policies are in use or a non standard default user setup has been placed on the PC and the current user has been created from the non standard default user. It may also be related to the use of roaming profiles. Try the following:

1. Give the user domain administrator rights temporarily and then restart PCMAINT and then set the user rights back to normal. This suggestion involves editing the registry. Please be aware that this is a dangerous procedure that, if done incorrectly, may render the PC unusable. Proceed entirely at your own risk.
2. If (1) doesn't work, again give the user domain administrator rights, use regedit to edit the registry and delete the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\RJ Designs. Close regedit and rerun PCMAINT and then set the user rights back to normal.
3. If (2) doesn't work, repeat (2) when logged in as a domain administrator.

We use the calendar control contained in the Microsoft file mscal.ocx. We store the file in c:\windows\system32 for WinXP and c:\winnt\system32 for WinNT and Win2k. Recent versions of MS Office store the file in c:\program files\microsoft office\office10 and the problem is caused by the file in this location being incompatible. The solution is to copy mscal.ocx from c:\windows\system32 (or c:\winnt\system32) to c:\program files\microsoft office\office10, overwriting the existing file.

The computer may have to be rebooted after this procedure.

When PCMAINT is first started, an initial Single User/30day/50runs default registration is applied and a nag screen advises how many runs are left. This is extended by entering your registration key (Housekeeping->Enter Registration Key).

On some computers the registration key does not 'take'. In other words the program keeps nagging for PCMAINT to be registered each time it is started. This behaviour is caused by an inability for the logged in PC user to write to the registry. The solution is to give the user local administrator rights temporarily and then register PCMAINT and then set the user rights back to normal. Alternatively, a user with local administrator rights can log on and enter the registration key.

Because PCMAINT is now sold on a per user basis and each user must be logged into the system so that it can validate the number of concurrent users.

Yes, the program is a fully multiuser system. It has been tested on the following Local Area Networks and servers:

• Novell
• Windows
• Unix (Samba)

The program will also run on Wide Area Networks or over the Internet when used in conjunction with Windows Terminal Server or Citrix Metaframe.

Yes, this is called a peer-to-peer network.

We recommend a 100Mbit network card in each PC and a crossover network cable to link the two PC's. Install the NetBEUI protocol.

Please refer to another FAQ titled: "Network Client Setup Issues" for further information.

Follow these steps:

1. The server should have a shared folder that is visible to all client PC's using PCMAINT. For PCMAINT, the share name should be mpgold (Gold), mpsilver (Silver) or mpstd (Standard).
2. Download the Workstation setup from the upgrades page of this website and save it on the server.
3. Log in to the network on the client PC, and map drive M: to the network share described in step 1. The mapping should be marked to 'Reconnect at Logon'
4. On the client PC, install the PCMAINT Workstation Set-up, which can be found on the CD and is available for download on the Upgrades page.
5. After installation is complete, reboot the client PC if this is suggested by the install program.
6. To run PCMAINT, make a shortcut on the client PC that points to PCMAINT.exe on the server share. Shortcuts pointing to M: are stored in c:\temp by the Workstation Set-up program - copy the appropriate shortcut(s) to the desktop if desired. Alternatively, use explorer and navigate to the file PCMAINT.exe on the server, right click on the file and the drag it to the desktop of the client PC. After releasing the right mouse button, select "Create Shortcut(s) Here". Edit the properties of the shortcut and ensure that Start In: is set to the correct location of the server share set up in step 1 above.

Follow these steps:

1. The server should have a shared folder that is visible to all client PC's using PCMAINT. For PCMAINT, the share name should be mpgold (Gold), mpsilver (Silver) or mpstd (Standard).
2. Log in to the network on the client PC, and map drive M: to the network share described in step 1. The mapping should be marked to 'Reconnect at Logon'
3. On the client PC, install the PCMAINT Workstation Set-up, which can be found on the CD and is available for download on the Upgrades page.
4. After installation is complete, reboot the client PC if this is suggested by the install program.
5. To run PCMAINT, make a shortcut on the client PC that points to PCMAINT.exe on the server share. Shortcuts pointing to M: are stored in c:\temp by the Workstation Set-up program - copy the appropriate shortcut(s) to the desktop if desired. Alternatively, use explorer and navigate to the file PCMAINT.exe on the server, right click on the file and the drag it to the desktop of the client PC. After releasing the right mouse button, select "Create Shortcut(s) Here". Edit the properties of the shortcut and ensure that Start In: is set to the correct location of the server share set up in step 2 above. This setup will get you going.
6. There are some optimisations that can be done by editing config.fpw on each client PC and details are provided in the online manual under Contents->Installation Notes->Installation notes for network users. There are a number of finer points that may need to be addressed including:
   1. performance tuning
   2. local and global settings

These are also covered in the online manual.

If you are running a large number of workstations, Citrix or Windows Terminal Server (WTS) is the best way to operate PCMAINT.

In general, if you are setting up a new Installation, Windows Server 2003, Terminal Server Edition is completely adequate to run PCMAINT. PCMAINT will run on Citrix with excellent results, but if you do not already have a Citrix installation we suggest using Wondows Terminal Server 2003.

Our general advice is:

1. If you want to run PCMAINT on a WAN, then set up a small server running Windows Server 2003, Terminal Server Edition.
2. We do not recommend hardware, but clients using Dell Dual Xeon processors, SCSI raid and 4G Ram are achieving excellent performance.
3. When installing PCMAINT to run under Citrix/WTS please ensure the correct installation procedures are followed as advised in your Citrix/WTS documentation. Brief instructions can be viewed under the topic "How to install PCMAINT on a Citrix/WTS server"

If you would rather perform the quickest and easiest network setup please read the next FAQ titled "Network Setup - Easy Installation", otherwise proceed as follows:

1. Log in to the server as Administrator and create a shared folder that is visible to all client PC's using PCMAINT. The share name should be mpgold (Gold), mpsilver (Silver) or mpstd (Standard) for PCMAINT.
2. Log in to the network on the client PC, and map drive M: to the network share created in step 1.
3. The mapping should be marked to 'Reconnect at Logon'
4. On the client PC, initially install PCMAINT from the CD or download file. This must be a FULL install (not an upgrade) as it is necessary to install and register certain required library files. We recommend installation in the default directory (you may change the drive letter).
5. After installation is complete, reboot the client PC if this is suggested by the install program and then copy the entire contents of the folder where PCMAINT was installed (c:\mpgold, c:\mpsilver, c:\mpstd) to the mapped drive created in step 2.
6. Delete all local files on the client PC that were installed at step 3, except for foxuser.dbf and foxuser.fpt.
7. On the mapped drive to the server, delete config.fpw and rename config.server.fpw to config.fpw. Edit config.fpw on the server using notepad.
8. Ensure default= is set to the correct location of the server share set up in step 2 above. Ensure resource= is set to the correct location of the files on the client PC set up in step 3 above. Ensure the four temporary file locations are also set to the same location as resource=.
9. To run PCMAINT, make a shortcut on the client PC that points to PCMAINT.exe on the server share. The best way to do this is to use explorer and navigate to the file PCMAINT.exe on the server, right click on the file and the drag it to the desktop of the client PC. After releasing the right mouse button, select "Create Shortcut(s) Here". Edit the properties of the shortcut and ensure that Start In: is set to the correct location of the server share set up in step 2 above. This setup will get you going.
10. For each additional client PC, ensure the client can 'see' the share created in step 1 and map the same network drive (M:) to that share (step 2). On the client PC, install the PCMAINT Workstation Set-up, which can be found on the CD and is available for download on the Upgrades page. Shortcuts pointing to M: are stored in c:\temp by the Workstation Set-up program - copy the appropriate shortcut(s) to the desktop if desired.
11. There are some optimisations that can be done by editing config.fpw on each client PC and details are provided in the online manual under Contents->Installation Notes->Installation notes for network users. There are a number of finer points that may need to be addressed including:
    1. performance tuning
    2. local and global settings

and these are also covered in the online manual.

If you would rather perform the safest possible network setup please read the previous FAQ titled "Network Setup - Safest Installation", otherwise proceed as follows:

1. Log in to the server as Administrator and install PCMAINT from the CD or download file into the default directory (you may change the drive letter). Make the installation directory a shared folder that is visible to all client PC's using PCMAINT. For PCMAINT the share name should be mpgold (Gold), mpsilver (Silver) or mpstd (Standard).
2. Log in to the network on the client PC, and map a drive letter M: to the network share created in step 1. The mapping should be marked to 'Reconnect at Logon'
3. On the client PC, install the PCMAINT Workstation Set-up, which is available for download on the Upgrades page.
4. After installation is complete, reboot the client PC if this is suggested by the install program.
5. On the mapped drive to the server, delete config.fpw and rename config.server.fpw to config.fpw. Edit config.fpw on the server using notepad.
6. Ensure default= is set to the correct location of the server share set up in step 2 above. Ensure resource= is set to the correct location of the files on the client PC set up in step 3 above. Ensure the four temporary file locations are also set to the same location as resource=.
7. To run PCMAINT, make a shortcut on the client PC that points to PCMAINT.exe on the server share. Shortcuts pointing to M: are stored in c:\temp by the Workstation Set-up program - copy the appropriate shortcut(s) to the desktop if desired. Alternatively, use explorer and navigate to the file PCMAINT.exe on the server, right click on the file and the drag it to the desktop of the client PC. After releasing the right mouse button, select "Create Shortcut(s) Here". Edit the properties of the shortcut and ensure that Start In: is set to the correct location of the server share set up in step 2 above. This setup will get you going.
8. For each additional client PC, ensure the client can 'see' the share created in step 1 and map the same network drive to that share (step 2). Install the PCMAINT Workstation Set-up and create a shortcut to the PCMAINT.exe or file as described in step 7.
9. There are some optimisations that can be done by editing config.fpw on each client PC and details are provided in the online manual under Contents->Installation Notes->Installation notes for network users. There are a number of finer points that may need to be addressed including:
   1. performance tuning
   2. local and global settings

and these are also covered in the online manual.

Follow these steps:

1. Log into the Citrix/WTS server at the server console as an administrator.
2. Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel.
3. Click on Add or Remove Programs.
4. Click on the Add New Programs icon in the left of the dialog box.
5. Click on the CD or Floppy button on the top right corner of the screen.
6. Click the next button, then browse. Open the Set-up file on the PCMAINT CD (under the Autorun folder). Install PCMAINT. When finished, click the finished button.
7. PCMAINT will now be installed for ALL Users.
8. Launch PCMAINT and log in using the master password. Click on "Housekeeping", then "Enter Registration Key". Enter the registration key EXACTLY as it was provided to you by Dbase Developments. Click on the "register" button and make sure you receive the "Thank you for registering" message. PCMAINT is now registered for all Citrix/WTS users. Exit PCMAINT.
9. Please ensure all users have FULL (create, read, write, edit & delete) access to all files in the folder where PCMAINT is installed and also any other shares above the PCMAINT Folder.

Version 9.44 incorporates a new registration system and some other new OLE objects. The new OLE objects must be registered at least once on each client PC before this version will operate correctly.

To correctly install v9.44 in a network environment, the upgrade must be installed on the server and every client PC even if the executable is being run from the server.

After installing on each client PC, please delete the executable as described under the FAQ Networking>Installation>Network Setup

Installation on client PC's only has to be done the first time any version of 9.44 is installed. Future versions of v9.44 only require the updated executable to be installed on the server.

Creating a new Excel spread sheet with attached objects may cause the object to resize itself from credit card size to larger than the screen can write it when using print preview, this seems to be a problem with OLE and not this program, the solution is to create the spread sheet in Excel first then save it to a file, then when adding it to "Add Object" use the "create from file" option instead of "create new".

Disable all Routine from posting by unticking the 'Perform Automatic Generation of Routine Work Orders' box in Utilities->Options

1. Disable individual Routines from posting on the Routine Scheduling screen by:
   Gold & Gold+
   a) Set Schedule to "Not in Use"
   Standard
   a) Make sure "Date schedule this Routine" is not selected
   b) set 'Start in week 0 and repeat every 0 weeks

Every time you load PCMAINT, it creates temporary (.TMP) files. These files are automatically deleted when you exit the program with a normal shutdown. However, .TMP files still exist if you reboot the machine without first shutting down PCMAINT, or if you don't have delete rights in the directory where the files reside. Exit PCMAINT and acquire the rights to delete all these files. One caution: Other programs, such as Windows, also create .TMP files. To be safe, make sure no applications are active when you delete .TMP files.
In a multiuser environment, ensure there are no other users in PCMAINT as they will also create .TMP files.

If XXXX is a name like PLANTCODE this error may be caused by an incorrect or corrupt index file. Use the Housekeeping Menu -> reindex / cleanup button to reindex and repack the databases. Sometimes occurs when the PURGE database is first accessed and the fix is again to reindex.

If the smoothing graph crashes with Error 30 "Position is off screen" it is usually because Large Fonts has been selected in the Windows properties for the display driver. Reset the driver to small fonts.

On the system menu select Utilities->Options->Field Choices

For the Choices for Field Type, ensure the first selection is NOT R. For example D,R,W,, is OK for the choices, but NOT R,D,W,,

Note: Two commas together (,,) signifies a blank entry

Sometimes values (or more specifically one value) entered into a drop-down selectable field (for example work order type) is not available when you try to use the drop down list.

This commonly occurs when the value actually in the field is not one of the values in the list (commonly a blank value) and the value being displayed 'pushes' the last entry off the list.

The solution is to select Browse and make a note of all the different values that have been used and the ensure all values used are entered into the possible choices (on the Utilities->Options->Field Choices menu). Please take special note of the blank value (entered as ,, in the field choices).

Follow these steps:

1. Alway try a Reindex first. (Housekeeping Menu -> reindex / cleanup)
2. Exit PCMAINT and run SCANDISK/CHECKDISK on the PCMAINT drive
3. Poor performance ha been observed on 100Mbit LAN connections when they are near the maximum design length (around 100 metres)
4. Bizarre operation has been observed with low hard disk space - must have an absolute minimum of 100 Mbytes or 2 x Installed RAM memory (whichever is larger) available at all times on the drive that the swap file on it.

On start-up get an error with message “Index does not match the table. Delete the index file and re-create the index (Error 114)”.

Normally this error can be corrected by selecting Main Menu, then Housekeeping, then reindex / cleanup. In some cases the reindex / cleanup fails with the same error and in such cases proceed as follows:

Use Windows Explorer to open the directory containing all data files. Set the view to Details. In the right hand pane sort the files by size and then look for any files with a size of zero and a file extension of .cdx. Delete any such files.

Warning: Delete ONLY files of type .cdx with size of zero.

Restart PCMAINT and do the reindex / cleanup again (it will probably happen automatically when you log in).

The PC probably crashed or was shut down without exiting PCMAINT first and the program did not get a chance to update its table of logged in users.

You can always log in with the master password (refer to the details below) or log in as another user with access to the Access Control Screen (Housekeeping->Access Control).

On this screen you will see a tick box for logged in users located in the top left hand corner (below the Username and Password). Just untick any user that is shown as logged in but shouldn't be. The down arrow next to the tick box will take you to the next logged in user.

Please contact Dbase Developments (support@PCMAINT.com) and we will email you instructions of how to use the master password if you cannot get access to the system.

When the PC crashed, the program did not get a chance to update its table of logged in users.

You can always log in with the master password (refer to the details below) or log in as another user with access to the Access Control Screen (Housekeeping->Access Control).

On this screen you will see a tick box for logged in users located in the top left hand corner (below the Username and Password). Just untick any user that is shown as logged in but shouldn't be. The down arrow next to the tick box will take you to the next logged in user.

Please contact Dbase Developments (support@PCMAINT.com) and we will email you instructions of how to use the master password if you cannot get access to the system.

Each report has a default paper size saved with it and this overrides the printer paper size selection. A set of reports for Letter (8.5"x11")sized paper may be downloaded from the upgrades page.

To change the paper size for an individual report proceed as follows:

1. For Gold: Main Menu->Reports->User Reports->Modify Existing
   For Standard: Main Menu->User Reports->Modify Existing
2. Select Report, click Open
3. Select File->Page Setup->Print Setup. On some printers you can select the paper size on this screen and on others you must click Properties for the printer and select it there.
4. Click OK to close Print Setup, OK to close Page Setup, Click the cross at the top right hand side of the report to close it (saving changes).

A complete set of reports formatted in Letter size (8.5"x11") is available from the downloads page.

This behaviour depends upon the printer and print driver, and the selections mentioned below may vary depending on the printer in use.

To change it to print one copy, proceed as follows:

1. 1. Main Menu->Reports->User Reports->Modify Existing
2. Select Report (Standard Report is 32workor), click Open
3. File->Page Setup->Print Setup->Properties->Options
4. Set copies from 2 to 1 (you may have to search around to find this option)
5. Click OK to close Print Setup, OK to close Page Setup, Click the cross at the top right hand side of the report to close it (saving changes).

The Mean Time Between Failure report relies on setting a work type to signal breakdowns or failures. Each failure is set to the selected type and the report calculates MTBF.

Go to Utilities->Options->Field Choices and click on the "Edit Work Order Type table" button in the 3rd row from the top. Assign a Work Order Type to Breakdowns (failures). Next use the "Select Work Order Type used for MTBF report" dropdown to assign the selected Work Order Type to the MBTF Report.

To use the callout report you must set up some planner codes that start with the word CALLOUT.

Go to Utilities->Options->Field Choices and edit the 7th row from the top (Standard Name: Choices for Field Planner).

The entry used by one of our clients is:
,MECH,ELEC,OTHR,CALLOUT-ELEC,CALLOUT-MECH,CALLOUT-OTHER

When callout jobs are entered into History, the Planner must be set to one of the Callout Codes. The callout report will then give you details of all callouts in each category.

The file compression engine used in the backup/restore facility had been found to omit some files when running on Windows 2000/XP. This issue was fixed in version 9.44.37 released in January 2004. If you are using an earlier version please upgrade to this version immediately to ensure backup continues to function reliably.