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NoteSmith Current Issues

This page should be the first place you look for NoteSmith technical support answers. We keep it up to date with common questions we see during different times of the year, so if your issue is here, then there is no quicker way for you to get an answer to your question. We highly recommend you print this page, which was last updated on Tuesday, June 10, 2008.

Freshen: Modifications made to the program since NoteSmith 2008 was first released to the public can be found on the FAQ/Freshen page. We encourage you to freshen your new installation because we always make minor changes early in the year based on customer feedback. Either click the Freshen link or go to File, Online, Freshen in your NoteSmith 2008 program.

Emailing from NoteSmith: Quite a few people have asked about this topic this year. Go to File, Setup, Office and choose the email program, or type of program, you have installed on your computer and use regularly. There are 3 types and NoteSmith can use any of them, but it needs to know which one. Also note that web mail is not an email program so if that is what you use, you cannot send email directly from NoteSmith.

Activation: NoteSmith is fully functional when it is first installed. It will let you know when it needs activation, which will be within the next few weeks, and cannot be activated until it requests. Until such time, you have full access to all NoteSmith features. Please refer to the Activation and Deactivation topics in the front of the manual.

The activation routine is 4 years old and has survived 3 annual upgrades. The only people who have activation problems are those who did not follow the directions. The activation routine will work properly if you follow directions and is designed not to work if you do not follow the directions. Read the manual.

When entering your CD key at the site, be sure to use all caps, put dashes as shown between each 4 characters, and type carefully. Print the last page which displays your Response Number when the site requests and follow the directions! Save that page in back of your manual. NoteSmith non-Pro users can retrieve only 1 number from our site and Pro users up to 2. NoteSmith Net Servers can retrieve only 1 and Net Workstations up to 5 unless you bought the additional 20 pack. You have to type the Response Number into your NoteSmith program to activate it. Go to Help, Technical Support, Activation.

Use that same tab to access the Deactivate button ONLY if you want to remove the software to install it instead onto another computer. Do NOT deactivate because you cannot get it activated. Read the manual first!

Deactivation: Spam, viruses, and hard drive failure may cause your computer to malfunction. If it does, and you suspect you'll need to replace your hardware, go immediately to File, Utilities and choose Backup. Back your data up to new media (new USB flash drive or new diskette). Don't risk copying potentially damaged data over the top of a good backup. Then go to Help, Technical Support, Activation and press the Deactivate button with your printer on and full of paper. Print that receipt and we can provide you with a replacement activation on your new computer. You will not be able to run NoteSmith on that old computer once you deactivate.

Windows Vista: Microsoft did not release the programming tools to allow us to compile NoteSmith 2008 as a native Windows Vista program. NoteSmith 2008 is Vista compatible and NoteSmith 2009 is expected to be fully Vista compliant.

To run NoteSmith 2008 on Vista, open NS08andVista.pdf, print it, and follow our suggested installation steps. This is merely a workaround to get NoteSmith 2008 running under Vista. NoteSmith 2007 is not supported under Vista since it was released months before Vista.

Vista does not allow users to write data files to the C:\Program Files folder for security reasons. To maintain compatibility with software written prior to its release, Vista makes a "virtualization" copy of data that normally would appear in Program Files, buries it deep in the C:\Users folder, and uses that copy, not the originally installed files. Your actual live NoteSmith 2008 data will appear in the following folder, with "username" being your Windows log in name:
     C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Princeton\NoteSmith2008\Data

If you start NoteSmith 2008 by right clicking the Vista Start Menu icon, then choose Run As Administrator, you will be using the data in this folder:
     C:\Program Files\Princeton\NoteSmith2008\Data

Consequently, a Vista Administrator and a Vista User would be entering data into different folders, as would two different Vista Users! Also, any backup routine you design may not be copying the correct data folder. Be certain to freshen your NoteSmith 2008 program files and follow the directions in the document above.

Speaking of backups, if you want to backup NoteSmith data from a WindowsXP computer and restore it to a Vista computer, or vice versa, follow the directions in NS08andVista.pdf.

Our recommendation is that if you want Vista, buy a new computer with it already loaded. Upgrading an operating system is fraught with difficulties and legacy hardware issues.

 

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