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Skip Manager
Waste Management Software
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There are 2 ways you can obtain support for your Skip Manager product.
1. Search through
the FAQ below. The answer you are looking for is probably
here. This page is constantly updated with questions and answers.
2. Email us with
your question
here and we will endeavour to
answer it as quickly as possible. If you send
us a copy of your database file we can diagnose problems
faster.
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Frequently asked questions
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 Installing
the program is slow. Is this normal?
Depending on
the operating system you have, installation can take a minute or two. Once installed the program will operate at normal
speed. Installation should be a once-only requirement. Click here
for the minimum system requirements.
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During
installation the program brings up errors. Do I need to worry about
these?
Usually,
no. Sometimes the installation program will try to install a copy of
a file that is older than the one you already have. In this case, you
should choose to keep the existing file on your system rather than use the
one from the installation program. Sometimes a program file will
clash with an existing file and it may be unable to be installed or
registered (recognised). Usually the program will still install and
run successfully but if not you should try reinstalling it or
contact
us for advice. You should be able to uninstall the program from
within Control Panel at any time. You should always ensure you have
backup copies of your data before installing any software.
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Why is my
database access speed so slow?
Here are some things you can check:
- Make sure ODBC Tracing under ODBC Administrator (found under Administator Tools or Control Panel) is switched off. If not it can seriously degrade performance. This setting is only used by system developers and it
should only be turned on temporarily by a system administrator when
problem-solving.
- Are there multiple users using the database at one time? If
more than one person is trying to modify the same record at the same time the system may appear to "hang" until the locked records are freed.
- If the database is located on a separate machine, are there any network problems that could be causing a problem? Try opening a large document from the server to ensure network/server speed is ok.
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Can
I use the program on more than one computer?
Yes and
no.
- You can
install the program on another machine and point the software back to
look at the original installation. This will share the original data,
you can see and modify it as if you were sitting at the original
machine and multiple users can use the system at the same time.
You may do this for as many machines as you have.
- You can not
install a completely separate version of the program on another
machine without requesting a new Registration Code.
To find out
how to view the database from another machine, see the help file included
with the program.
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The
skip type usage screen shows there are skips available, but the
availability screen shows no skips available.
The skip
type usage screen displays the total number of skips of a particular type
available for each day of the month. For example, if this screen
shows there is 1 skip available for the whole month, it does not
necessarily mean that it is the same skip available for the whole month -
it might be that there are 2 skips and that one is returned as the other
one is sent out. The skip type usage screen is a guide as to
skip usage, it should not be used for checking for skip
availability on any given day.
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The
system tells me there are no skips available when I know there are.
You might
find this is a common problem, particularly when you are unfamiliar with
how the system works. If the system tells you there is no skip
available to service your new job, then it will be correct - when you
reach this day, you will be unable to fulfil this particular request with
the skips you have available. There are many reasons why this might
be - maybe there is a job that hasn't finished before your jobs starts,
maybe an ongoing job has booked that particular skip permanently, maybe a
skip comes in and a different one goes out so that there might appear to
be skips available for the whole period, but in fact you will not have a
single skip available for the whole period. Just because you
check for skip availability on the day of delivery (and pickup) does not
necessarily mean that there is a skip actually available, particularly for
ongoing jobs since they have special requirements (either 1 skip needs to
be permanently available or you need 2 skips available on rotation - a
tricky thing to calculate). The
skip availability section of the program is very complex, but you can be
assured that if the system says you don't have any skips available,
then it will be correct - you will be unable to provide a skip of this
type for the period you desire when you reach this date. Of course
if you delete jobs or move dates of other skips or choose another skip
type then you might be able to service this job. The primary focus
of the program is to
ensure that every customer receives the skip they desire at the right time
and that there are always skips available to service all the jobs
scheduled in the system.
The system will maximise the number of skips used at all times.
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I
can not find a customer I have entered.
When
searching for customers, you can only search for a part of a given
name or surname - not both. So, for example, to find William
Johnstone, you could type either "will" in the search field or
"johns" in the search field and it will be displayed in the
results list. The more information you type the more accurate the
search is, however remember that you can not search for multiple words
at the same time - eg "William Edgar" will only find records
with exactly "William Edgar" in the name - if the name was
William James Edgar Johnstone then this search will not find this record.
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I
can not assign a skip to a customer, even though I know it is sitting in
the yard.
Remember,
the system will keep track of all the skips you have entered
automatically. Assuming the skip that is sitting in the yard has
been entered into the system (under Tools/Maintain/Skips) then the reason
it is not available for, say, a 7 day hire, is either:
- The skip
has been assigned to a regular job within the next 7 days - therefore
it can not be out of the yard for 7 days. Try reducing the hire
period (3 days, for example) and you might find this will work
- The skip
has been assigned to an ongoing job as a rotation within the next 7
days. There is nothing you can do about this since the system
automatically assigns rotation skips.
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Why
can't I delete skips or trucks from the system?
Many of the
items under the Tools/Maintain menu are used in many different parts of
the system. To avoid the chance of deleting a truck or skip that has
already been used somewhere else in the system, the option to delete them
has been disabled. Instead, you can only modify an entry and this
will change all associated entries throughout the database. This is
a safer method and it ensures the integrity of the whole database.
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Is
there a Macintosh version of the program available?
No. At
this stage there are no plans to release Skip Manager on any platform
other than Microsoft Windows operating systems.
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Will
this program work in any country?
Yes, it
should take into account your local currency and date/time formats. Please
contact us if you
have any problems or questions about this. There are no language
versions other than English planned at this stage.
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I
have forgotten my access or management password, what should I do?
If you have
forgotten your access password, you will need to
contact us.
If you have chosen to use an access password you will not be able to use the
system without it.
If you have forgotten your management password,
go to the Tools/Options screen and type a new one. The old password
will be lost, however you will now be able to use the new password.
There are no checks to prevent unauthorised people from changing the
management password, but since there is no way of returning it to the
original password it should be a sufficient way to ensure security.
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How
do I send a copy of my database to you for support?
If you are
experiencing a problem with Skip Manager and you can not solve it using
either the Help file or this FAQ, you can send us a copy of your database
file and we should be able to diagnose the problem quickly. To do
this you will need a copy of WinZip or a similar program to zip your
database file before sending. You can download a copy of this
program from here. The file
you need to send is called skipman.mdb and it can be found in your
original Skip Manager installation directory (this is usually c:\program
files\skip manager). If you zip this file
up, attach it to a new email and send it to us at the email address in
your help file and we should be able to solve the issue and either send back your database or
supply you with a fix for the problem.
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I
need to change a pickup or return date for a job,
but the system tells me there are no skips available.
The system automatically
assigns skips and ensures you have the maximum amount of skips in use at
one time. If you try to change the date for a job, even if it is
only to change the return date, the system may not allow you to do it as
this skip has already been allocated to another job. The only
solution to this problem is either to keep the delivery and pickup dates
WITHIN the original date range (ie make the length of the job shorter) or
use a different skip type (obviously this will not be accurate if the skip
has already been delivered). See also The
system tells me there are no skips available when I know there are.
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The
program screens don't fit on my screen / The program screens are too small
on my screen - can I change the size of them?
The program
screens (forms, reports, maintainence screens etc) are a fixed size
and this can not be changed. This has been done to maximise the
space available and provide a consistent look and feel to the
program. They work best at 800x600 screen resolution, however they
will work quite happily at much higher resolutions, such as 1280x1024 or
higher. The program can not be used on a screen with a resolution of
640x480 - the smallest screen size available - as this is impractical for
the amount of information that needs to be displayed.
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How
do I uninstall the program?
The program can be
removed by going to the "Add/Remove Programs" option under
Control Panel. This will remove all program files and return the
system to the state it was in before installation. Note that any
databases created after installation will not be removed automatically and
must be removed manually (by deleting them from the original installation
directory - usually "c:\program files\skip manager"). |
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The PDF
export function from reports will not work, what should i do?
The PDF export funcationlity is built into the report software.
This is not supported by us, however if you are having problems creating
PDFs the following may be worth trying. On the machine where Skip
Manager is installed, exit Skip Manager, then go to the START button, then
go RUN. Now type the following:
regsvr32 exportmodeller.dll
Then do the same thing again and this time type:
regsvr32 crtslv.dll
PDF exporting should now work on the machine in question. |
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Skip
Manager will not run on Windows Vista, what should i do?
One component of the software may not install correctly on the Vista
platform. After installing Skip Manager on the Vista machine, right
click on "Command prompt" (found under "Start" button -> "All programs" ->
"Accessories"), then choose "run as Administrator"
At the command prompt (the black screen that comes up) type
regsvr32 crystl32.ocx (note that it is spelled CRYSTL32.OCX)
This should bring back a message saying it was successful.
Close the command prompt and try running Skip Manager again. It should
now work fine. As an alternative to fixing the application after it has
been installed, if you right click the setup.exe program at the point of
first installing and choose "Run as Administrator" this will also work. |
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How do i get my
local currency symbol (eg pounds sterling) to appear in Skip Manager?
To get the local currency symbol appear in Skip Manager make sure your
computer has the correct region and language settings - this is where the
program gets it from. So under Start, Control panel, Regional and Language
settings, you need to make sure your Regional option is set to (for
example) "English (United Kingdom)" and you should also set your location
to "United Kingdom" and under the advanced tab you should make sure your
language is set to "English (United Kingdom)". The currency symbol has
nothing to do with whether the program is registered or not.
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Is it possible to
enter a skip for delivery if it is scheduled for pickup the same day?
No not if the "skip availability" system is used. The system
frees up skips on the day AFTER they have been picked up, since there is
no guarantee as to at which point during the day the skip will be
returned. Since jobs do not include a specific delivery/pickup time,
it is impossible to guarantee that the skip will actually be available
when it needs to be.
If the skip availability system is turned off, you can assign any skip
at any time, anywhere.
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