This isn't actually about our first support ticket, but more about trying to answer ahead of time some of the questions that we see coming in either through our support email system, or just through regular calls coming in. I expect to be posting something new every other week, and checking back on older posts for any followups. What I'll be posting is coming from our own Knowledge Base (also called our KB); these will be the notes we use when answering questions on a daily basis. For regular tech support, you'll still want to put in a support request at: http://www.iclub.com/support or give us a call at 877-334-2582, but by posting here I hope to build up an archive of information that can be browsed through at your leisure and used when the time comes.

The first post is probably always the hardest, because there are so many things we've seen. Do I go with one of our oldest KB notes, "How can one member buy out another", or one of the newest "What are those little blue things next to the ticker symbols in my Club Accounting"? In this case I'm leaning towards a more recent issue: Club Accounting 3 on 64-bit versions of Windows. 64-bit systems are becoming much more common, and since we've just recently released an update to the club accounting for those 64-bit versions, it felt like a good place to start.

From the KB:

While there is no immediate visual difference between a 64-bit and 32-bit version of Windows, there are some fundamental differences in the background (what your mechanic might call "under the hood" ) operation of the 64-bit versions of Windows. Those differences mean that any copy of Club Accounting available before 12/17/09 may install on a 64-bit computer, but will almost certainly not operate correctly. The most common thing we see with these earlier copies is that the program appears to start, but then never gets past the loading screen.

One of the most immediate differences in a 64-bit system is that it can handle much more memory than a 32-bit system. If your computer doesn't have the extra memory installed, then (at least for the time being) there's a fair chance it could still have the 32-bit version of Windows installed. Since things move pretty fast in the hardware part of the computer world, whether your new computer is 64-bit or not will depend a lot on when you bought it.

So if you have a new computer, and you aren't sure if your Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit, that will be the first thing to check.

To find this information, go into the START menu, right-click COMPUTER, then left click PROPERTIES. About half of the way down the page, you will see a listing for either a 32 or 64-bit system.

If you have the 32-bit version, you can install and run any recent copy of Club Accounting with a few minor adjustments, listed below in the "Adjustments for Club Accounting on Windows Vista or Windows 7" section below. If you have the 64 bit version however, there are a few extra steps you might need to take:

   1. If you have installed any earlier version of the club accounting program, go to the Programs and Features control panel and remove it.
   2. With this done, have the computer re-start.
   3. On the internet, go to:
      http://www.iclub.com/support/downloads.asp
   4. Our download page currently lists two options for downloading Club Accounting; make sure you download the copy listed for 64-bit.
   5. Enter your information on the next page, and click the Download button. You can choose to Save or Run the file. If you choose Run, the file will download and then start installing right away. If you choose Save, make sure you save it to a location you can remember, as you will need to find and double-click the file when it is done downloading in order to start installing the program.
   6. When the program starts installing, follow the steps it provides; please do not change any of the defaults during installation.
      If you chose to save the installer file from the web site, you can delete it after the accounting program is installed.
   7. Once the Accounting program is installed, make sure to take the following steps before you open it for the first time.

Adjustments for Club Accounting on Windows Vista or Windows 7
   1. With the program closed, click the WINDOWS button in the lower left corner of your screen.
   2. Go to COMPUTER > C:\ > PROGRAM FILES > ICLUBcentral > CLUB ACCOUNTING 3
         1. --Note: If you have 64-bit windows, the path will be COMPUTER > C:\ > PROGRAM FILES (x86)> ICLUBcentral > CLUB ACCOUNTING 3
   3. Once inside the Club Accounting 3 folder, right-click on the Club Accounting 3 program icon (it will have the same green visor on a yellow and blue back ground as the shortcut that appears on the desktop or Start menu), then click PROPERTIES.
   4. On the properties window, click the COMPATIBILITY tab.
   5. On this tab, click RUN THIS PROGRAM IN COMPATIBILITY MODE.
   6. Make sure the selection under this shows Windows XP (Service Pack2)
   7. Also on this tab, click RUN THIS PROGRAM AS ADMINISTRATOR.
   8. Click APPLY, then OK.
   9. If you have the User Account Control (also called UAC) active, Windows will now ask you to Cancel or Allow the program when you open it.
  10. Click ALLOW to let the program run as normal.  

--For a bit of trivia, the first ticket was a question about how to delete a demo club from the online accounting system.--