RTG Bills and RTG Timer include a feature that can download and install upgrades from RTG. The upgrades we offer in this way are free of charge when you use RTG Upgrade (included with Bills and Timer) to download and install them.

If you have a recent version of RTG Bills and RTG Timer, you may be able to upgrade to the next version. Other upgrades offer new reports (see RTG Reports and Custom Reports) or special features (see Import Contacts).

Are you upgrading RTG Bills from Version 2.16 or below to Version 2.17 or above? If so, we have special instructions: Upgrading RTG Bills On A Network.

If you are having trouble getting an upgrade to work, this page may help you identify and fix the problem.

We offer free upgrades to the next version of RTG Bills and RTG Timer, to encourage you to use the latest release of our software.

However, these upgrades require a complete, working copy of the programs in order to install the upgrade. Things can go wrong on your PC, things beyond our control, that prevent the upgrades from working.

We cannot guarantee that the free upgrades will work on your computer.

Often the most time-efficient way to solve upgrade problems is to forget the free upgrades and purchase the latest version of RTG Bills and RTG Timer for a small fee.

RTG Upgrade is the program used by both RTG Bills and RTG Timer to do upgrades.

Many upgrade problems are solved by installing the latest version of RTG Upgrade. You can always get the latest version here.

To check the version number of RTG Upgrade, start RTG Bills or RTG Timer and choose:

File > Upgrade > Yes > About

Note that the version numbers for RTG Upgrade are not the same as for RTG Bills. For example, RTG Upgrade V2.09 was released after the release of RTG Bills V2.10.

1. Upgrading RTG Upgrade
2. Internet access
3. Don't unzip files
4. Retry an upgrade
5. File has wrong size
6. Missing DLL
7. Missing button
8. Run-time error '339' (before upgrade)
9. Run-time error '339' (after upgrade)
10. Run-time error '429'
11. Bad install command: UPG
12. Cannot start RTG Upgrade

1. Upgrading RTG Upgrade
   When you attempt an upgrade, you may see a message that you need a newer version of RTG Upgrade: This upgrade requires RTG Upgrade V2.09, but you have version 2.xx.
   
   Read the message carefully. Many people think it says they need a newer version of RTG Bills, which is quite confusing when you are trying to upgrade RTG Bills!
   
   Install the latest version of RTG Upgrade.
   
   
2. Internet access
   The upgrades are located on the RTG Web server. RTG Upgrade must be able to access that server in order to get them.
   
   RTG Upgrade proceeds in two steps. First, it downloads a list of the available upgrades. If you see that list, then you know that RTG Upgrade was able to locate the RTG Web server.
   
   Second, after you select the upgrades you want to install, RTG Upgrade will download and install them, one by one.
   
   Problems can arise if you have security measures at your end that limit access to our Web server. If you are preventing all access, you won't see the list of upgrades. If you are preventing RTG Upgrade from downloading "zip" (compressed) files, you will see the list, but you won't be able to download the upgrades themselves.
   
   
3. Don't unzip files
   Each upgrade file is a "zip" file, meaning that it has been compressed to make it smaller. However, you should not try to "unzip" it yourself. You must use RTG Upgrade to do that. RTG Upgrade will copy the file to the RTG Bills or RTG Timer Upgrades folder, unzip it, and install the upgrade.
   
   
4. Retry an upgrade
   Sometimes an upgrade may not detect a problem that prevents it from installing properly. The upgrade program will say the upgrade has been installed, but the version number of the program you tried to upgrade hasn't changed. Here's what you should do:
   • Install the latest version of RTG Upgrade.
     
     
   • Click the Details button, select the upgrade, and click Remove.
     
     
   • Install the upgrade again.
   
   
   
5. File has wrong size
   If you get a message that says,

   File XXX has the wrong size

   then it means that you do not have a complete, correct installation of the previous version. The upgrade requires a properly working installation of the previous version in order to succeed.
   
   You can fix this problem by reinstalling the previous version, or you can buy an upgrade CD.
   
   
6. Missing DLL
   If you get an error message when you start RTG Upgrade that says
   

   PolarZIPlight.dll . . . is missing

   or

   Unzip32.dll . . . is missing

   you should install the latest version of RTG Upgrade.
   
   
7. Missing button
   If you don't see the button,

   Check The Internet For Upgrades

   then you have a file left over from RTG Bills Version 1. Delete the file upgrade.exe in the RTG Bills folder. Then install the latest version of RTG Upgrade.
   
   
8. Run-time error '339' (before upgrade)
   When you choose File > Upgrade, you may get an error message that says Run-time error '339' followed by Component 'MSINET.OCX' or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: A file is missing or invalid.
   
   This means that RTG Upgrade is not installed properly on this computer. Install the latest version of RTG Upgrade.
   
   
9. Run-time error '339' (after upgrade)
   If you are using RTG Bills on a network, after you upgrade RTG Bills from one computer you may see this message on other computers: Run-time error '339' . . . A file is missing or invalid.
   
   For a complete explanation and solution, see Upgrading RTG Bills On A Network
   
   
10. Run-time error '429'
    When you choose File > Upgrade, you may get an error message that says Run-time error '429' followed by ActiveX component can't create object.
    
    This means that a piece of software is not installed properly in the system folder of the computer that displays this message. First, try re-installing RTG Bills, then shut down and restart Windows. If you still get the same error message, you should install the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer. You can download it at no charge from the Microsoft Web site.
    
    Note: This problem is most likely to occur if you have an old version of Windows 95. In that case, download Internet Explorer 5 (IE5), the most recent version of Internet Explorer that works with Windows 95.
    
    
11. Bad install command: UPG
    When you try to upgrade RTG Bills or RTG Timer, you may get a message that says, Bad install command: UPG. You may need a newer version of RTG Upgrade.
    
    This message means that you need a more recent version of RTG Upgrade. Install the latest version of RTG Upgrade.
    
    
12. Cannot start RTG Upgrade
    In order to install an upgrade under Vista, you must right-click the program you want to upgrade (Bills, Timer, or Conflicts) and choose Run as administrator. Then you can choose

    File > Upgrade > Yes

    from within the program to start RTG Upgrade.
    
    If you don't use Run as administrator to start the program, you will get an error message, Cannot start RTG Upgrade, when you try to upgrade.