| Upgrade Procedure |
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If you have RTG Bills or RTG Timer Version 2.16 or below installed in the Program Files directory, such as this standard location:
C:\Program Files\Rtgbills
it will not work correctly in Windows Vista. A workaround is to move the folder where RTG Bills or RTG Timer is installed out of the Program Files folder. This will allow RTG Bills and RTG Timer to work so you can upgrade them. Here is the approach we recommend:
- Drag the folder Rtgbills from Program Files and drop it on your Desktop.
Here are more detailed instructions that explain how to do that:
- Make sure you are a Windows Administrator on this computer. An ordinary user cannot change the Program Files folder.
- Double-click the Computer icon on the Desktop, or click the Start button (which no longer says Start on the button under Vista) and choose Computer.
- Double-click the C: drive.
- Double-click the Program Files folder.
- Find the Rtgbills folder inside the Program Files folder. Click the mouse button on the folder and keep the button down. Move the mouse (with the button still down) until it is over an unoccupied area of the Desktop, then release the mouse button.
Vista will say you need to provide administrator permission. Click Continue. Another box pops up asking for permission. Click Continue again.
The Rtgbills folder should now be on the Desktop.
- Upgrade RTG Bills and RTG Timer to V2.17 (or a later version).
There are two ways to upgrade. If you choose to purchase the installation file, follow the instructions in this step. If you prefer to use the free upgrades, skip this step and go to the next one.
Using the installation file, you can upgrade from any older version of RTG Bills or RTG Timer (2.16 or below) to the current version (Version 2.17 or above). The free upgrades can only convert RTG Bills/Timer V2.16 into RTG Bills/Timer V2.17.
When you start the installation program, Vista will ask for permission. Click Allow.
During the installation, you are asked to choose the Destination Location (for the program files). Click Browse.
Finding your Desktop is a little complicated. Double-click the C: drive. Double-click Users. Double-click your user name. Double-click Desktop. Under Desktop, you should see the Rtgbills folder. Single-click to select the Rtgbills folder, then click OK. You should now see the Select Destination Location window again, with the Desktop location filled in. It will look something like this:
C:\Users\username\Desktop\Rtgbills
where username is replaced by your actual Windows user name. Click Next.
A message says the the folder already exists. Click Yes.
Now you must enter the Data Location (for data files), which must be exactly the same as the previous Desktop location. Either click Browse and repeat the process for finding the Desktop, or just type it in. Do not use the location supplied by the installation program itself.
You can choose which programs to install: RTG Bills, RTG Timer, or both. Choose whichever programs were installed in the Program Files folder. Finish the installation.
If you installed RTG Bills, start it now. You have to double-click the file rtgbills.exe in the Rtgbills folder. A message says that RTG Bills must update the database format. Click Yes and RTG Bills Version 2.17 will start.
If you installed RTG Timer, start it now. You have to double-click the file rtgtimer.exe in the Rtgbills folder. A message says that RTG Timer must update the database format. Click Yes and RTG Timer Version 2.17 will start.
Skip the next step.
- If you used the RTG Bills and RTG Timer installation file to upgrade, skip this step.
To use the free upgrade from V2.16 to V2.17, follow the instructions in this step.
Start RTG Bills. An existing shortcut on the Desktop won't work, because you just moved the file it refers to. So double-click the Rtgbills folder on the Desktop and look for the RTG Bills program. The name of the file is rtgbills.exe, but you probably won't see the .exe portion, known as the file extension. The icon is a yellow scroll with a dollar sign on it.
Right-click the file, rtgbills.exe, and choose Run as administrator. Vista will ask for permission to start this program. Click Allow. RTG Bills will start.
From the RTG Bills menu, start RTG Upgrade:
File > Upgrade > Yes
Click Check The Internet For Upgrades. When the list of upgrades appears, look for:
Upgrade RTG Upgrade to V2.19
Check the box for this upgrade and click Install. A message says that 1 upgrade was applied. Click OK and RTG Bills will start again.
Once again, start RTG Upgrade and click Check The Internet For Upgrades. Look for:
Upgrade RTG Bills to V2.17
Check the box and click Install.
Read the Software License Agreement, which has changed since Version 2.16. If you agree, click I Accept to proceed. A message says that 1 upgrade was applied. Click OK, then Close, to exit RTG Upgrade.
A message says that RTG Bills must update the database format. Click Yes and RTG Bills Version 2.17 will start. Exit from RTG Bills.
If RTG Timer is installed, upgrade it now. The name of the RTG Timer program file is rtgtimer.exe. Find it in the Rtgbills folder on the Desktop. The icon is a stopwatch.
Right-click the file, rtgtimer.exe, and choose Run as administrator. Vista will ask for permission to start this program. Click Allow. RTG Timer will start.
From the RTG Timer menu, start RTG Upgrade:
File > Upgrade > Yes
Click Check The Internet For Upgrades. When the list of upgrades appears, look for:
Upgrade RTG Timer to V2.17
Check the box for this upgrade and click Install. A message says that 1 upgrade was applied. Click OK, then Close, to exit RTG Upgrade.
A message says that RTG Timer must update the database format. Click Yes and RTG Timer Version 2.17 will start. Exit from RTG Timer.
- At this point, you should have RTG Bills and RTG Timer V2.17 working and you should be able to see your data. Now you must separate the programs from the data.
We created a program to copy the data for you. Exit from RTG Bills and RTG Timer if they are open.
Right-click the file, rtgbills.exe, and choose Run as administrator. Vista will ask for permission to start this program. Click Allow. RTG Bills will start.
From the RTG Bills menu, start RTG Upgrade:
File > Upgrade > Yes
Click Check The Internet For Upgrades. When the list of upgrades appears, look for:
Copy RTG Bills Data
Check the box for this upgrade and click Install. A message says that 1 upgrade was applied. Click OK, Close, Close. RTG Bills will start again.
- Exit RTG Bills if it is open, then double-click the file to start it again. You must not use Run as administrator to start it this time. In RTG Bills, choose:
File > Tools > Copy RTG Bills Data > OK
You should see a new window, Copy RTG Bills or RTG Timer Data. In the Select the Data to Copy frame, RTG Bills should be selected.
The Current Data Folder shows where your data is now, which is the Rtgbills folder on the Desktop. In the New Data Folder box, enter where you want to move the data.
If you are not sharing RTG Bills with other users, you can click the Standard Data Location button.
However, if you are sharing RTG Bills, you must choose a location that is shared on the network. Create a folder, Rtgbills, on a network drive and set it to be shared. All RTG Bills users must have read and write permission for the shared folder. Click Browse, locate the folder, and click OK.
Click Copy to copy the data into the new location. A message shows what is about to happen. Click Yes to proceed. A message will confirm that the data has been copied. Click OK.
Start RTG Bills again. Although it may appear to be working, it is still using the data in the old location. Choose:
Setup > Database
Enter the new data location in the box. If you chose the Standard Data Location previously, you can click Reset to enter it here. Otherwise, click Browse and choose the folder. Click Save. A message says that RTG Bills will exit. Click OK.
- Skip this step if RTG Timer is not installed on this computer.
Exit RTG Timer if it is open, then start it again. You must not use Run as administrator to start it this time. In RTG Timer, choose:
File > Tools > Copy RTG Timer Data > OK
You should see a new window, Copy RTG Bills or RTG Timer Data. In the Select the Data to Copy frame, select RTG Timer.
The Current Data Folder shows where your data is now, which is the Rtgbills folder on the Desktop. In the New Data Folder box, enter where you want to move the data.
Click the Standard Data Location button.
Click Copy to copy the data into the new location. A message shows what is about to happen. Click Yes to proceed. A message will confirm that the data has been copied. Click OK.
Start RTG Timer again. Although it may appear to be working, it is still using the data in the old location. Choose:
Setup > Database
Enter the new data location in the box. Since you chose the Standard Data Location previously, you can click Reset to enter it here. Click Save. A message says that RTG Timer will exit. Click OK.
- Finally, you should move the Rtgbills folder from the Desktop back into the Program Files folder. As before, open Computer and double-click the C: drive. Drag the Rtgbills folder and drop it onto the Program Files folder.
You may see a message about the folder being shared with other users. Click Continue.
You are asked for permission. Click Continue. You are asked again. Click Continue again.
- Now that RTG Bills and RTG Timer are back in the original location, your Desktop shortcuts should work again.
You may have two RTG Bills icons, and two RTG Timer icons, on the Desktop. Make sure one works and delete the second one.
- Start RTG Timer. You may see a message that it cannot open the RTG Bills database. Click OK.
Choose Setup > Other from the menu. On the Database tab, select From RTG Bills database. You need to enter the database location in the box. Click Reset if it is in the standard data location. Otherwise, click Browse and choose the correct location. Click Save.
You should now be able to use RTG Bills and RTG Timer without problems.
Note:
In order to upgrade either program in the future, you must start the program by right-clicking the icon and choosing Run as administrator. If you don't, and you just double-click the icon, you will see the message Could not start RTG Upgrade when you attempt to upgrade. The reason is that RTG Upgrade must have the ability to change files in the Program Files folder, and Vista requires that it have administrator privileges to do that.
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