installation problem complete accounting 2002

[SMHT]

We have just upgraded to version 9.0. There are intermittent errors with locating .dat files. Sometimes it can't find chart.dat or customer.dat for example. However, if you close down and re-open, it may work, or it may not.

The error message suggested re-installing.
I have re-installed but the problem still exist.
Any ideas?

Thanks,

Sue

[kaydix]

I don't have an answer for you - but I want you to know you are NOT alone in the land of coversion confusion!!! If I ever figure it out - I will let you know!!!

[Robert Walraven]

Sounds to me like you have hardware problems. If Peachtree can't read dat files SOME of the time, then that is not a Peachtree's fault. If you are running on a network, try moving the data to a client machine and see if the problem persists.

[Jacky Tse]

I agree with Robert, very likely it's a hardware problem. Try to copy large volume of data cross the network, from server to stations. See if your network is stable. Check your cables and the switch or hub.

More description of your network configuration will help us to with a more accurate diagnosis.

[graynorm]

I am having the same problem. I don't belive that it can be hardware if this is the only application that has any issues.

Can someone explain in detail how Peachtree handles the data in a multi-user configuration? Is it cached on the client? or is the data file opened on the server?

thanks

[SMHT]

Just to keep the record straight. I am running Peachtree as a single user on a stand alone PC. Multiuser or network issues should have no effect on my problem. I still have the problem and only with the Peachtree application. All other programs run find.

Thanks,

Sue

[Deborah Bean]

Some of my clients have had this problem also. The trick for most is to UNinstall all of Peachtree first and then re-install. Then re-install updates. Some computers have worked fine until the update was installed before the program bombed.

As for network issues. Peachtree is not happy with most coax networks and some 10BT networks. Switching cables and cards to 10/100 has solved some of my clients issues.

Other solutions have been to upgrade RAM to a minimum of 96MB - regardless of what Peachtree claims. That was a last straw on one install, but it did stop the .DAT error. I am not sure why on that one.

[graynorm]

Thanks for the reply Deborah.

I have been trying to figure out this network issue for some time now. I am running through 10/100 ethernet and I have maxed out the RAM on the client machine. It has reduced the occurences, but not eliminated them. I have read that it helps to upgrade the drivers for the network cards if a new one exists. Have you had any successes with this approach?

Also, the network traffic consists of only PeachTree requests. There is no mail, shared internet connections, or other application files being accessed at the same time that my 2 users are working with Peachtree.

Thanks again.

[Robert Walraven]

The following causes of Peachtree errors have been reported either in this forum or the Peachtree newsgroup:

1. Badly fragmented disks.

2. Mixed brand network cards.

3. Faulty network cables.

4. Faulty network hubs or routers.

5. Windows ME.

6. Other applications running at the same time.

The bottom line is that Btrieve is very sensitive to errors, particularly network errors. Although Peachtree makes no attempt to validate records that it creates or updates, probably because the overhead would be excessive, many of the errors we have seen in analyzing corrupted files could not possibly be created by Peachtree itself, but have to be something going wrong with Btrieve.

The error rate will go way up if you are running Peachtree across a network, but errors can still occur on a standalone system. I suspect that a system that gets frequent Peachtree errors is also getting errors in other applications but their just not so noticable. When Btrieve makes an error it often blows the Peachtree database out of the water, but when an error occurs editing a Word document you probably think you made a typo that is easily correctable.

Some of the trouble with Btrieve may be due to Peachtree using the obsolete version 6.15. I think they are doing this to avoid paying much higher royalties to Pervasive for the latest version.

We are working on a tool that will really squash errors in Peachtree. The plan is to keep a live valid record backup for rapid recovery and to fix the common kinds of data corruptions by directly modifying the damaged Btrieve file without making any calls to Btrieve. What we REALLY need at this point are damaged Peachtree data files to analyze so that we can thoroughly understand the nature of the common kinds of corruption that occur with Peachtree data. So please send us any damaged files you have, noting which version they are for.

[jag]

I agree with Robert.

Especially on Item #5 (Windows ME). That's the worst product that Microsoft has released, ever !!!

To support Roberts comments here's a little story:

I installed a Client/Server enviroment and the building was prewired. The previous owner had many machines running there, so I thought "Hey, the cabling must work"... Wrong-O !!!

After, configuring the system and a lot of testing I was getting intermittent errors on Peachtree (not this version, but all run under Btrieve so is the same thing). I wasn't getting errors on any other app (that I noticed). When I was on the edge of mental collapse I decided to check the network cabling. The thing is that several lines (like 4 of them) were damaged, they still worked but the data loss was incredible. So I changed them and Problem solved. Don't get me wrong, I still got errors but a lot less of them.

Bottomline: Peachtree is very sensitive to data loss (more than any other app that I know). Also, Anti-Virus and Disk Utilities programs doesn't help much. At least run Qcheck to test the packet loss and the speed.

Hope it helps,

[Deborah Bean]

Yes - definitely get the latest drivers. This does help. Even though a company, especially for network cards, puts out a driver for a specific operating system, that driver has not yet been tested in all conceivable situations. As technical people come accross bugs - such as when used with Btrieve in a specific setup with certain other programs - the bugs are sent to the manufacturer who then creates an updated driver with the changes. Luckily, the Internet has made learning about these updates and getting them much simpler.

I agree with the sensitivity of Btrieve. There are sooooo many other ways to handle file sharing, locking, etc. that handle these things much more effectively with fewer problems - at least Peachtree should use the latest version of Btrieve. I have seen Peachtree fail and bring down other programs (Fax software is notorious) just because one program was loaded before the other. This was an especially big problem about 6 years ago when PAW didn't update the Btrieve drivers and Winfax had. Two identical brand-new computers, right next to each other with exactly the same software, when the systems were loaded the two techs each grabbed one of the programs and loaded. When they were done, they traded to the other. One worked perfectly, and the other kept crashing. We reloaded with the same results. It finally took some real trouble-shooting to locate the problem, delete all associated files, and re-install.

There there was the computer that couldn't run Peachtree and Winfax at the same time - again it was different versions of Btrieve.

As for Peachtree being the only app that crosses the network, Peachtree is very broadband intensive and will always use up alot of processing over the network. At the current speeds of computers and hubs, the cabling must keep up and coax is just too slow with interference over the lines being common. Another problem with networks has been incompatibility with the cards themselves. I always try to get the same model card, by the same manufacturer, because some cards broadcast at slightly different ends of the broadcast spectrum. By mixing cards you have a situation like a radio that is not fully tuned in to the station.

If you are interested in a tool to do real-time backing up, I've been doing this for years. It works in any Windows environment as long as the server has an extra hard drive or large partition. We set it up to do hourly, daily, and weekly backups. These are performed invisibly to the user and does not require a system shutdown. It can be downe with a simple .BAT file. Restoring from one of these is a simple drag and drop procedure.

[Robert Walraven]

Deborah,

There is a real danger in copying the files automatically to a backup set - suppose someone is using Peachtree when the backup starts and saves an invoice while the backup is being done. Then the backup is going to have a mixture of before and after data and will be wrong!

The tool we are developing is much more sophisticated - it will actually monitor the health of the Peachtree records inside the files and keep a backup of the data in a separate database where records are datestamped so that a rollback can be done to a selected previous time. It will also warn you immediately when it finds a bad record in any of the Peachtree data files and attempt to fix the bad record on command.

[kaydix]

Hello Deborah - I believe you will remember me - major problems in Jan - corrupted data--- V9 upgrade - never did find it!! interesting update on that - Robert - you are in Davis, CA - what is the item that you are working on? I am in Sacramento I am using Peach 7,8,9 - and Wizard for all my mag media needs. We have been battling uphill for months now - my lastest is that my CA DE6 will not work or register. My company data is 20 mb. My boss is talking about dumping the whole show and switch to Famous Software - I do not want to change - I want to stay with a "open" market product - would appreciate anything you might have that could "save the day" -

[Robert Walraven]

kaydix,

Give me a call at 530-756-3291 and lets discuss the problems you are having with database errors. The tool we are planning is in the very early design stage where we are experimenting with the techniques we will be using in the final product. I'd love to analyze any damaged data you might have to see if we can come up with a safeguard for you.