MainBoss Newswire

August 2004

 

Topics:

  1. Installing MainBoss on a new computer                                    
  2. MainBoss Training: a worthwhile investment
  3. Upcoming Tradeshows

 

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1. Installing MainBoss on a new computer

Whether you are a new customer, adding another user license or upgrading your computer system, the time will come when you need to install MainBoss. While the actual installation process is simplified by an Install Shield Wizard that guides you through the whole process, problems can still occur due to the following:

1.      Insufficient permissions to install programs on that computer: ensure that you are logged on with administrator privileges on that PC. With heightened security everywhere, computer users may not have the required authority to do program installations or download files from the Internet. If you don’t have those kinds of privileges, get someone from your IT department to do the installation for you.

2.      Read/write access to the MainBoss database: Ensure that you have full access to the MainBoss database files (whether they are located on a server or on the same computer on which you are doing the installation). The best way to check this is to open Windows Explorer, finding the MainBoss database folder and double-clicking on it to reveal all the files and folders within. If you can do that, then you likely have sufficient permissions (although this is no guarantee).

3.      Pointing the MainBoss installation program to the proper database location: If you have an existing MainBoss database and would like to install MainBoss on another computer which will then also link to that database, you need to let the Install program know where the database is! During the installation, a window will ask you whether you want to create a new database or have an existing database. Many customers seem to miss this window and after the installation is complete, they open MainBoss to find a blank database. Unless you tell the Install program that you do have an existing database and point it to the exact location, a blank database will be created. Avoid this confusion by carefully reading each window during the installation process and making the proper selections. Know where your database is located before you start the installation so that you can point the Install program to its precise location.

 

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2. MainBoss Training: a worthwhile investment

The July 2004 edition of Maintenance Solutions features a particularly interesting Editor’s Notebook. Editor Dan Hounsell discusses viewing “training as an investment, not a cost”. While some companies may be hesitant to spend the time and money to get their staff properly trained, Dan points out the implications of employing people that are not properly trained. There are many venues to obtaining further training and education today. Even here at Thinkage, we have many options for delivering MainBoss training. On-site training is still the most popular method, where a MainBoss training consultant visits your site to provide customized, hands-on training for your staff. The other option is to send employees to Thinkage head office. This will remove the employees from their work place so that they can concentrate on the course material without interruptions. A more cost-effective method of training is using the Internet to connect the trainer and students around the world. The course material is presented in a live format right on the student’s computer screen and voice interaction takes place over a phone line.

Regardless which option is chosen, training will make working with MainBoss more efficient and effective. As Dan Hounsell points out at the end of his article: “Instead of asking ‘What if we train them and they leave?’ a better question is, ‘What if you don’t train them and they stay?’”

 

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3. Upcoming Tradeshows

Thinkage Ltd will be attending the following tradeshows to demonstrate MainBoss:

·        High Performance Facilities Expo (HPFE) at the Austin Convention Center, Hall 4 in Austin, TX on September 22 and 23, 2004. Visit us at booth 306.

·        AZFA 2004 Conference at the Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden in the Rosser Conservation Education Center from September 27th to 29th, 2004.

·        IFMA’s World Workplace 2004 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah from October 17th to 19th, 2004. Visit us at booth 2116.

 

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