(although it is recommended that you read this entire page if you are considering an upgrade, if you read nothing else, read the Upgrade Information paragraph!)

 

Version 3.54 Information:

Version 3.54 is merely a bug fix, cleaning up the mouse wheel code so that the "NSSAR Application software has encountered a problem and needs to close..." Windows message no longer appears when closing program after the Reports window was visited.

 

Version 3.53 Information:

Version 3.53 updated yet again the process to download application status information due to the ever-changing location of these files on the national server.

 

Version 3.52 Information:

Version 3.52 added improved parsing for Application Status pdf files to better accomodate file anomolies and added mouse wheel scrolling capability (on systems that support this feature).

 

Version 3.51 Information:

Version 3.51 updated the FTP coding to regain access to the Cox SoftWare server for License Wizard and Update Wizard purposes.

 

Version 3.50 Information:

Version 3.50 added improved parsing for Application Status pdf files to better accomodate file anomolies and added the Registration Date to data shown in Reports and optionally updated in data files.

 

Version 3.49 Information:

Version 3.49 is nothing more than a bug fix (no new features) which corrects a problem which prevented the loading of certain PDF files saved as Reader-enabled versions.  This version was unannounced, as the problem was small and reported by only a single user.

 

Version 3.48 Information:

Version 3.48 is nothing more than a bug fix (no new features) which corrects a couple of problems with the Application Status Report (see the Program Version History or Bug Report pages for details).  This version was unannounced, but as it was released on the same date as 3.47 (I found the additional problems after running some routine checks on the website downloads of 3.47) I didn't feel that it needed additional notification.

 

Version 3.47 Information:

Version 3.47 is nothing more than a bug fix (no new features).  It corrects the issue resulting in a "runtime error 70, permission denied" message and crash when an attempt was made to use the Application Conversion feature on Vista and Windows 7 systems.  It also corrects an issue that prevented a user's settings from being included in any Bug Report emails which will help my troubleshooting of future problems.

 

Version 3.46 Information:

Version 3.46 is nothing more than a bug fix.  A bug was introduced in version 3.45 which wouldn't allow the proper showing of applications if your computer was set to operate at 800x600 screen resolution.  This version resolves that issue.  Because many might still be faced with an upgrade to version 3.45 for the first time, the following information will remain on this  page.

 

Version 3.45+ Information:

This version was implemented primarily to fix compatibility issues with Vista and Windows 7 and the UAC requirements of those systems (more on this later).  This upgrade reinstates the functionality of the Online Application Status Check feature for all Windows versions, and the License Wizard, Upgrade Wizard, Repair Wizard, and the ability to make a desktop shortcut for Vista/Windows 7 systems.  See the Program Version History page for a complete list of updated items.

There are still a couple of compatibility issues with Vista systems as follows:

 

Number of Copies to Print Problem (Vista, possibly Windows 7) -

There is a bug in the Windows interface with VB6 in that the number of copies entered in the Print dialog box is always returned to the program as "1" regardless of what was entered by the user on Vista (and probably Windows 7) systems.  A work-around has been added to SARApAid which gives you the ability to specify more than one copy which is only visible on Vista systems. 

In the Preferences window, Printer tab, is a box labeled "Ask for Printer Copies."  If this is set to "Yes" you will be prompted to enter the number of copies you want printed immediately after the Print dialog box is closed.  The program will correctly print the number of copies entered using this method.

 

Help System Problem (Vista, Windows 7) -

The SARApAid  Help system has been compiled using the WinHelp32 system since the beginning.  This is a system that started with Win 3.1 and has been in continuous use in Windows versions through WinXP.  WinHelp is no longer directly supported in Vista systems.  Although WinHelp will work in Vista systems when the proper support files are installed, MicroSoft will not allow developers to include the proper support files in their setup routines for the convenience of their users. Instead, MicroSoft requires that end users manually install these support files.

The first time you attempt to use SARApAid Help on Vista systems, you will be prompted about the lack of support on your system and you will be directed to a web site where you can download and install the files required for WinHelp to operate on your system.  If you carefully follow all of the prompts on the web page, you will successfully install the support files and the SARApAid Help system will work without further problem.

I have been debating whether to update the Help system to the HTML Help standard, which is the only way to maintain compatibility over the largest possible range of Windows versions, but it is not an easy decision.  Moving to this system will lose compatibility with early Windows systems (and I pride myself on maintaining compatibility across the full 32-bit Windows version line) and will lose several important features which SARApAid Help makes heavy use of and which are not available in HTML Help.  Such a move would result in the following:

• Loss of an easily navigated Glossary
• Loss of independant pop-up help windows
• Loss of non-scrolling regions
• More space required for the Help window because the index is always visible on the side

The other big issue is that WinHelp files cannot be directly converted to HTML Help.   Lots of manual "tweaking" and rewriting is required during the conversion, so with almost 200 pages of Help, this will be another major task.

I will continue to research this issue, but wanted to let you know that the "ease of installation" issue with Vista systems with respect to the Help system is not something that I am ignoring.

For a direct link to the MicroSoft page where you can select your operating system to download the support files needed to use the Help system, click here.

 

UAC Issues and File Storage -

What different Windows versions have recommended and allowed concerning the storage of program data has vastly changed starting with WinXP.  In previous Windows versions, it was OK to store and recall any data generated by a program in the program directory where the application was installed.  There were no recommendations or restrictions on this practice.  If you saved SARApAid data files on Win95, Win98, WinMe, Win2000, or WinXP systems and did not specify a different data location in the Preferences window (or in the File Save dialog box), your files were/are saved in the Program Files\APPAIDS (program installation) directory.

This has all changed with the inception of UAC (User Access Control) which is MicroSoft's answer to addressing some of the security concerns about Windows.  XP users didn't notice anything concerning UAC because it was incorporated mostly as recommendations for programmers.  Vista users noticed a lot, as there are at least twice as many warnings/notifications any time you try to install a program, do anything that UAC thinks might have been initiated by something/someone other than the user, or if Windows has determined that the user is trying to do something that they shouldn't (in the opinion of MS).  This is supposed to be somewhat modified to a happy medium in Windows 7, but that remains to be seen.

 

UAC Considerations -

In any case, due to UAC, data file restrictions for various windows versions are as follows:

Win95 through Win2000 - no restrictions or recommendations (UAC didn't exist).

WinXP - no restriction, but highly recommended that programs do not write data files to the program directory.

Vista - complete restriction on programs writing data to the program directory, with the exception of setup/installation programs.  Programs may attempt to write to the program directory and it may appear that the files were written to that location, but in fact the files were written to a virtual directory created to mimic the fact that the file was written to the program directory (confused yet?).

Windows 7 - complete restriction on programs writing data to the program directory, with the exception of setup/installation programs.  The verdict is still out, but there is some indication that not even "virtual" directory locations can be written to, so all attempts to write data to a program directory would supposedly be rejected.

 

Reasons to Change Your Data Location -

What does this mean for you?  You can in fact do nothing and SARApAid will continue to Save and Load your data files even if you don't really know where they are being stored.  If, however, you have been storing your data files in the program directory, there are compelling reasons for you to change this in all versions of Windows.  Here are a few of them:

Security - If you store your data files in the program directory, they are harder for you to find, back up, copy, transfer to another computer, etc.  Unless you are very familiar with Windows Explorer and the general layout of the Windows directory system (which is different for each version), any of these tasks can be daunting.

Back-ups - Most back-up programs will not automatically find data files in program directories, so your application files will not be backed up unless you specifically point your backup program to the exact location where the files are stored.  On Vista systems, your files will be even harder to find because they will be located in virtual folders which are in a different part of the directory tree than the program directories.  Placing your data files in a directory under your My Documents folder (i.e. My Documents\Appaids\ in XP or Documents\Appaids in Vista) will make them easy to find and if your back-up program automatically covers everything in your My Documents folder system, your application files are also covered.

Program uninstallation - When programs are uninstalled, all of the initially installed files are removed and if the program directory is then empty, it is deleted.  If your data files are stored in the program directory, it won't be empty after the uninstall process (your data files are never deleted even when the program is uninstalled) so the directory will not be deleted.  This leaves "debris" on your computer that may or may not be important to you.  If you are uninstalling programs because you are planning to give the computer to someone else or to junk it, then these left-over data files might contain information that you wouldn't want a new user to obtain, i.e. your name, address, and mother's maiden name, all of which could be used to help an identity theft attempt.

Data Migration to a new computer - All of the recent versions of Windows come with migration tools, such as Windows Easy Transfer, Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, etc., to help you make the transition to a new computer.  These tools will automatically transfer all files in and under your My Documents folder to your new system.  Because programs cannot be copied to a new computer (they must be individually installed in order to work) nothing is copied from program directories by these utilities, so if that is where your data files are, they will not make the transfer.  The only way to transfer them would be for you to manually find and copy them to some media so they could then be transferred and saved on the new machine.  If your data files are in a directory under your My Documents directory, they will automatically be included in the transfer and SARApAid will be able to find and work with them as soon as you have installed SARApAid on the new computer.

 

SARApAid Solutions -

Several new features have been incorporated into SARApAid to help you make the "Data Location Transition."  If you install version 3.45+ as a new installation on XP, Vista, and Windows 7 systems, it will automatically create an Appaids directory under your My Documents folder and set that as your Default Data Location.  You can still change this at any time in the Preferences window.

If you install version 3.45+ as an upgrade on XP, Vista, or Windows 7 versions, it will do the following:

a. If no Default Data Location has been entered previously and there are no data files in your program directory, an Appaids directory will be automatically created under your My Documents directory (if it doesn't already exist) and this directory will be set as your Default Data Location.

b. If no Default Data Location has been entered previously and there are data files in your program directory, you will see a prompt stating:

"You have data files stored in the program directory!
Although this was acceptable in older versions of windows,
it is not recommended in your version.

For more information on this subject, click "Yes."
To ignore this information, click "No"
To keep this message from appearing again, click "Cancel.""

Clicking "Yes" will show this Help topic.
Clicking "Cancel" will prevent the message from being seen again.

 

Data Migration -

If the conditions of item "b" above are met, a Data Migration menu item will be visible under the Tools menu heading when no documents are loaded in the program.  This tool will check for the possibility of data that can be moved from your program directory to your My Documents\Appaids directory.  If this menu item is selected, the following occurs:

a. If it doesn't already exist, a My Documents\Appaids directory is created.

b. You are asked if you want to move the data files in your program directory to the My Documents\Appaids directory.

...if you select "Yes"...

c. all application data files found in the program directory are moved to the My Documents\Appaids directory.  If sub directories are found nested below the program directory and they contain application data files, like-named sub directories are created under the My Documents\Appaids directory and the respective application data files are moved into the sub directories of the same name (your file and folder hierarchy is maintained in the move).

d. If any sub directories were found nested below the program directory and they are found to be empty after the application data files were moved, these sub directories are deleted.

e. If the operation produced an error of any type, you will see a "Operation may not have completed successfully. Carefully check all files for proper location." prompt

f. If the operation completed successfully, your default data location will be set to your My Documents\Appaids directory and you will see a "Application Data file move was successful. Data files are now located in your My Documents\Appaids directory." prompt.

Once completed, the Data Migration menu item will not be seen again.

 

Upgrade Information

In order to activate this version (3.54), your license must be dated 28 June 2008 or later!  If you do a manual install and your license date is earlier than this, you will end up with a DEMO version!

 

Manual Installation of Version 3.45+

Before you do anything, recheck your license date and make sure it is 07 June 2008 or later before you complete this process.  This date can be seen in the lower left of the Splash screen seen when the program starts.  If your license date is earlier than that and you complete this process, you will end up with a DEMO version of the program, which will print SAMPLE across each application that you print, among other things!  The SARApAid Upgrade Wizard automatically checks your license date for you when it checks for updates, but this process is bypassed during a manual install, so you will not be protected from an installation proceeding even if your license is too old.  Cox SoftWare will not be responsible for your program reverting to a DEMO version if you fail to heed this warning!

Start your manual install by clicking here... to download and follow the instructions below to install.

 

If you have a version of Windows older than XP, see the Download page for specific instructions for your version.

WinXP and Vista -

• You should see a File Download - Security Warning Window...
  Answer the question presented ("Do you want to run or save this file?) by clicking the Run button.

• You should see an Internet Explorer - Security Warning Window...
  Answer the text "The publisher could not be verified.  Are you sure you want to run this software?" by clicking the Run button.

• Vista users only - You should see a User Account Control Window...
  Answer the statement presented ("An unidentifed program wants to access your computer...") by clicking the Allow button.

• The upgrade installation process should begin.

 

Send comments and questions to Cox SoftWare.

For information on Downloading or Purchasing click on the appropriate link.