Standalone PC Installation

Standalone PC Installation

The installation for ALMSys® is a multi-step procedure. If you want assistance, please call Support at 800-827-3164. This toll-free number works from anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. Support hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. U. S. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.

ALMSys® uses Microsoft® SQL Server® as its database backbone. You must have either MS-SQL Server® (v2000 or above), or the MSDE installed ("MSDE" stands for "Microsoft® Desktop Engine." It is intended primarily for standalone PCs or small peer-to-peer networks.), or SQL Server 2005 Express installed. The SQL Server 2005 Express installation program is included as part of this ALMSys installation. These instructions are written for SQL Server 2005 Express installation.

Step 1: PC Requirements

The monitor's resolution must be set to a minimum of 800 x 600 pixels. 16M colors is recommended, but 256 colors will work. ALMSys runs on Microsoft® Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP platforms. Standalone installations require a minimum of 192 MB RAM.

ALMSys has not yet been tested in a Windows Vista environment. It is the position of ALMSys, Inc. to not recommend operating systems until they have been thoroughly tested and are relatively bug-free. As of the time of writing this, Windows Vista does not pass this criteria. Therefore, you are at your own risk when using ALMSys in a Windows Vista environment.

Step 2: Installing ALMSys

Run the downloaded files & Unzip them. They will create an ALMSys installation folder named, "c:\ALMSys x-x Setup," where "x-x" is the version of ALMSys (such as "5-5").
Run "ALMSysInstall.exe" in the "c:\ALMSys x-x Setup" folder. You can either do this from the Windows Explorer or you can Start, Run, type c:\ALMSys x-x Setup\ALMSysInstall.exe , and press OK.
Press the ALMSys Files button. ALMSys will be installed into the c:\almsyssql folder on your c: drive.

Step 3: MDAC Update

If your PC's operating system is prior to Windows XP, then you may need to update the Microsoft Data Access Components. See the corresponding help on the installation menu.

Step 4: Crystal Reports Runtime

Press Crystal Reports. Agree with all of the prompts without changing anything.

If the installation program asks you to reboot your PC, please do so. Upon reboot, you will need to restart the ALMSys Installation program as described in Step #2.

Step 5: Installing SQL Server 2005 Express

Installation instructions for SQL Server 2005 Express, along with any prerequisites, may be found at http://www.almsysinc.com/etc/p_sql2005express.php.

Step 6: ALMSys Database Creation

Run "ALMSys Database Initializer" that is located on your "ALMSys SQL" Start-Programs menu.

When you installed SQL Server, you specified a password for the "sa" login. Please type this password in both password fields and press the Update INI File button.

Press the Proceed with Initialization button.

The program will go through the steps indicated on the screen. When finished, it will tell you that ALMSys is ready to run. If you get any other message, stop here and contact Support.

Step 7: Overall Control Folders

Get into ALMSys as the "Master" user (password "master"), or as a user that has full ALMSys access.

Select Tools-Overall Control from the main menu.

Go to System Folders.

Set the Drive and Folder for the ALMSys Query Folder to point to the Query folder established in Step 2. This will most likely be "c:\almsyssql\query."

Set the Drive and Folder for the ALMSys Users Folder to point to the Users folder established in Step 2. This will most likely be "c:\almsyssql\users."

Set the Drive and Folder for the ALMSys Documents Folder to point to the Documents folder established in Step 2. This will most likely be "c:\almsyssql\documents."

Go to Audit Trail.

If you wish to turn on the ALMSys Audit Trail (recommended in multi-user environments), do so here.

Go to Exports.

If you are using any of the export interfaces listed, please mark them here.

Save your changes and exit.

Step 8: Security

Make sure that ALMSys security (Tools-Security-Overall Security) has been completed for this you. This includes the establishment of the your work directory.

Please read ALMSys help topic, "Getting Started" from here.

Training from ALMSys Support: 800-827-3164

ALMSys is a very large product with lots of features. Without proper training, it is very easy to get overwhelmed in a hurry.

It would greatly help your understanding of this software if you were to contact ALMSys Support for initial training. Training via telephone is at no charge, so please take advantage of their expertise.

There are no leases present in ALMSys once it is installed. You will need to add one or two in order to see how the product functions. Again, please allow ALMSys Support to assist you.