Errors with ASW 10.81.21–And How To Resolve Them

Most people have had no problem with the latest build of Auto Shop Writer, but a select group have, and there is a reason, and a solution.

First, we update two builds.  One has the icon ASW 2016 on your desktop.  ( It’s actually 2018, so you could rename the shortcut if you wish ).  It is the most current, and it is built with Microsoft Tools that are compatible with the very latest releases of Windows 10.  No one running this version has reported any problems.

The other has the icon ASW 10.  This is a compatible build and it has given people some problems.  Obviously, if the system is crashing, that is wrong … and if it happens more than once you should be on the phone to us immediately.  People report this one has given them lots of problems.  So why even have it.

This build is for people using very old versions of Advantage Data Base Server ( ADS 7 or 8 ).  Most shops upgraded to the latest version but some are still using the 10 to 12 year old software. The old ADS is not compatible with the Microsoft Builds, so we use this older compatible version of the build tools.

It appears the build of the ASW 10 file may have been corrupted during the build and upload process.  A new build has been created, tested, and appears to work as it should.  This should appear on all computers by midnight Tuesday and be fully functional on Wednesday morning ( 02/21/2018)

Unless you are using Advantage Database Server 7.0 or 8.0, you should always run the desktop icon titled ASW 2016.  If you have ASW 10’s icon, and are running a later version of ADS, or no version of ADS, you should always use the ASW 2016 icon.  You should also select the down arrow next to the help button, and click on About.  Make sure it says you are using Microsoft Visual C++ for the compiler unless you are using ADS 7 or 8.

QBe sure to call and get help if you still have questions.

ASW 10.73.42 update 11/1/17

We have received feedback on the current ASW 10 release, and some people with special operations ( or very in depth usage ) have encountered a few issues requiring “work around” procedures.  These have all been addressed and should be resolved in this release.

In addition, we have replaced our primary development computers.  It’s a rather significant upgrade and transfer of systems, so please email tech support immediately if you encounter any issues.


Finally we sometimes get asked if ASW can run on a Mac computer.  The answer is a qualified Yes.  To do so, you will need to install a program on the Mac called Parallels, plus purchase a Windows license.  Then in that environment, install the ASW client.  Yes, it will work on a workstation across the network to your server ( which can be a Windows computer ).  Setup is a bit tricky at first, but it will work fine.  How do we know ?  Because our new development machine is an iMac, and we also use a MacBook Pro notebook … but our server is a Dell tower running Windows 10.