An Opportunity–In case you missed it last time

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  Several months ago, we had one of these that was in great shape but no longer needed.  Then we wanted to do some “tablet screen” optimization, so we purchased this one at the end of June, 2016.  We are now finished with the testing ( very light usage ), and no longer need this device.  Since several people were sad to miss out the last time, we’d like to make this available … for a savings.

This is a Microsoft Surface 3.  It’s a full computer in a tablet size, and can be used on your desktop, or to walk around anywhere.  It includes the Surface 3 ( not a Pro model ), the type cover keyboard, the pen ( an amazing tool ) and a small, but comfortable, mouse.  It also includes a docking station that you can use to charge it … and plug in an ethernet cable, other USB devices, and a full screen monitor.  Of course it includes a travel case to protect it wherever you go.  The device has 64 GB of internal storage, and an additional, removable, 64 GB mini=SD card.  That gives you a full 128 GB of storage.  With the dock, you can plug in an external drive for even more space.  You can use it as a workstation, and take it out of the dock to walk out to a vehicle to meet with the customer, or walk through the stock room to check parts.  It runs the full ASW 9, or if you have ASW 10 installed, and put it in tablet mode, the screen optimizes on essential workorder functions so you can walk around the vehicle, start an invoice, include work, and even use it to check off items on your post service inspection.

The Surface 3, dock, pen, mouse, keyboard, case, and a 3 year Microsoft Signature support plan retailed for about $ 1,050.  We will let it go to the first person who contacts us for only $ 700.  All items have their original boxes and are in perfect working order.  It even has the very latest copy of Windows 10 Anniversary Update installed.

Send an email if you are interested.

CRITICAL NOTICE–System won’t connect

Many of our clients are using the Advantage Database Server for true client-server operations ( faster and more secure processing ).  In fact, many still use old versions 7 or 8 and they were doing just fine … until the last few days.  Then the software stopped working on the “server”.

Here is the problem.  ADS 7 & 8 only came in 32 bit versions.  The newer ones had 32 and 64 bit versions.  Some people have moved to Windows 10 as their server, and we have reinstalled ADS on those new machines.  If it was ADS 7 or 8, and 32 bit, it still ran fine … until recently.

Microsoft has been releasing updates to Windows 10 called the Anniversary Edition.  Within those updates, they have added many new bugs, including issues with the networking and security.  Once installed, the ADS 32 bit servers will no longer work.  New versions of ADS, with the 64bit install, seem to be unaffected.  Also, ADS 7, or 8, on pre-Windows 10 computers will continue to work without a problem.

There is nothing we can do in ASW to make the ADS server work.  However, you can stop using it by doing the following on each workstation:

1)  Click on the folder displayed on the taskbar ( System Explorer ), and when it displays, open the C drive.  Find the ASW9c folder.

2) Right click on the CONFIG.CBA file and select Open With:  Notepad.

3)  When displayed, you will see a line that says ADS=C.  Change it to read ADS=S.

4)  Click on File, then Save, and then exit.  You can now access the server in Peer to Peer mode.

If you are using version 7 or 8 ADS, we can sell you a new, current license.  The cost is $650 per 5 users.  We are only resellers of this product.  Since those versions are at least 10 years old, we do not expect there will be any fixes by SAP to them, nor can we see Microsoft addressing the problem.

We are concerned that Microsoft continues to release very buggy upgrades to the software, and this has been a major problem around this anniversary edition.  It appears to be the new acceptable standard in the tech industry where young, creative, people implement new ideas with no concern for compatibility, quality assurance, testing, or documentation.  Our voice has been heard on your behalf at the highest levels of that corporation.  Sadly, it’s a behavior replicated at every other tech company out there today. 

Feel free to email or call with any questions.