I had someone call me last week who was enraged that Act! Support was not able to help them convert their Act! 5 database (circa 1999) to the latest version, Act! v17. Another customer couldn’t understand why Swiftpage wasn’t willing to convert their 1997 Maximizer database to Act. The customers felt that this service should be provided “free of charge.”
I like to compare software to cars. Both require routine maintenance. Both offer support plans “should things go wrong.” Your purchase does not include training. There can be a huge difference in the competency level of the user. And you won’t receive much sympathy from the dealer if you demand that he fix your 15 year old car prior to purchasing a new one.
We provide Act! support for all versions of the Act! software. It is not uncommon for someone to call me and start the conversation by saying, “Karen, you won’t believe this but we are still using Act! 5.” Last year we supported several Act! 2.0 users and converted many Act! 5 databases. Trust me, we’ve seen it all and have yet to find an Act! database that we couldn’t repair and/or convert to a newer Act! version. However, our services are not free.
I’m often surprised when people “assume” that their software purchase includes free, unlimited technical support especially when it comes to data. That is just not the case. When you purchase Microsoft Office the folks at Microsoft are not going to hold your hand and help you move all of your old documents to a new computer. If you purchase accounting software such as Quicken or Quick Books, Intuit is not going to sort through your shoe boxes of receipts and do your taxes. And the folks at Swiftpage are not going to help you fix your 16 year old database!
The bottom line is that software companies must spend their money on development in order to keep up with the rapid changes in technology. They cannot afford to train users how to master their software or how to get their data back in good working order. That’s the job of a consultant.
If you need to convert an Act! database please give the Act! consultants at Tech Benders a call. We’re here to help Act! users, both new and old and we can definitely convert and/or repair your database.
Hi Karen, this is my first exposure to you and your firm. I had used ACT and bought ACT 17 from a Canadian firm. While it installed on my Win7 laptop, I had difficulty getting it installed on my Win 8.1 64bit desktop. It appeared to be related to the Microsoft SQL. I experimented, read ACT support ideas, uninstalled some items and, somehow it went thru a full install. I also downloaded MS SQL 2008 Express SP2 hoping it would help but no luck (I also have SQL 2014 installed).
However, when I load ACT 17, it starts, but no databases showup and it does not allow me to make a new DB. So, the software is still useless. Any thoughts on a resolution ? Do you have adequate support staff and what are your support costs? Where are you located? Thank You.
Hi Dennis,
Absolutely we offer tech support on an “as needed” basis. I’ve taken the liberty of signing you up for my Act Virtual Users Group; we just had a meeting this month that answered this very question. And hopefully next time you’ll order your software from me; I include installation instructions that usually prevent most installation problems.
In your case it is most probably the SQL that is creating the issue. You definitely don’t want to “mix and match” 2008 and 2014. You can first try to go to the Windows Start button and typing in services.msc When the services window opens scroll down and look for SQL Act 7. Make sure Act is closed and either Start the service or Restart the service. If this resolves the issue – yeah! If not I would recommend uninstall both versions of SQL from the Control Panel, uninstalling Act, rebooting and reinstalling Act with the Windows Firewall turned off and the A/V temporarily disabled during the Act install.
If this sounds too complicated please call Kim at 561-470-5450 x2.