Fixing the Unexplainable, Slow Systems and Other Annoyances

 

Sometimes things happen that we can’t explain – your system is running slow, a report that you could run before is not running, or things aren’t running smoothly. It’s frustrating, but until the pet psychic switches to computers, we designed a checklist to get you moving in the right direction.

 

Your computer:

 

  1. Make sure you are using a PC. If you’re using a Mac, check out our HelpFile on Mac Compatibly Issues.

  2. Make sure your using Microsoft Internet Explorer, not AOL, not FireFox, not Netscape.

  3. Make sure your privacy setting is medium in Internet Explorer. You can do that by clicking on Tools in your browser --> Internet Options and select the Privacy tab. Select Medium and click OK. You will need to restart your computer to make this effective.

  4. Add us as a Trusted Site.

  5. Restart your computer. Yes, I understand that this is not all that scientific but it works.

  6. Close any extra programs that are running in the background. Programs take up memory and processor time. The fewer running the better. (Be sure to check your tool bar. It can hide a lot of extra programs).

  7. Pop up blockers. If you recently updated your browser, or a security system, you may have unintentionally installed a pop-up block. Check out our HelpFile for more information on getting rid of those.

 

Your Internet:

 

  1. When dealing with web based software connection speed counts. For best results make sure your using a computer with the highest speed internet access available. Our system requirements are 56K or more.

  2. Check other sites. You may find that other sites are also slow which indicates a problem with your connection.

 

Using the System:

 

  1. If you are running a report or a custom export, remember that the more things you’ve asked the system to do, the longer it will take. If it’s a large export with combined spouses it will take awhile. If you get a time-out error, please send us what query you were running, what options you selected and the type of export.

  2. Make sure your are specifying names in searches. Don't click Search or Find without a name in the search field.

  3. Hide areas you aren't using on the My Dashboard page or the Individual/Organization Record. This will minimize load time.

  4. For a faster experience, try our Hot Keys and our Quick Add buttons. This won't make the system load any faster but it will help you navigate to exactly where you want to be without loading pages you aren't using.

 

If you’ve followed our advice and are still slamming down the keyboard in frustration. Let us know! We’ll be happy to work with you on fixing your problem.