CUS Notes April 2013
Have you installed your CUS Version 9.0 program update?
If you haven’t updated to Version 9.0 yet, it’s time to do so. The Zipfirst subscription update is included as always, now with more precise handling of Canadian postal codes. We’ve also updated the bidder registration imports from most of the live online providers.
The CUS InterLink Email/Online option, which is only included with current CUS licenses each year, has some important updates too. You can now send outgoing emails from CUS through Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail, in addition to MS Outlook and Eudora.
Note: All CUS Online Auctions, Registrations and Catalogs are being updated to our latest server versions. You must have your local desktop program version updated to 9.00D2 or higher to post any online auctions, publish any catalogs or use the online pre-registration feature. The new CUS Online release includes streamlined photo upload procedures and more secure support for bidders on tablets and mobile devices.
Clients on the CUS Maintenance Plan or renting CUS software are already entitled to all new program versions. Any CUS purchases since July 2012 probably included the Version 9.0 license too. All other users should contact Ellen at sales@cus.com for an upgrade quote.
CUS Client Workshop set for Los Angeles in May
The next CUS Client Workshop is scheduled for Thursday, May 16 in Los Angeles, CA. If you couldn’t attend the Sacramento workshop in February, now is your chance. Thanks again to Betty Paine of The Auction House in Sacramento, who hosted our group in February so graciously and made us feel at home.
Seating is limited at the Los Angeles location so contact Ellen right away for more details and to reserve your spot. We’re planning East coast and Midwest workshops this spring/summer too. If you’re interested in a session in any of these locations, contact Ellen for more information at 954.680.6545 or sales@cus.com.
Join the CUS Maintenance Plan
The deadline to join the CUS Maintenance Plan is approaching very soon. If you’re licensed for the current CUS Version 9.0 release, you can join the optional Maintenance Plan to get a bundled package of annual program upgrades and support allowances for one low monthly fee. Clients on Maintenance enjoy other benefits, including reduced fees for online training and Sale Bills.
To receive the 2014 annual CUS program upgrade to Version 10.0 at no charge, you must be enrolled in the Maintenance Plan by June 30, 2013. If you’re interested in this optional program, contact Ellen at 954.680.6545 or sales@cus.com for information.
Try the CUS Online Auction
You can see a sample of the CUS Online Auction here:
Visitors see your own privately branded auction that blends in with the rest of your company’s image. Choose your color scheme with your own logo and select the layout of the new opening page with pictures of featured lots. There’s a new photo slideshow display, bidding from the individual lot detail page and a “Watch this lot” feature too! Your bidders can receive a daily email to keep up with the status of their bids and watched lots.
Of course, the CUS Online Auction is still a seamless extension of your regular CUS Auction System, with one-click uploads and photo management built right in. There’s no need to import or export data because it’s all in one system. Add a new lot or a few pictures at any time, adjust your opening bid amounts, or change the closing date. See who is looking at your auction at any time and watch your bids streaming live. You can display sales results when the auction is finished if you like. Everything is in CUS and it’s all under your control.
It’s easy to publish a searchable catalogue with dozens of pictures too, allowing pre-registration and absentee bidding in advance if you like. Why send your visitors to another company’s site to see YOUR catalogue? The clutter and advertising take attention away from your important event, and you know how easily visitors can get lost or distracted. Contact Ellen at 954.680.6545 or sales@cus.com for more information and a private demo of the new CUS Online Auction.
Please note our new mailing address:
CUS Business Systems, Inc.
5722 S. Flamingo Rd. PMB #3130
Cooper City, FL 33330
This replaces our previous mailing address at Sawgrass Corporate Parkway in Sunrise, FL. Please be sure to change your accounting system records so your payments are issued to the correct address and promptly credited to your account. The Sawgrass Corporate Parkway address is no longer valid, so please make this change now!
From the Technical Support Team
Data Imports from Live Online Bidding Providers
Do you use any of the well known “live” online providers to handle online bidding during your in-person auction? If so, you may already know that you can import the bidder registrations from many of these providers into your CUS auction. Most of the vendors make a bidder list available for you to download as a spreadsheet file format. CUS has import functions available for most of these providers but sometimes they change the format of the data without notifying anyone. Each year, our new program release includes support for any recent format changes as we find out about them. The CUS 2013 Version 9.0 release includes updated imports for many of these providers.
This brings up an important point for you to remember: Anytime you plan to import data from an outside source into your CUS auction, you must do two things first. Take a backup copy of the CUS auction before importing the outside file, using the Zip function in the Utility Menu. Then open the file you’ve downloaded from the live provider in your Excel program and look at it. Be sure that the format follows the column header instructions in your current CUS program version. This is true even if you’ve done this same import many times in the past. If you follow these guidelines, you can avoid unexpected complications if the provider’s data has changed.
New Version 9.0 Zipfirst Database available for download
A new Zipfirst database is now available at the Version 9.0 Client Support Center. If you are licensed for Version 9.0, you can access that center and download the new database, using the Version 9.0 Username and Password. The new file is called zipdata9.exe.
If you need help with this procedure, please contact Steve at techsupport@cus.com for assistance.
Advantage Database Server for CUS
Many of our larger network installations have the more robust “client/server” edition of CUS using the Advantage Database Server engine as its foundation. This enables networked CUS applications to run more securely in wireless or remote access environments. If you have a large network with a Windows Server or are planning to expand, you may be a candidate for the CUS ADS Server edition.
It’s very important to contact CUS before upgrading any server or installing a new one to be sure CUS can support that server operating system. If you have an older ADS Server version, you may need an ADS update before installing a newer Windows Server.
CUS on Windows 7 or 8 Operating Systems
We’re continuing to test the current Version 9.0 CUS release on Windows 8 and have not seen any serious issues yet. The user interface in Windows 8 is very different from Windows 7 or XP. It will require some patience to get used to it. Be prepared for the possibility that some of your devices (printers, scanners etc.) may not be compatible at all.
If you are replacing computers in the near future, we recommend you try to get Windows 7 while you still can, especially for staffers who aren’t comfortable in new computer environments. Windows 7 systems are still available online but may not be easy to find in your local retail store. We’re not ready to fully certify Windows 8 yet for all situations, but if you must install a Windows 8 computer, it should be fine for CUS Version 9.0. Before buying the new computer, contact Steve at 954.680.6545 or techsupport@cus.com for advice.
To run CUS on Windows 7 or 8 computers, there are some Windows Registry changes that are necessary. We have a utility file called smboff.zip available to take care of this. A Windows 7 or 8 network must use classic Workgroup networking for CUS instead of Homegroup. This requires Windows 7 Home Premium or higher for any computer on a network. In Windows 8, this may require 8 Professional. Please contact Steve at techsupport@cus.com for guidance.
In general, Windows 7 is compatible with current CUS for Windows releases. This only pertains to CUS Versions 7.0 and higher, not older CUS versions. As we described above, Windows 8 seems to be acceptable at first, but we are only testing it on CUS Versions 9 and higher.
Note: DOS versions of CUS are NOT compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8 or Vista at all. If you are still licensed for a DOS-only version of CUS, you have to stay with Windows XP until you update to CUS for Windows.
Contact techsupport@cus.com for further information before buying any new computers, especially if you aren’t licensed for CUS Version 7.0 or higher.
Contacting Technical and Web Support
When emailing a question about CUS software, please send it to techsupport@cus.com instead of any individual’s personal email address. If the person you’re trying to reach isn’t available, other members of our team will see the question and be able to help you. The same is true for changes or requests for your own website managed by CUS. Send them to websupport@cus.com instead of any individual person. Otherwise your request could be missed if that person isn’t able to get mail or is unavailable.
If you don’t get an answer to your emailed question in a day or two, follow up with a phone call to our office at 954.680.6545. Your email might have been trapped by a spam or junk filter and blocked from reaching us. Of course, if you have an emergency, don’t rely on email at all. Call us right away at 954.680.6545 (daytime) or 954.483.6778 (night/weekend).
Technical Support via Remote Access
If you need technical support from CUS but aren’t comfortable navigating on a computer, we can do it for you. All you need is an internet connection to let us log in remotely and take over to get the job done. You control when we can get in and when to disconnect from us. We can troubleshoot most network issues, install CUS on your computer and manage data updates from older CUS versions.
There’s a link to our live remote support from the CUS Version 8 and 9 Support Centers. Version 8 or 9 CUS Systems also have direct links to the Support Center from the Help Menu. If you’re running an older CUS Windows version, contact Steve to help you connect to CUS remote support. This is live real-time support, so you must make arrangements with us before connecting to have a consultant available for you.
Contacting CUS
sales@cus.com for price quotes or other sales related questions
techsupport@cus.com for any support or training questions
websupport@cus.com for website content or maintenance
Day: 954.680.6545 Night/Weekend Emergency: 954.483.6778 Fax: 954.680.6018
Note our new mailing address:
CUS Business Systems, 5722 S. Flamingo Rd. PMB #3130, Cooper City FL 33330
Ellen Weintraub
Sales Manager
www.cus.com sales@cus.com
CUS Business Systems, Inc.
5722 S. Flamingo Rd. PMB #3130
Cooper City, FL 33330
PH: 954.680.6545 FAX: 954.680.6018
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