CUS Notes March 2016
CUS Version 12.0 is available now!
CUS Version 12.0 for 2016 has been released and we are scheduling update appointments now. You can contact Steve at techsupport@cus.com to schedule your appointment or call 954.680.6545.
Version 12.0 supports Microsoft Windows 10 operating systems, along with Windows XP, 7.0, 8.0 and 8.1. You’ll need higher-resolution monitors, at least 1366 x 768, to take advantage of the new screens. If you still have some older low-resolution monitors, the old dialogue screens are still available. If you have a dedicated server, be sure you have rights to access the server from a workstation so you can install the update with Steve.
Both the desktop system and the online auction system have fresh new looks this year. Here are just a few highlights of Version 12.0:
New look – You can have the Auction Buyer, Lot and Seller File maintenance screens all opened in one consolidated window. All of the important data for each file is visible in one tab with easy navigation between files.
Screen resolution and touch screen support – All screens are sized for newer laptops and monitor resolutions to eliminate hidden window issues. Displays support touch screens too.
More Discretionary Sales Tax functions – Now set different Discretionary Surtax rates on each tax class with different price limits.
Enhanced Browses, Reports and Auctioneer’s podium screen – More editing is available in browses, there’s more querying and filtering options in reports and the Auctioneer’s podium screen shows more data.
Simpler buyer payment posting on invoices – Post the payment and print the zero balance Rebill all in one easy step.
Enhanced Audit Log – View individual audit trail entries for each buyer, lot or seller while looking at that record; no need to search through the entire Audit Log. The Audit Log is also more descriptive for easier analysis.
RSS Distribution feed – Post your auction or catalog to subscription online listing services.
And much more, including a brand new mobile-friendly online auction and catalog!
All CUS Maintenance and Rental clients are entitled to the new version, of course. If you’ve purchased CUS recently or updated in the past few months, you may also be pre-licensed for Version 12.0. All other clients can order the new version at an upgrade price. Remember, you need the latest CUS program license each year for the CUS Email/Online features and Zipdata subscription. Also, Version 12.0 is the only version that supports Microsoft Windows 10 computers, so keep that in mind as you plan your hardware purchases. Contact Ellen at 954.680.6545 or sales@cus.com for details about your license.
Urgent message from CUS Technical Support
The Cryptolocker form of ransomware continues to attack unwary users and several more CUS clients have been affected recently. It attacks a computer through an innocent looking link in an email message and quickly encrypts all data files and documents. It can travel to other drives connected to this computer including mapped network drives and offsite cloud applications. Soon it displays a warning message that your files are encrypted and “safely” locked up. You can only recover and open your files if you pay a ransom within a short time.
Anti-Virus or Anti-Malware products don’t protect against this type of invasion. The only sure way to protect yourself is to NEVER click on a link or attachment that you weren’t specifically expecting to receive from that sender at that time.
It’s very important to guard against losing your valuable data files by maintaining good EXTERNAL backups and keep them DISCONNECTED. We’ve always recommended the Zip backup methods available in CUS as the first step to guard against typical user mistakes, but you need to copy the zip files to an external device frequently too. Be sure to disconnect the device once you’ve copied files onto it. You can also take backup copies of the three main CUS data folders: AUCINV, AUCMAIL and CUSAUC onto another device. Don’t rely only on cloud backup services for this, they can be affected too or you may not be able to get to the internet at that time.
External USB hard drives are ideal for this purpose. They’re inexpensive and can hold a lot of data. Three drives would be ideal so you have two in the office that can be swapped and one to take off site. After you copy the most current folders to the USB drive, disconnect it so an incoming infection can’t reach it and swap in the other one. Always have one external backup drive containing recent data that is disconnected from the computer or network. Contact Steve at techsupport@cus.com or 954.680.6545 for more information about this serious threat and guidance on the best backup methods for your situation.
Network Speed Issues in Laptops
When laptops are networked together, sometimes the network response time is slower than expected. Even though you’re using wired ethernet network adapters and a wired network switch or hub as we recommend, the laptops might try to communicate through their wireless adapters instead. This can slow down the network.
You can try to avoid this by changing the network adapter priority setting on each laptop workstation so it looks for the wired adapter first. If that doesn’t help, you can disable the wireless adapter in the laptop stations so the network is forced to go through the wired adapter instead. As a last resort, you can change the priority settings or disable the wireless adapter on the server too.
There are IP configuration changes that can also affect network speed. Sometimes changing scanning settings in your anti-virus protection will help too. Contact Steve at 954.680.6545 or techsupport@cus.com for guidance on network speed issues.
Using CUS on Windows 7/8/8.1/10 Operating Systems
We’re satisfied that most current CUS versions are compatible with Windows 7 or 8 operating systems. In general, Windows 8 has been tested successfully on CUS Versions 9.0 and higher. Windows 7 is compatible with CUS Version 8.0 and higher.
Remember, Windows 10 is not certified for any CUS version prior to CUS Version 12.0 (the current 2016 release). If your Windows 7 or 8 computer is reminding you to download the “free” Windows 10 update, don’t do it until you have updated CUS to Version 12.0 Contact us for further information before buying any new computers, especially if you aren’t yet licensed for CUS Version 8.0 or higher.
Note: DOS versions of CUS are NOT compatible with any Windows 7, 8, Vista or Windows 10 computers at all.
Advantage Database Server for CUS
Many of our larger network installations use a more robust “client/server” CUS edition that has 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 supports that server operating system. If you have an older ADS Server release version, you may need an ADS update before installing a newer Windows Server.
Contacting Technical Support
Please send emails to techsupport@cus.com instead of an individual email address. Other CUS consultants will see the question and be able to help you if the person you tried to reach is not available. If you don’t get an answer to your emailed question in a day or two, follow up with a call to 954.680.6545. Your email might have been trapped by a spam filter and blocked.
Of course, if you have an emergency, don’t rely on email at all. Call us right away at 954.680.6545 (all hours). If you reach our automated recording, choose extension 501 for emergency support. You’ll be transferred right away to the consultant on call.
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
billing@cus.com for any billing questions to our bookkeeper
Phone: 954.680.6545 (all hours, ext 501 for emergencies) Fax: 954.680.6018
CUS Business Systems
5846 S. Flamingo Rd. PMB #3130
Cooper City FL 33330