Frequently Asked Support Questions
Installing and System Compatibility
Activating
Click the Activation link above.
Replacement CDs
Click the Replacement CDs link above.
Using MenuPro
Upgrading
to MenuPro 8
Answers
Can I install the software on more than one computer?
Yes, the standard
SoftCafe product license allows you to activate and use MenuPro on 2 PCs
(a 2-PC license). If
you need to use the software on more than 2 PCs, you can either deactivate
your primary or secondary computer first before activating the new computer, or you can
add another PC to your license.
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Will reinstalling or upgrading erase my
data?
No, reinstalling or upgrading the software will not erase any data files you
have created with previous versions of the program. If you are moving to a
new version, your data will automatically be converted from your old format
to the new
version format. (For MenuPro, there may be some slight spacing adjustments that need to be made on some
menus.) Before moving to a new version, however, you should always make a
backup up of all data files before installing the new version.
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Will the software work on Windows
Vista?
Our current versions will, our previous versions will not.
MenuPro 8 and ScheduleWriter 2 are both
compatible with Windows Vista. Earlier versions of our software were not
designed for Windows Vista (this includes MenuPro 7.0 and any earlier
version). Running earlier versions of our software on Windows Vista may
cause data loss, generate error messages, and some features may be disabled.
For
this reason, we do not provide technical support for our earlier products on
Window Vista and strongly recommend that you run the most current versions of
our software if you are running Windows Vista.
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Can I use the software work on a Network?
Not if the network or server
permits simultaneous user access. If multiple users
attempt to share the program data at the same time, the database will become
corrupt. We do not support MenuPro or ScheduleWriter if they are used on a
network.
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Will the software work on a Mac?
Yes. With the introduction of Apple's Boot
Camp, you can now run Windows programs including MenuPro and ScheduleWriter
on a Mac. See
Apple's site for more
details.
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I receive an error message that mentions MS-DOS when I try to install
MenuPro 7.0 (or earlier) or ScheduleWriter 1.0 on a
Windows XP SP2 computer. What do I do now?
Like many other software developers, SoftCafe uses InstallShield to install
its applications onto your computer. The version of InstallShield we used
for older versions of our software
had, in part, 16-bit technology for compatibility with older versions of
Microsoft Windows. For the older versions, a valid AUTOEXEC.NT file must be present in the Windows system folder in order to run
the installation. For most users this condition is already met.
However, for some users, who have installed/upgraded Windows XP Service
Pack 2 onto an otherwise "healthy" Windows XP computer, this file may be
missing, having been inadvertently removed by Microsoft during the SP2
installation. As a result, when trying to run certain applications,
including an older SoftCafe installation, a Microsoft error message that mentions a
"16 bit subsystem" and "MS-DOS" may appear.*
Microsoft has acknowledged this problem and has published several
Knowledge Base articles on this issue, including the following one from
their support site:
Microsoft Article
ID: 324767
If you receive this error when you insert your SoftCafe CD, click 'Close'
to terminate the error message and then do one of the following:
a) Click here
to download a small patch/program - the patch simply replaces the missing
file. After downloading the program, run it, and then install your SoftCafe
software.
OR
b) Replace the missing Windows file yourself by doing the following:
- Browse to the folder C:\WINDOWS\repair
- Right-Click and Copy the AUTOEXEC.NT file
- Browse to the folder C:\WINDOWS\system32
- Right-Click inside the window and chose Paste
- Install your SoftCafe software.
*Note: In some
cases, the error condition described here may be the result of corrupted
AUTOEXEC.NT file, in which case the above procedure
may be helpful to restore a valid file.
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How do I transfer my
menus from one computer to another using MenuPro 8?
Use the Back Up and Restore commands (please see the
MenuPro 8 User Guide for more information).
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How do I transfer my
menus from one computer to another using MenuPro 7.0 and earlier?
1. Copy your MenuPro data files from Computer A to a
removable disk (floppy or USB Flash drive).
The data files are: mpdata_.db, lastmenu.ini
(and menupro_.ini for version 5.0 or earlier),
and any .men files that you have created.
2. Copy all of the data files from the removable disk
to the MenuPro folder on Computer B. (For
most users this folder location is C:\Program Files\MenuPro.)
3. Run MenuPro on Computer B. The food items from
Computer A should now appear in your food item list on Computer B. If you do not see
the
food items from Computer A, you have not copied the file mpdata_.db
correctly.
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After I have created a menu using MenuPro, can
I take it to Kinko's or my local print shop to print out a large quantity of
menus?
Yes, but first you will need to convert your MenuPro
menu into a PDF file.
MenuPro 8.0 provides that capability - it can convert
any MenuPro menu into a PDF file that can be e-mailed or taken
Kinko's or your local
print shop for printing.
If you are using MenuPro 7.0 or earlier you can either use your own PDF
creation software, provided that it is compatible with MenuPro, or you can
Upgrade to MenuPro 8.0. Please note that, if you are using your own PDF
creation software, you will have to contact the manufacturer of that
software for support.
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How do I get my
restaurant logo on my menu?
First get your logo scanned to an image file. Many
print shops like Kinko's will do this for
just a few dollars. Next
copy the image file into the MenuPro folder on your computer. Then, just use the
Insert Picture command from within MenuPro to add the logo like any other picture.
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What's
the best way to accurately position images on my menu?
The easiest way to position images on your menu is to make your menu
window as big as possible. You can then simply click and drag your
images to position them. If your menu window is big enough, the
images will be accurately positioned. The bigger monitor you have,
the more accurately the images will be positioned. If you are
working on a small monitor or want a higher degree of accuracy, you
can double-click the image to edit it, and then enter the position
under the Position fields in the Edit Picture box. Keep in mind
that the position entered starts at the top, left corner of the
image including any white space that the image may have. So if your
images have a lot of white space, you're better off using the click
and drag method. There is also an Align Pictures command within
the Tools menu that lets you align pictures along certain spots like
the center of the page or the left margin or a user selected point.
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I own a previous version MenuPro (prior to version 8). Can I
upgrade to version 8?
Most likely (although it depends how old your previous version is).
Click here to
access the MenuPro page and then click the link to the right that
says Upgrade Info. Back to Top
If I install version 8 on the computer where I have my previous
version of MenuPro, will I lose all of my food items and menus and
have to start from scratch?
No, MenuPro 8 will not erase data from a previous version of
MenuPro. The first time you run MenuPro 8 it will locate your
previous data and prompt you to upgrade it to the new version.
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I want to install version 8 on a new computer and then transfer my
menus and food items from a previous version of MenuPro to the new
computer. How do I do this? 1. Copy your MenuPro data files from
the old computer into a single folder on a
removable disk (floppy or USB Flash drive). The folder can be named
whatever you want.
For previous versions of MenuPro, the MenuPro data files will reside
in the MenuPro folder (typically C:\Program Files\MenuPro)
and are: mpdata_.db, lastmenu.ini
(and menupro_.ini for version 5.0 or earlier),
and any .men files that you have created.
2. On the new computer, install MenuPro 8.
3. On the new computer, insert the removable disk that has the
folder you created with your MenuPro data files from the previous
version (see step 1).
4. On the new computer, run MenuPro 8 and then select the Restore
command from the File menu. A Restore box will appear. In the
Restore box, for 'Restore from Backup Location' choose the
folder on your removable floppy (use the Browse button to find this
folder) that has your old MenuPro files.
5. Click OK and MenuPro will execute a Restore. MenuPro will then
shut down. When you restart, your old data will now be available on
the new computer.
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