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Frequently Asked Support Questions

Installing and System Compatibility

  • Can I install the software on more than one computer?
  • Will reinstalling or upgrading erase my data?
  • Will the software work on Windows Vista?
  • Can I use the software work on a Network?
  • Will the software work on a Mac?
  • I receive an error message that mentions MS-DOS when I try to install MenuPro 7.0 or ScheduleWriter 1.0 on a Windows XP SP2 computer. What do I do now?

Activating

Click the Activation link above.

Replacement CDs

Click the Replacement CDs link above.

Using MenuPro

  • How do I transfer my menus from one computer to another computer using MenuPro 8?
  • How do I transfer my menus from one computer to another computer using MenuPro 7.0 or earlier?
  • Can I take my menu to Kinko's print out a large quantity of menus?
  • How do I get my restaurant logo on my menu?
  • What's the best way to accurately position images on my menu?

Upgrading to MenuPro 8

  • I own a previous version MenuPro (prior to version 8). Can I upgrade to version 8?
  • 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?
  • 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?

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:

  1. Browse to the folder C:\WINDOWS\repair
  2. Right-Click and Copy the AUTOEXEC.NT file
  3. Browse to the folder C:\WINDOWS\system32
  4. Right-Click inside the window and chose Paste
  5. 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.

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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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