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Frequently Asked Questions About Q&A

Which versions of Q&A, if any, are Y2K compliant?
Out of the box, all versions of Q&A are ready for the Year 2000 and beyond. However, Y2K compliance is assured only if you format all date fields in your databases to display the full four-digit year instead of the abbreviated two-digit year. (Press F10 from the database design screen until you reach the Global Format Options Screen, then select a date with a four-digit year.) With Q&A 4.0 and 5.0 for DOS, you should also apply the Y2KFix patch to ensure Q&A's file list screens display file dates properly beginning on January 1, 2000. (See the April 1999 issue of The Quick Answer.) The Y2KFix patch is available for download at www.quickanswer.com or www.qaug.com.

The only other Y2K problems you might run into are the self-created variety-that is, database programs, Lookup Table entries, Specs, macros, and other elements added by the Q&A application developer that specify or use any abbreviated date format.

Is there a Windows 95 or Windows 98 version of Q&A?
There is no version of Q&A designed exclusively for Windows 95 or 98. All versions of Q&A run well in any version of Windows as long as Q&A has been properly installed and set up.

All Q&A files, including temporary files (those that Q&A creates during certain operations) and database files, must reside on a 1.9G or smaller hard disk partition. Large hard drives can easily be partitioned with Partition Magic or Partition It without the loss of any existing programs or data. If you don't want to or can't repartition your hard drive, partitions larger than 1.9G can be accommodated using a utility program called Lesspace.com. For setup and configuration details on running Q&A in Windows, click the Setup Q&A to Run On Your New PC link on the Home page at www.quickanswer.com. Lesspace.com is downloadable free of charge from www.quickanswer.com or www.qaug.com.

Will Q&A for Windows run in Windows 95 or Windows 98?
Yes, as long as it is installed on a 1.9G or smaller hard disk partition. Large hard drives can easily be partitioned using Partition Magic or Partition It without any loss of current programs or data. (Lesspace.com is not applicable to Q&A for Windows.) More details are in the August 1998 issue of The Quick Answer.

Will Q&A run on today's fast Pentium PCs?
Yes. All versions of Q&A will run on the fastest Pentium PCs. With Q&A 5.0 for DOS only, you must apply the Speedfix patch available for download at www.quickanswer.com and www.qaug.com. Details on Speedfix are in the September 1998 issue of The Quick Answer.

When I try to install Q&A for DOS on my new computer, I keep getting a "Divide Error" message. What does it mean?
You're attempting to install Q&A on a hard disk partition larger than 1.9G. The drive must be partitioned before installing Q&A or you must be running Lesspace.com.

I'm trying to use Q&A 5.0 on my new computer but it won't start properly. Why is this?
You must apply the Speedfix patch to make Q&A 5.0 compatible with your Pentium processor. You can download the patch free of charge from www.quickanswer.com or www.qaug.com.

What are the main differences between the various versions of Q&A?
Q&A 4.0 for DOS is the basic version for most users. Q&A 5.0 for DOS has additional features that are mainly of interest to application developers needing to automate and add more power to Q&A. These additional features include the following:

The ability to launch macros via database programming commands (@Macro)
Customizable pop-up selection lists (Userselect, @Userselect)
Customizable pop-up selection lists containing field values from external databases (XUserselect, @XUserselect, XUserselectR, @XUserselectR)
Customizable pop-up message boxes (@Msgbox) and Yes/No dialog boxes (@Askuser)
The ability to post in real time to a record in another database, as in a sales and inventory application (XPost, XPostR)
The ability to run a second copy of Q&A from a database record and automatically be returned to the original record when the second copy is exited
The ability to interface with external programs such as the Microsoft Office family
Programmable sounds (@Play) and programmable database field color changes (@Color)

In Q&A for DOS 4.0 and 5.0, printer selection (available printer drivers) is limited, though the basic features of most laser, inkjet and dot matrix printers are supported. (Modern inkjet printers can be problematic for all but the most basic printing tasks.) Q&A for Windows works with all printers (assuming the correct Windows printer driver has been installed) but lacks the following four features available in Q&A for DOS:

Crosstab reports
Macros (including Custom Menus)
Posting
Removal of Duplicate Records

Q&A for Windows includes a macro-like feature called scripts for running canned searches, reports, mass updates and the like, but they cannot perform actions such as opening a database or running a mail-merge.

Is Q&A networkable?
All versions of Q&A are networkable on, for example, Windows 95/98, Novell, and Lantastic networks. All versions of Q&A will also work on Windows NT networks with the following provisos:
All program and database files must reside on a 1.9G or smaller FAT partition.
If using Q&A for Windows, it must be installed and/or run from Windows 95 or 98 workstations. (It will not run properly on an NT Workstation.)
On peer-to-peer networks, the sharing mode for shared databases must be set to "Allow" rather than "Automatic" (File / Design a file / Secure a file / Declare Sharing Mode).

Why won't Q&A for DOS print to my network printer?
On the workstation on which Q&A is installed, the network printer must be set to "Capture" a printer port such as LPT2 or LPT3. (This is done in Windows / Control Panel / Printer Properties / Details tab.) Q&A must then be set to print to that particular printer on that captured port. (This is done in Q&A via Utilities / Install Printer.)

I have an old version of Q&A (2.0 or 3.0) and want to upgrade to a newer version. Will I be able to use my existing databases and data?
Yes. If you are upgrading to Q&A for DOS 4.0 or Q&A for Windows, just make sure you have a recent backup of all your databases, then open them in the new version. Q&A will automatically update them with no loss of data. If you are upgrading from any version of Q&A for DOS to Q&A 5.0 for DOS, you must take additional steps prior opening your databases in Q&A 5.0 to ensure that your old data is 100% healthy. These steps are easy to perform. See the link, How to Upgrade from Q&A 4.0 to 5.0 on the Home page at www.quickanswer.com. (Similar instructions are available at www.qaug.com.) Follow the steps, and all your old databases will work fine in Q&A 5.0.

Can I use Q&A for DOS and Q&A for Windows interchangeably?
Yes. The same Q&A databases can be used in both Q&A 4.0 or 5.0 for DOS and Q&A for Windows. This gives you the best of both worlds-all of Q&A DOS' features plus the Windows graphical environment and full printer support. In addition, you'll get Q&A for Windows' handy Free-Form report module and powerful WYSIWYG word processor and label designer. An interoperability updated is required to use your databases in both the DOS and Windows versions of Q&A. The update for Q&A 4.0 for DOS (qaup.exe) is available at www.quickanswer.com and www.qaug.com. For Q&A 5.0 for DOS, the update is included in the installation disks. (See the README.WIN file.)

What is the "Q&A Network Pack" and how do I use it to make Q&A available to more users?
The Q&A Network Pack converts Q&A from a single-user version to a multi-user version. (You must own a single-user version of Q&A and apply the Network Pack to it.) Each Network Pack permits three additional users to run Q&A concurrently. Each additional pack adds another three users (for a total of 7, 10, 13 and so on). If you own the Network Pack, you are entitled to run the legal number copies of Q&A either by installing Q&A on a network server or by installing an individual copy of Q&A on each workstation.