The information in this article applies to:
Version 16 and 15 of the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software were specifically designed with Windows 7 and Vista compatibility in mind. As with any new operating system, there are a few situations you should be aware of before working with the software in a Windows 7 or Vista environment. This article provides basic information regarding how Windows 7 and Vista affect the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software.
Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Version 16 and 15 programs are compatible with Windows 7 and with Windows Vista. Refer to the Networking Information section of this article for more specific information.
It is important to keep in mind that although Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software was redesigned in Version 15 to deal with version compatibility issues encountered when using Windows 7 or Vista with Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software, some third-party software may not yet be certified as Windows 7 or Windows Vista compatible. Therefore, if you plan to use PracticeMaster or Tabs3 software under Windows 7 or Vista AND integrate with third-party software (i.e., WORLDOX, Palm, HotDocs, CompuLaw, etc.), make sure that ALL software is compatible with your Windows operating system before moving forward.
Windows 7 and Vista are available in multiple editions consisting of:
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Information regarding the various Windows editions available can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx. We are unaware of any differences between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows that would prevent the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software from running. Regardless of the Windows version used, we recommend that the most current Service Pack is installed.
Note: DOS-based programs cannot be run under a 64-bit operating system. This includes some of the Tabs3 Collection Device Interfaces. Although they can be installed on a 64-bit server, they must be run from a non-64-bit workstation.
To comply with Windows security changes, the location of the STI.INI file was moved from the protected Windows directory (C:\Windows) to the C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Tabs3 folder of each Windows 7 or Vista workstation. This ensures that each profile on the workstation maintains personal STI.INI file settings. The move from the Windows directory to the Tabs3 directory is completed during the update process and requires no user intervention.
Microsoft has discontinued the Windows Help engine (i.e., WinHelp), which was used in Version 14.3 and prior Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software. Therefore, Version 15 and later versions of the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software have been updated to use a Compiled Help format (*.CHM). This ensures that our Help files do not require a download from the Microsoft Web site to be accessed on a Windows 7 or Vista workstation.
There are two Novell Client releases for Windows Vista, Client 1.0 and Client 2.0. Instead of connecting to a NetWare server using the Novell Client for Windows Vista, we recommend installing Native File Access. The following information addresses how Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software behaves in these environments.
If you run Tabs3 or PracticeMaster software using a Novell NetWare Client 1.0 (without SP1) for Microsoft Vista, a fatal error will occur. This is a known issue with the Novell NetWare Client 1.0 for Microsoft Vista that was repaired with the release of Service Pack 1. However, we also have found that you cannot successfully run more than one workstation on a Novell network with our Version 15 software whenever a Vista workstation is connected.
We do not recommend using Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Version 15 software with the Novell NetWare Client 2.0 for Microsoft Vista, which was released April 9, 2009, due to locking issues with the new Novell client.
These issues can occur when operating on a network with at least one Novell NetWare Client 2 machine. When the first Client 2 user logs into the software, the other clients (7, Vista or XP) can experience fatal errors, such as: 1385-1-42-0 (eventually), 1310-1-42-33, and 1310-1-12-32. This is caused by the Novell NetWare Client 2.0 for Microsoft Vista.
Due to locking issues, when using Windows 7 or Vista computers on a Novell NetWare server, we recommend installing Novell Native File Access on the server and have workstations connect using the Common Internet File System (CIFS) protocol over TCP/IP instead of via the Novell Client for Windows Vista.
Some common symptoms of using Windows 7 or Vista computers on a Novell NetWare server:
The following situation may occur when installing the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software to a Windows 7 or Vista computer.
While it is possible to install Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software to a protected folder such as C:\Windows or C:\Program Files, this will cause errors if UAC is enabled. Because UAC does not allow data stored within protected folders to be accessed, launching any Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software from this location will cause a fatal error (1020-1-5). For this reason, it is recommended that you use the installer's default location of C:\Tabs3 when installing the software to your server. When transferring the software to a new server, use this location as well. This recommendation also applies to single user installations.
Note: UAC does not affect workstation installations as no data is stored locally. When using SETUP.EXE to configure your workstation(s), you can continue to use the default location of C:\Program Files\Tabs3.
In Windows 7 and Vista, you have the ability to add local programs to your start menu or taskbar. In doing so, the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software can be even more accessible. Because of the addition of a local program directory in Version 15 and later, you can take advantage of this capability.
This option is not available for prior versions of the software because the software is installed at the server, and no local program directory exists.
Tabs3 and PracticeMaster will run under Windows 7 and Vista SP1 or later. When running as a stand-alone system or as a workstation that connects to a Microsoft Windows Server 2008/2003 (either 32-bit or 64-bit) or Windows XP Professional, all functions can be run with UAC enabled.
The following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles include information regarding using Windows 7 or Vista in a networking environment:
The following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles include information regarding known issues that can be addressed with a HotFix, registry modification, or SP1.
Mapping drives on a Windows 7 or Vista operating system with UAC On is another operation where the computer will behave differently depending on whether the user is elevated at the time the drives are mapped. Windows tracks two sets of drive mappings, which are based on whether the mapped drive is elevated. With UAC On, elevated and non-elevated domains remain separate. This means that an elevated program which requires you to specify a file location can display a different set of mapped drives than a non-elevated program. When operating Windows as an Administrator with UAC Off, you will always see a single set of drive mappings. If you find out there are several non-elevated drive mappings that must be elevated, please contact your network specialist.
Updates need to be installed from the server, or error messages may occur. For example, let's say you have downloaded the latest update from our website to the network drive, but you are at a workstation. If UAC is On and you browse out on the network to install the update, you may receive a message similar to the following:
The specified folder: "Q:\Tabs3\" does not exist.
This message is due to the drive mapping of the elevated and non-elevated domain being separate.
A window with
the message "This program might not have installed correctly" may be displayed when closing the browser included with a Tabs3
and PracticeMaster installation CD, a slideshow demo, or a multimedia tutorial.
The message indicates that the program may not have installed correctly.
Although this may occur when closing the installation CD, this message is not
related to the installation of the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software. Selecting
the This program installed correctly option will prevent this message
from being shown for slideshow demos and multimedia tutorials that are installed
locally; however, the message may be shown again when closing CD browsers, or
when running slideshow demos or multimedia tutorials from an installation CD.
The following is a list of situations that may occur when accessing PracticeMaster software while using a Windows 7 or Vista workstation.
This issue may occur when viewing a Daily or Weekly Calendar in PracticeMaster. In general, non-working hours appear gray when viewing a PracticeMaster Daily or Weekly Calendar. When using a Windows theme in which the background color is white, it is not possible to see the shading in the calendar. To make the shading visible, you will need to change the color settings within Windows, or you can select the Windows Classic theme.
This issue may occur when a Windows 7 or Vista computer is running antivirus software and hosting the PracticeMaster Briefcase data. It is caused by a combination of how Windows treats open files on a network and how antivirus software accesses your files. Because of this issue, it may be difficult for a user to complete the check in process over a network. If this situation occurs, the user will be unable to check in the Briefcase data and will need to force PracticeMaster to close. To work around this problem, exclude the STI program and Briefcase data directories from the antivirus software, as recommended in R10760, Antivirus Software Information.
When logged into Windows 7 or Vista with UAC On, there is a situation to be aware of regarding program elevation. When integrating PracticeMaster and Outlook, if the first program opened is in an elevated state, then the second must be opened in an elevated state as well. If the first program is opened in an elevated state, but the second is not opened in an elevated state, PracticeMaster will not be able to poll your e-mail. This issue occurs because objects created by an Administrator user cannot be shared with the Standard user. To avoid this situation, either run both programs with the same elevation status, or be sure to open the first program in a not elevated state. This can occur using any program with Windows 7 or Vista, so the best way to avoid the situation is to not elevate a program when selecting to run it. To help make sure this situation does not occur, Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software will prompt you if elevation is needed for a function, without elevating the program as a whole.
Administrator rights are required when attempting to install or uninstall the PracticeMaster integration toolbar plug-ins on a workstation (e.g., the Outlook, HotDocs, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word toolbar plug-ins, etc.). This is because Administrator rights are required for a user to edit the computer's Windows registry, and each of these plug-ins requires a registry setting to be edited. At minimum, these functions require you to login as a Standard user with UAC Enabled to allow the option for elevation. A Standard user with UAC Disabled will not have the option for elevation to Administrator rights.
When attempting to install or uninstall the PracticeMaster integration toolbar plug-ins, users will automatically be asked for administrator credentials to perform these tasks. A UAC shield icon will denote the few areas in the software that require an Administrative password.
Note: The Microsoft Word toolbar plug-in cannot be installed for the Standard user when logged in as a Standard user with UAC Enabled. Installing the Word plug-in under this setting will only install the Word plug-in for the Administrator user.
There are two known issues regarding the use of CompuLaw Version 9 with a Windows 7 or Vista workstation. These issues occur because CompuLaw does not request elevation before attempting to access your workstation's registry. Elevation is required for registry access, and therefore two error messages can occur: "You are using an unregistered copy of the CompuLaw CRD engine." and "The rule set that you have selected is either inactive or does not have a valid access code." Elevating the program by selecting Run as administrator before opening PracticeMaster, or logging into Windows as an Administrator with UAC Disabled eliminated these messages. Refer to KB article R10996, "Troubleshooting CompuLaw Integration" for more information.
Note that these issues are not present in CompuLaw Version 10. CompuLaw Version 10 requires PracticeMaster Version 15.3 or later for integration. Complete information regarding the CompuLaw conversion can be found in KB Article R11303, "PracticeMaster Version 15.3 Conversion Information for CompuLaw".
Note: If you are using the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software Version 14 or prior, refer to KB Article R11150 - How Windows 7 and Vista Affect Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Software (Version 14.3 and Prior).
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