Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ Table of Contents

 

Upgrading Or Installing TimeWolf To a Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP Machine

How Do I Install TimeWolf on my computer?

1.      Close all open programs that are not required for the computer to operate properly.  Virus scan programs such as Mcafee or Norton and Findfast, a part of Microsoft Office, are known to interfere with the proper installation of Time Wolf. Many terminate and stay resident programs can be closed by left or right clicking on their icons down in system tray in the lower right hand corner of the desktop.  Other TSR programs can be closed by through the close programs window in Windows 9X & Me or through processes in task manager in Windows NT/200/XP.  Depress the ctrl and alt keys and then tap the delete key simultaneously to access close programs or task manager. Then   highlight the program that you desire to close and select end task.  Findfast and Vschwinn32 are TSRs that are known to cause installation problems.

2.      If you are upgrading to a newer edition of Time Wolf, back up your data files to a temporary directory.  The data files have an extension of tps.  You may find out where the data files are from your tw.ini file (1.x/2.x) or tc32.ini file (3.x/4.x).  Open the ini file by going to start then run and typing tw.ini or tc32.ini and clicking on ok.  This will open the ini file in notepad.  You will a document that looks something like this:

 [paths]

program file location=c:\lonewolf\timewolf\

data file location=c:\lonewolf\timewolf\  ( this is where the data files are)

3.      Make sure that Time Wolf and the Time Wolf system monitor (the green time clock in system tray) are closed on all computers on your network.  

4.      Insert the CD and follow the onscreen prompts.  If you are asked, “Data files detected, do you want to over write?” select NO.

5.      If you are upgrading a network version, make sure that you select the proper path for the program and data files.  The program files are always on the local hard drive.  The data files are may be on another computer or on the local hard drive.

Important

Improperly installing the data files can cause Time Wolf not open. This is of special concern if data files are placed on a drive other than a local hard drive.  A local hard drive is defined as a hard drive physically controlled by a computer. If the data files are placed on any drive other than a local hard drive, several criteria that must be met are:

·        The drive that contains the data folder must be a mapped drive;

·         Users who log into Windows to use Time Wolf to clock in and out must have full read, write, modify privileges for the folder containing the data files;

·        The data files must not be map rooted.

6.      For network upgrades, make sure that all copies of Time Wolf are upgraded at the same time. Also ensure that all copies of Time Wolf, including the system monitor (the green time clock in the system tray), are closed on all computers through out the network until the upgrade/installation process is completed.

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Installing to a Terminal Server

How do I install TimeWolf to a Terminal Server?

For future reference of other customers that will be installing on Terminal Server, here are the installation steps that work for v2.08c and higher           

 

1.) Login as a local administrator, make sure that any mapped drives that will be needed for installation are available.

 

2.) Put the system into Install Mode by opening a Command Prompt and typing "Change User /Install".

 

3.) Install TimeWolf following the on screen instructions. DO NOT REBOOT AT THE END OF THE INSTALL. When asked by the install program select 'No'. 

 

4.) Open Windows Explorer and navigate to '%SystemRoot%\Wtsrv\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup'. Delete the shortcut to the TimeWolf System Monitor.

 

5.) Copy the replacement tw.ini file to '%SystemRoot%\Wtsrv\tw.ini'.

 

6.) Reboot the Terminal Server

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Time Clock Lock - Installation Instructions

Make your TimeWolf System tamper-proof with our Time Clock Lock. This external digital clock fits on the computers parallel port and acts as the time base for all TimeWolf products. Because the clock is external to your computer's system clock, only you can change the time using your secret password. Hardware and software work together to give you ultimate control and eliminate cheating.  The Time Clock Lock has a pass through so that you can continue to use your parallel port accessories such as a printer of scanner.  Whether you are running the network version of Time Wolf or a single user version of Time Wolf, you only need one Time Clock Lock.  In the network version, you place the lock on one computer. This computer must meet the following requirements:

 

·         It must be logged on with the system monitor running;

·         It should be relative fast and memory rich compared to the rest of the computers on the network;

·         Have a parallel port that is enabled and free of resource conflicts.

 

This computer then acts as the timeserver for all of the computers on the networks for clocking in and out.  The setting on the clock can only be changed in the manger's module so you must have managerial privileges to do so.

 

The Time Clock Lock should be installed on a computer that is relatively fast compared to the other computers on the network This computer will also have to remain on with the System Monitor (The green time clock in system tray) running as a terminate and stay resident (TSR)) program. As long as you can see the green time clock in system tray, the system monitor is running.  Also, disable power management in the bios and in the control panel. In the control panel, go to Power Management.  Set the system to always on, system standby never, hard drive always on.  The monitor may be set to turn off after any period you desire.  Disable any screen savers.    

 

The Time Clock Lock uses TCP/IP to communicate over the network.  You must have TCP/IP enabled for the Time Clock Lock to be used by more than one Time Wolf installation.  The computers using Time Wolf must all “see” each other in network neighborhood and have TCP/IP addresses assigned.  These can be either static address or assigned by DHCP.

 

To install the Time Clock Lock:

 

·        Turn off power to computer and printer.

·        Remove printer cable (if present) from parallel port.  

·        Install the Time Clock Lock on your computer's parallel port.  Press firmly until the Time Clock Lock fits snugly against the computer.  

·        Using a small flat-blade screwdriver, screw the retaining screws onto the parallel port.  

·        If required, attach the printer cable to the opposite end of the Time Clock Lock and tighten hand screws.  A printer is not required to run the Time Clock Lock.

·        Restart you computer.

 

 If you are unsure where your parallel port is, refer to your computer's owner's manual.

 

Start Windows.

 

·        Go to Run and type in the following command:  

 

C:\lonewolf\timewolf\hinstall /i

 

After running this program you should receive a message that the HASP driver has been installed.

 

·        Close Windows and turn off the computer.

·        Restart the computer.

·        Start Time Wolf.

 

Setting and Testing the Time Clock Lock:

 

·        Log in Time Wolf with rights to Change System Time.

·        Point your mouse to File and then select Change System Time.

·        Set the time and date appropriately.

·        Close Time Wolf.

·        To test the time clock lock set the computer system time to a time different from the Time Clock Lock time.

·        In 2.x versions of Time Wolf, start the Employee Module.  The Time displayed should be different from the computer system time.  In 1.x versions of Time Wolf, start Time Wolf and clock in.  The clock in time should be different from the system time.  Reset the computer system time to the correct time.

 

If the Time Clock Lock does not work:

 

·        Go to Run and type in the following command:  

 

C:\lonewolf\timewolf\hinstall /iu

 

 

·        The /iu switch installs and updates the driver.

 

After running this program you should receive a message that the HASP driver has been installed.

 

·        Close Windows and turn off the computer.

·        Restart the computer.

·        Start Time Wolf.

·        Repeat the steps for testing the Time Clock Lock.

 

Special Considerations for Windows 2000 and XP.

 

·        In the system BIOS, set the clock up to obtain an IRQ and set it to ECP.    If ECP does not work, try setting the port to standard.

 

In device manager, check the boxes for

 

·        Use any interrupt assigned to the port;

 

·        Auto-detect legacy plug and play devices.

 

 

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Invalid Installation- Please Call Lone Wolf Software

If you have received this error after installing or upgrading Time Wolf, the most likely cause is that Time Wolf cannot see the data files.  This may be because you have a network version and the first time you installed Time Wolf you did a workstation installation and not a network installation.  The network installation must be the first install done with a pack (network) version of Time Wolf.  If this is true, reinstall and select network install.  If his is not true, check the TW.ini file to see where the program thinks the data files are there.  Follow these steps to check this:

 

1)      Open the tw.ini file on the computer that Time Wolf is installed on by going to start, run and typing tw.ini.  This Ini File is where Time Wolf locates paths of your data files.  You will see a notepad document that will look something like this:

 

[Paths]

Program File Location=c:\lonewolf\timewolf\

DATA FILE LOCATION=c:\lonewolf\timewolf\ (this is where your data files are located)

 

[FileManager]

HasBeenRun=True

 

[BACKUP]

BACKUPCOMPUTER=TRUE

 

 

2)     Check the permissions on the folder containing the data files.  All users should have read, write and modify privileges on this folder and the files inside it.

 

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Invalid Key Or Auto Increment Error 

These errors indicate corruption in you data files.  If you are using version 2.08 or higher and can open the manager module, you can fix these files using the built in file manager functions.  Follow these steps:

1)     Open the manger module and log in to Time Wolf;

2)      Close the system monitor on all computers running Time Wolf;

3)      Close Time Wolf  (the employee and manager modules) on all other computers on the internet;

4)    Click on help, click on about Time Wolf ;

5)    Click on the TM in Time WolfTM ;

6)    Click on file manager ;

7)    Click on tag all ;

8)    Click on info ;

9)    Click on fix time ;

10)    Click on Build .

If this does not correct you errors, send all of your data files to mailto:support@lonewolfsoftware.com including the version number of the software, your serial number, your name and telephone number for repair.

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Moving TimeWolf To A Different Computer 

If you have a single user version of Time Wolf with the data files on a drive shared over the network or a network version of Time Wolf, follow these steps:

 

1) Locate your current data files:  Open the tw.ini file on the computer that time wolf is installed on by going to start, run and typing tw.ini.  You will see a notepad document that will look something like this:

 

[Paths]

Program File Location=c:\lonewolf\timewolf\

DATA FILE LOCATION=c:\lonewolf\timewolf\ (this is where your data files are located)

 

[FileManager]

HasBeenRun=True

 

[BACKUP]

BACKUPCOMPUTER=TRUE

 

2)     On the computer that you are installing Time Wolf on, make sure that the drive containing the data is mapped.

3)     Close Time Wolf on all computers on the network including the system monitor (the green Time Clock in system tray).  Your system try is on the bottom right hand corner of the screen next to your computer time.

 

4)     Install Time Wolf on the new computer and point the data directory step in the installation program to the data files in the path above.  

 

 

If you have a single user version of Time Wolf installed on a computer and you wish to move it to a different computer and retain your old data follow these steps:

 

1)     Locate your current data files:  Open the tw.ini file on the computer that time wolf is installed on by going to start, run and typing tw.ini.  You will see a notepad document that will look something like this:

 

[Paths]

Program File Location=c:\lonewolf\timewolf\

DATA FILE LOCATION=c:\lonewolf\timewolf\ (this is where your data files are located)

 

[FileManager]

HasBeenRun=True

 

[BACKUP]

BACKUPCOMPUTER=TRUE

 

 

 

2)      Close the notepad document.

3)     Go into Windows explorer and browse to where the data files are.  Copy all of the files that have an extension of TPS (between 20 to 26 files for the 2.x versions), all files that have an extension of .TWB (Time Wolf back–up files) and the images and Voice verification folders to a floppy disk.  This may require several floppy disks or an LS-120 or zip disk if your files are particularly large.

4)     Install Time Wolf on the computer you are moving Time Wolf to.   

 

Place the data files in the data directory folder on the computer that you have installed Time Wolf on

 

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Unable To Log In As A Manager In TimeWolf

We have a back door built into the program.  To access it we need your permission.  Please send us a fax to (623) 930-0012 on your company letter head that states:

 

I, (your name) have administrator privileges in Time Wolf and hereby authorize Lone Wolf Software to enter my Time Wolf through the back door.

The fax must be signed. 

Please make sure that the fax has your name and phone number on it.  We will need for you to be at the computer with Time Wolf on it to use the back door functions.

Here is the procedure we  use to resolve these issues:

1) You send us the fax;

2) We call you with you at the computer;

3) You tell us the time on the computer;

4) We input the time from your computer into our program that generates the numeric password;

5) We give you the numeric password which you input into the log in screen;

6) This in turn will bring a security override screen;  

7) You select an employee;

8) This will get you into the manager module;  

9) Once into the manger module, you may alter an existing employee's security settings to be an administrator or you may an a new employee as an administrator;

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Time Clock Lock - Troubleshooting

 

A.  Check the version number of Time Wolf.  Ensure that they are running 2.11 or better of Time Wolf. .

 

B.  Check the Operating System Upgrade Status.  If the user is running Windows NT, they should be at Service Pack 6A;  Windows 2000 should at service Pack2, and Windows XP should have the latest service pack installed and  all critical and recommended updates applied.  If the problems persist, have them go to the latest service pack.  In Windows 9X, have the run the Windows upgrade and install all critical and recommended updates.  In Windows 95, they should be at 4.00.950A at a minimum.  950B or 950C are better.

 

C.  Check the minimum Hardware Requirements:  The Time Server must meet the minimum requirements to run the program.

 

D.  Check the Parallel Port.  The parallel port on the Time Server computer must be enabled.  Go into device manager and check Ports [Com and LPT] and ensure that the LPTX (where X is the number of the port) port is there and does not have any resource conflicts.

 

E.  Check TCP/IP.  TCP/IP must be enabled on a network for the Time Clock Lock (TCL) to work.  Check the protocol list in Network neighborhood properties in Windows NT/200.  In Windows 95/98, check network neighborhood properties, network interface card properties, bindings.

  

F.  Check TCP/IP Communications:  You want to ensure that all of the computers on the network can see the computer that has the TCL.  Do this by going into network neighborhood and on each computer running Time Wolf and seeing if the Time Server Computer (the one with the TCL) is listed. Also ensure that each computer running Time Wolf is seen in the Time Server computer network neighborhood.  Each computer must also be able to have two-way communication with the Time Server by TCP/IP.  First, you must have the IP addresses of the computers involved.  You can check the IP configuration on a computer by going to start run and typing in winipcfg and the selecting the NIC name from the drop down menu.  Alternatively, you open a dos box and type ipconfig and receive the same information.  Then check the communications by opening a DOS prompt in Windows 9X or by going to a command prompt in Windows NT and “pinging” the time server.   To do this, go to a client and type ping at the DOS prompt followed by the IP address of the timeserver from the client.  The computer should respond with “ reply from (IP address) followed by bytes =. Time = and TTL=. And ping statistics.  Then try pinging the client from the timeserver.  You should see a similar response to that above.  If you see request timed out, there is a TCP/IP communications issue on your network.

 

G.  Delete and recreate the file that contains the TCP/IP information – the Twwks.tps file.  Use the following steps to do this:

 

 

1)     Close Time wolf and the Time Wolf system Monitor (the green time clock in system try in the lower right hand corner of the screen) on all of the computers on the network.

2)     Then locate your data files – you can do this by going to start rune, typing in tw.ini and hitting ok which opens the tw.ini in note pad.  You should see something like this –

[Paths]

Program File Location=c:\lonewolf\210\

data file location=c:\lonewolf\timewolf\ (this is the data file location)

 

 

[FileManager]

HasBeenRun=True

 

3)     Change file the [File Manager} HasBeenRun=False to HasBeenRun=False.  This will tell the program to check for missing tps files and recreate those are not present.  Save and close the Tw.ini file.  The browse in Windows explorer to the data file location and delete the Twwks.tps file.  

4)     Re-start Time Wolf.

 

 

H.  Replace the LAN Cable from the Time Server Computer to the Wall Socket.

 

I.  Move the Time Clock Lock.  If these actions do not resolve the problem, move the Time Clock Lock to another computer on the Network.

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Bar Code Scanner

Why doesn't our Scanner beep when an Employee Card is scanned?

Check to ensure that the scanner has power and the LED power indicator light is on.

Ensure that the Employee Card is swiped with the bar code facing the thicker part of the scanner.

The Employee Card must be scanned fairly quickly to read. Ensure that you are swiping the card quickly.

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My Scanner Beeps, but the scanner Displays does not display employee information.

 

(A).  Ensure that the badge Id contains the number appearing on the Employee Card. If the Reader Message changes to "Scanned Card Not Valid," then the badge Id is not entered correctly. Ensure the serial connector is pressed firmly into an open serial port.

 

(B). Ensure the Scanner Setup is configured to the proper COM port. Login TimeWolf with security rights to Change Company Information. Select Scanner and Setup. Change the COM port to the next setting, start with COM port 1 and make sure the "Connected to This Computer" check box is selected. Bring up the Scanner Display and scan an assigned Employee card. If the system does not display the Employees Name, and department select the next COM port setting, click OK and retry with the assigned Employee Card.

 

(C). Ensure that there are no conflicts between COM ports. To check in Windows95 or Windows98, right mouse click on the "My Computer Icon", and select Properties. Next, click on the second tab labeled "Hardware Configuration." Click on the (+) signs to expand the selection labeled "Ports (COM and LPT)". Highlighted the first COM port and then select the Properties button. Check the "Device Status" section to ensure that the device is working properly. Click on the "Resources, " tab and check the Conflicting Device area for any conflicts. Repeat this process for all listed COM ports.

 

(D) If you find a conflict or need help with this procedure, click on the Start button and Help button. In the first field on the "Index" tab, type " ports, troubleshooting hardware conflicts." Follow the directions to trouble shoot and resolve the conflict. For windows 3.1 users go to a DOS prompt. Type "Mode" at the prompt and then depress the enter key. Note any conflicts listed. Contact a professional computer repairperson in your area to resolve this conflict or install an additional serial card that can be configured to an available IRQ and COM port.

Consult the serial card's owner's manual for specific information on how to configure the card correctly.

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Windows 3.x 

When I installed TimeWolf on my Windows 3.1 machine I encountered an error and it aborted the installation.

I get this error "The OLE file COMPOBJ is locked and cannot be updated. Please shut down all other running applications and restart the installation". When installing Time Wolf version 1.0 in Windows 3.1 or 3.11 it checks this file and if any other application is using it the installation will stop. Please note, at this point of the installation all of the necessary files have been installed except for the actual folder and the command line. Selecting the folder you want Time Wolf to be installed in and creating a folder can accomplish this. The next step is to create the Time Wolf Icon by creating the command line within this folder. At this point the installation is complete so now launch the program.

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When I installed Time Wolf on my Windows 3.1 machine I encountered several errors but I was allowed to complete the installation. Will this run properly or should I re-install Time Wolf?

Time Wolf is looking for several OLE controls that are included in Microsoft Windows 95 and not in Microsoft Windows 3.1 or 3.11. The installation program recognizes this and installs them during the normal course of the installation. To confirm this works after the installation choose to display a graph from the report menu.

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I tried to use the Time Wolf Help File and it told me this was not a Windows help file.

Time Wolf version 1.0 has some CD-ROM's shipped with a defective Windows 3.1 help file. To correct this problem, save the corrected Help file and copy it into the directory containing TimeWolf, i.e. C:\Lonewolf\Timewolf.  

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Windows 95

When I installed TimeWolf on my Windows 95 machine I encountered an error and it aborted the installation.

I get this error "The OLE file COMPOBJ is locked and cannot be updated. Please shut down all other running applications and restart the installation". When installing Time Wolf version 1.0 in Windows 95 it checks this file and if any other application is using it the installation will stop. You must then close any open programs and start the installation again. If this persists you may need to remove the items in your start up folder to complete the installation. When the installation is complete you may replace the items you have removed.

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When starting TimeWolf the computer returns an error "Not enough memory to run program."

Check your available memory on the hard-drive. The minimum system requirement is 20MB of free space on the drive. Use the Windows Explorer to check this. If you are out of hard drive space you will need to free up space and attempt to reinstall. When starting TimeWolf the computer returns a "General Protection Error," or "GPF". The application is then terminated.

This error is caused by a data file(s) that have now become corrupt and are no longer useful. Copy all the ".tps" files in the lonewolf\timewolf directory to some other directory. Reinstall TimeWolf selecting Typical as the installation of choice. Ensure that you are installing to the same directory where TimeWolf is currently loaded. Go to Company, Information, and then select the Backup tab. Highlight the backup with the latest date and time. Next, select the Restore button. You may have to manually insert activity that occurred between the last saved backup and the current date and time.

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Windows 98

When I try to install TimeWolf version 1.x on my Windows 98 machine the installation stops at the end and a blue screen appears telling me an error has occurred.  How can I get TimeWolf up and running?

The problem you are experiencing happens when TimeWolf attempts to register the program icons to your Start Menu.  TimeWolf is installed on your hard drive at this point.  Be sure to Reboot your computer.  To complete the installation, click on the disk image below and save it to your local hard drive. After downloading, double-click on the twupgrd.exe file to expand.   The files will expand and create a C:\twupgrd directory.  Be sure to read the "Instructions for Upgrade.txt"   before your attempt to install!

flopy.gif (1703 bytes)

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Demo

I just downloaded your Time Wolf and it is asking for some sort of a license number and an ID and a password.

The Time Wolf demo version is a fully functioning "working " model with a 30-day time limit on it. When you choose to install the software it will ask the basic questions of name and company information but it will also ask for your license number. At this point type in "DEMO" as the license number and the software will allow the timed demonstration period to begin. Time Wolf has one system identification and password included for you to gain access to the software. The ID is "SYSTEMAD" which is a condensed version of System Administrator and the password is "PASSWORD". The program is NOT case sensitive and DO NOT include the "" in, either, the ID or the Password. Please refer to the "README.TXT" file included in the download.

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Network

I want to use this for our office network. Is a network version available?

Yes!   Based on the TimeWolf software technology, our TimeWolf Pack allows users to simultaneously access the program form their   individual workstations.  Reports can be generated and work-time data can be accessed across a network, as it happens. See TimeWolf Pack for more information.    

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