Microsoft has reported issues with Skype over this period. It looks to have been caused by a deliberate external 'attack' on their systems.

Problems ranged from logging in issues to not being able to use the system.

Norman
 

The File Manager appears on the Utilities menu. It is a routine to repair corrupted or damaged files.

Corruption is never a good sign and indicates an underlying problem. It occurs very rarely on an individual computer and is normally associated with network or hardware issues when the data is held on a server or NAS drive. You should not run a Fix on files as a routine. You should actively look for the cause of any data corruption.

It is recommended that you perform the File Fix on a single file at a time. Log everyone out before performing a File Fix.

If the File Manager finds errors in a file then you should be aware that if it cannot fix the individual record then it will remove it. Therefore before you perform a Fix then you should perform a backup.

Normally a Fix will just run through without issue and it will just flick on the screen. However if you get a popup screen asking about source file and destination file then you are missing some files in the data directory that the program needs to perform a Fix. The associated TPE file is missing from the data directory, this is a small file that just contains the structure of the main data file. Copies of all the TPE files are in www.zipzap.eu/downloads/TpnUK/TPEfiles and can be downloaded and copied into the data directory to get around this in the short term.

In extreme cases you may need to copy the data from the network directory to a new directory on the local C: drive then alter the Data Path in Utilities to this, then run the File Manager. If the File Manager works successfully on the local C: drive but not on the network drive then you have some kind of permissions issue in Windows. You will need to speak to whoever manages your network.

Norman

As you will have noticed, there is a bit of a heatwave at the moment.

Computers really do not like high heat and may fail if they get too hot.

Try to keep the computer cool. Ensure that the air vents are clear. Aim a fan at them if you can.

Symptoms of overheating include 'hanging' and screen tearing or distortion.

It's a good time to maintain a proper backup regime.

Norman
 

Just add the RDCN and RDCD services into TPN Invoicing directly using Setup/Services then simply use Setup/Dynamic to set them to price to standard services.

Norman
 

This is an Invalid Record Declaration. Data corruption.

It indicates a disk or network error of some description.

If the data is on a network or NAS drive then there is an easy check for you to perform.

Make a new directory on your local C: drive called MYDATA and copy all the data from the remote directory into it. Run TPN Invoicing and go into Utilities and Data Path. Alter this to C:\MYDATA

Run the File Manager on any files reported as having problems. Test the system afterwards.

Remember to alter the data directory in TPN SOAP if you are using this.

If it works fine on the local C: drive but doesn't on the network or NAS drive then your issue is outside the program.

Norman
 

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and was finally approved by the EU Parliament on 14 April 2016. The Enforcement date is 25 May 2018.

It tightens the restrictions on holding personal data and increases the penalties for breaches.

If you work with EU countries then you MUST conform to it even after Brexit.

The most notable feature is that opting-out is now a requirement. If you want to receive further information or join a mailing list then you must actually opt-in.

Norman
 

Profit and Loss reports added on secure area menu.

General tidy up.

Norman
 

 WUDFHost.exe running at 30-40% alone and the CPU at 100%

This happened to us recently on one computer. It took a lot of research to track it down to a single driver not liking a recent Windows 10 update.

The driver was for an NFC project using an NXP Semiconductor USB. Windows just didn't like the driver.

You could terminate the process but it kept reloading WUDFHost and it went back to 100% load.

The answer was to remove the associated program then go into Control Panel and Devices and remove the hardware entry.

After removal and a reboot the CPU went down to 27%.

Norman