Cashbook Complete - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)



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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Frequently Asked Questions are divided into the following categories:

New Users

Registration

Accounting

Why don't the Balance Sheet Category amounts show up on the graph ?

Invoicing

Printing

Data Transfer & Backup

Other

New Users

Can I send the Cashbook to my accountant ?
Yes, you can email your data file to your accountant (or post it on a USB Drive). Your accountant will need to install the Cashbook (free download from the web) to view your data. See below for more information on how to email your Cashbook file.

Can I import into MYOB, Solution 6, or CA Systems ?
No, we don't have any facility for that yet.

Can I import my data from another program ?
The Cashbook can import customer (for more information, search Cashbook Help for Importing Contacts) and product (for more information, search Cashbook Help for Importing Products and Services) data from a spreadsheet, so if you can get the other programs data into a spreadsheet, then you can. The Cashbook can also import QIF files from Quicken and MS Money or any other program that exports a QIF file. For more information, search Cashbook Help for Cashbook - Importing From Another Program.

Can I import bank statements ?
Yes you can. The imported data will be merged with the data that is already in the Cashbook. For more information, search Cashbook Help for Importing a Bank Statement.

Can I email invoices, statements and quotes ?
Yes, with version 4.0 onwards you can. For more information, search Cashbook Help for Emailing Invoices, Statements and Quotes.

How do I fax my reports ?
To fax reports, invoices or statements to someone else using your computer, you need to have a fax modem and faxing software (such as WinFax Pro) installed. The faxing software will configure itself as a printer. To fax something from the Cashbook, you simply Preview the report, select Print from the File menu, select Setup, select the Fax (printer), press OK, and the next OK. The faxing software will then ask for the fax number, and the fax will be sent.

How do I find out what version I have ?
The current version is in the About screen and Support screen.

Do I have to pay for updates ?
At the time of writing updates are free off the internet.

If I upgrade, will I lose my data ?
No. Your data file will be upgraded to the latest version and your data will remain intact.

How much support do I get ?
You get three free support calls / emails, and after that it is at our discretion, so don't use your free support for trivial questions which are covered in Help. If you want more support, it costs $50 for another three calls / emails.

Why is your program so cheap ?
We are going for the mass market, and are going for high volume rather than high price.

Why is your program so expensive ?
Compared to other accounting software, it actually isn't expensive. After using the program for free for a few months, maybe it does feel expensive.

What is the difference between your program and MYOB ?
MYOB is more comprehensive and has all the bells and whistles, but is also a lot more difficult to use (in our opinion). Some of our customers have come from MYOB and find our software refreshingly simple and easy to use. Others have converted over to MYOB because they want the bells and whistles, and have the appropriate training to use it.

Can I customise the software ?
You can customise your letterhead setup, and can configure your own reports, but cannot customise it beyond that.

Does it run on a Mac ?
If you install Virtual PC, you can run it on a Mac. We don't have Mac's so we don't provide support for this configuration, but our users have told us that it works fine.

Can Cashbook Complete do wages ?
Cashbook Complete doesn't do wages for the Australian market.

Does it do stock control ?
Yes it does.

I need a report to . . .
Cashbook Complete lets you configure your own reports with the Report Writer. For more information, search Cashbook Help for Report Writer - General Procedure.

Can you email me the program ?
There are several web sites you can download it from. They are www.acclaimsoftware.com, www.cashbookcomplete.com, www.acclaimsoftware.com.au and the download page on this web site.

Registration

Do I need to register again if I run it on two computers ?
No, because the registration is on a datafile basis. This allows you to access the datafile from multiple PCs on a network, share your datafile with your accountant, or use your datafile at multiple locations (such as home and office). This method doesn't require you to register the software for each PC or lock you into any yearly fees. If you need to restore from a backup, your registration details will also be restored.

However, if you set up several data files for several organisations, then each one will need to be registered separately. Once you have registered one Cashbook, then all subsequent ones are half price. You should not create a new data file at the end of a financial year.

I've registered, but the registration reminder is popping up
You either haven't typed in the registration code we sent you, or else have created a new data file which is unregistered. Registration is on a per data file basis. It could also be because you registered Cashbook Lite, but are using the features of Cashbook Complete.

When I register will I keep my data, or do I have to start again ?
You can carry on with the data you have already entered.

If it times out (expires) after the free trial, will I lose my data ?
No you won't lose your data, but you won't be able to access it until you have registered, and the registration code is typed in.

I've changed my company name, and now I need a new code
You don't need a new code. You can change your organisation name in the Setup Wizard and the software will remain registered. If you set up a new data file, it will need to be registered separately.

Why do I have to pay for another data file ?
The registration is on a datafile basis. This allows you to access the datafile from multiple PCs on a network, share your datafile with your accountant, or use your datafile at multiple locations (such as home and office). This method doesn't require you to register the software for each PC or lock you into any yearly fees. If you need to restore from a backup, your registration details will also be restored.

If you set up several data files for several organisations, then each one will need to be registered separately. Once you have registered one Cashbook, then all subsequent ones are half price. You should not create a new data file at the end of a financial year.

My Unlock code doesn't work
Make sure that the Organisation Name in the Setup Wizard is the same as the organisation name that you registered. If it is, and the code still does not work, then contact us.

I've ordered but haven't received an email
This can happen if the email address you give us is incorrect. If you haven't received it in 24 hours, then please contact us.

If I register and then change my mind, can I get a refund ?
We give a generous trial period (90 days), but once you decide to buy, there is no refund.

Accounting

Why don't the Balance Sheet Catagory amounts show up on the graph ?

In the Cashbook :-

Income categories are for your sales / income.
Expense categories are for your costs / expenses.
Balance Sheet items are those items where although there is a transaction of some nature, it does not directly affect your cash profit.

Examples of Balance Sheet categories are :-

Transfer - If you transfer money from one bank account to another, that does not affect your cash profit.
Assets - If you purchase an asset, the asset will affect your bank balance, but not your cash profit. An allowance for depreciation will be made by your accountant at the end of the year.
Drawings - If you take drawings (Salary) out of the company, you are taking some of the profit out of the company, but you are not affecting the profit you make.
Tax Paid to the Tax Department - You will have been collecting Tax on behalf of your Country. The Tax payments you make to them are therefore not an expense.
Loans - Receiving a loan, helps your cash flow but you don't want to include it with your sales.

The graph only shows items that contribute to your profit.

Invoicing

How do I allocate a cashbook payment to an invoice ?
In the Cashbook screen there are extra details at the bottom of the screen which relate to the line that you are currently on. To allocate a payment to an invoice, go to the payment in question and select the invoice to which it pertains.

How do I allocate a single payment to multiple invoices ?

There are two ways to handle one payment for multiple invoices:-

Enter the payment into the Payments Received screen in such a manner that the correct amount is allocated to each invoice and the total of these amounts is equal to the payment you received. That is, the payment must be manually split up into as many payments as there are invoices to receipt. See the Help for that screen for more information.
Create a split transaction in the cashbook with one line for each invoice that needs to be receipted, and then allocate each of those lines to the appropriate invoice using the INV control at the bottom of the screen.

How do I allocate an income or expense to a project ?
In the Cashbook screen there are extra details at the bottom of the screen which relate to the line that you are currently on. To allocate an item to a project, go to the item in question and select the project to which it pertains. For expenses you also select the Project Item.

How do I get a copy of the invoices or statements I have emailed to people ?
In Email setup (under the Invoicing menu) you can make Cashbook Complete send a copy of all emails to your own email address by entering your email address in the "Copy Invoice and Statement Emails to" box.

Can I send an invoice as an email attachment?
Cashbook Complete will let you email invoices in HTML format, although, it will not save invoices as email attachments. You can still achieve this, however, by using third-party software, such as a free PDF Printer Driver which allows you to convert the contents of the screen into a PDF document. You can then email the PDF document to someone using your email software.

A recommended PDF printer driver to use is Primo PDF and is available as a free download from the Internet.

Printing

How do I make an invoice "outstanding" without printing it ?
An invoice normally becomes outstanding when it is printed or emailed, but sometimes people don't need to print them. To make it outstanding without printing it, go into the invoice, select Print from the File menu, and then press Cancel.

How do I change the print margins of my Invoice / Statement ?
To change these margins, go into the Invoicing screen for an invoice (or the Statement screen) and select Print Setup from the File menu. Enter the margin settings you desire. The margin settings are retained for the next time they are printed, but for other reports they are not. Every time the software is re-installed or updated the margins are set back to their defaults, so it may be worth writing them down if they are important.

How do I change the print margins of other reports ?
To change the margins of any other report, simply preview it first, and then select Print Setup from the File menu to change the margins. These margin settings are not retained for the next time the report is printed.

Data Backup & Transfer

How do I back up my Cashbook Complete data to CD ?
You cannot backup onto a CD from within Cashbook. A CD writer requires special software to write to the CD. The operating system (Windows) is what handles the reading and writing of devices. The operating system will read/write to a floppy disk with no problems, but it's not equipped to write data to a cd writer (Windows XP attempts it, but it's still not quite there yet).

Usually when you buy a CD writer, it comes with software such as Nero, or Easy CD. You'd need to use this software to backup to CD. This type of software does require basic computer skills, so if you look at it and aren't sure how to use it, then you'd need to get a computer technician (or friend/relative) to give you a hand. You basically need to copy the <Company Name>.CB file (as shown in the blue title bar at the top of the screen in Cashbook Complete) to the CD writer. All the Cashbook information including the registration information is stored in those files. If you can't see any .CB files, then you probably have the viewing of file extensions turned off, and you will need to turn them on.

Once you've figured out how to do it, it shouldn't take any more than 2-5 minutes to backup the Cashbook data to a CD. Backing up onto a CD is also far more reliable than backing up onto floppy disks.

Please note that this question is also answered in Cashbook Complete Help.

How do I export my data to Excel or another program?
You can export the Cashbook data to Excel (or any spreadsheet program) using the report writer.

It's possible that other programs could then be able to import this data from the spreadsheet. You would need to contact the vendor of the program in question to find out if this is possible.

For more information on how to use the report writer, please read chapter 6 of the online instruction manual.

How can I transfer my data between two PC's running Cashbook Complete ?
You can transfer data using the Backup/Restore feature. To use this feature to transfer data simply do the following:

On the source PC, back up your data to a USB Drive or floppy disk(s).
On the destination PC, restore the data from the USB Drive or floppy disk(s) used in step 1.

If your PC doesn't have a floppy disk drive, and can't write to a USB Drive, you could try emailing your datafile to the other PC (see below) or burning it to CD (see above).

How do I email my datafiles to my accountant or to Acclaim Software for support or to another computer ?

To email your datafile:

Go into Windows Explorer.
Go to the "Support" screen in Cashbook Complete, and click on the full filename shown at the bottom of the screen. This will open a window with a list of all your data files (Version 5 or later).
Right-click on the <your company name>.CB file and select Send To | Mail Recipient.
Your email program should open with a new blank message with the file attached.
If you are sending the file to us (Acclaim Software), please include a brief description of the problem you need help resolving.

Other

How do I transfer the Cashbook to another machine ?
This is covered in Cashbook Help under Transferring to Another Machine

My computer has died, and I need a new unlock code
If you restore from backup onto your new computer it will automatically be registered.

Can someone give me some training ?
If there is a local dealer, you could ask them.

Can I email my contacts from the Cashbook ?
Yes, you can by double clicking on their email address in the Contacts screen.

Can it do a Purchase Order ?
No, sorry, we don't have Purchase Orders.

What do I need to do to become a dealer ?
You need to have a reasonably good knowledge of the Cashbook, and need to be a registered user already. For more information please contact us.

Can I have a Split in Bills to Pay ?
This is available in version 4.0

How do I display a different currency symbol ?
You can change the currency symbol by going into the Setup Wizard, keep clicking on next until you get to the General Setup screen. To the right of the customisation box is an Advanced button. Click this and you will see that you can change the currency display format.

How do I set up more than one Cashbook file ?
You can select New Cashbook from the File menu.

Each new Cashbook is stored in its own datafile. Please note that registration works on a per datafile basis. Each datafile you set up needs to be registered individually. Once you've registered your first datafile, each subsequent datafile is half price.

If you don't require tax for your additional datafiles, then you can use Cashbook Home which is free.

Whenever the Cashbook program is started, it will open the most recently used datafile by default. To select another datafile, select Open Cashbook from the File menu.

	Overview
	Spend less time counting money and more time making it! Use Cashbook Complete and find out how easy it can be.

Features

FREE trial
Download a free trial version here. Valid for 90 days, the full featured trial version comes with free helpdesk support to answer your questions.

Easy to use interface
If you find other accounting programs too daunting, then Cashbook Complete is for you. It's easy-to-use layout, and easy accounting principles makes it a must for the (non accountant) small business operator.

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