Agency Business Systems, Inc

FAQ: Technical

These Frequently Asked Questions are for IT Professionals, computer literate individuals, and ABS users who are moderately skilled with the software. If you don’t fall into those groups of people, you may find this FAQ hard to follow. In that case, please take advantage of our no-charge support.

Check here for answers to ABS-Cloud questions, and here for general user questions.


I can’t log in because there are too many users connected.

There can be several causes for this, but the simple solution is to restart Windows on the host computer, the server. Before restarting, make sure everyone has logged out of ABS.
IMPORTANT: Restart even though you may shut down at night. They don’t do the same thing.

Upgrading Windows on the server (Host): What to do?

You will need the installation manual during this process, although it does not cover changing host operating system. When upgrading Windows, follow these instructions:
1. Use ABS Data Backup to make a removable backup of your data.
2. Upgrade Windows making sure it is still connected to your network.
3. After Windows is operating properly, install ABS per the installation instructions (especially step 14).
→ 3a. Do a Host installation.
→ 3b. Do not attempt to open ABS yet.
4. Using ABS Data Restore, restore the data from the backup made in step 1. You may now open ABS.
Note: if the new host has a different Computer Name, you will need to reconfigure the path for each workstation.

How can I change the server (Host) to a different computer?

You will need the installation manual during this process. It does not cover changing host computers, so follow these instructions:
1. Use ABS Data Backup to make a removable backup of your data.
2. Make sure the new host computer is connected to your network.
2. On the new host, uninstall ABS if installed.
3. On the new host, install ABS according to the installation instructions (especially step 14).
→ 3a. Do a Host installation.
→ 3b. Do not attempt to open ABS yet.
4. Restore the data from the backup made in step 1. You may now open ABS.
5. If the old server is to be retained as a workstation, uninstall and reinstall as a workstation.
Note: if the new host has a different Computer Name, you will need to reconfigure the path for each workstation.

How can I add a new workstation?

A full installation manual is here. It covers the server (Host) setup, as well as client workstation installation. Follow the instructions to the letter, especially step 14.