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Selected Tips from Our Newsletter

Q. I have a question that isn’t addressed in the User Manual. How can I get an answer?

A. The quickest way is to start TimePilot Central, click the “Help” menu, and choose “Help.” There’s a lot more content in the software’s help system than there is in the manual. You might find the section called “Definitions” especially helpful. To see that section, start the software’s help system and scroll down to the bottom of the left panel.

Can’t find help there? Check our web site’s Support Center or contact our support staff at Support@TimePilot.com or 1-630-879-6400 x104.

Q. My TimePilot software is telling me I should update. Any tips?

A. Yes. When the software tells you to update, before you start the process, you should close TimePilot Central. This will enable the update to take effect immediately.

Q. I need to replace the AA batteries in my Extreme. What kind to you recommend?

A. We recommend alkaline AA batteries. They will last longer and are less expensive than lithium batteries.

Q. I have Vetro mounted to my wall, and it’s difficult to detach the network cable from the clock. Is there an easier way?

A. Yes. Instead of depressing the tab on the network cable’s connector to release it from the clock, gently push the entire cable connector away from you. The tab will be freed and the connector will release.

Q. How can I find out where my clock-in and clock-out data is located?

A. Easy! Start any TimePilot program, click the “Help” menu at the top of the screen and choose ”About.” Your data location will listed (as "Data Path") in the pop-up box.

Q. I have TimePilot Extreme, and I've lost my user manual. Where can I get another copy?

A. Manuals for all of TimePilot’s products are available at the Support Center on our web site. You can also download copies of our products’ Quick Start Guides, sales brochures and other material there. We’ve also put together “cheat sheets” that you can post next to your clock to show your employees how to clock in and out. They're also available in the Support Center.

Q. I have the Vetro timeclock, and I’ve forgotten my clock’s password. How do I retrieve it? And while I’m at it, how do I change it?

A. To see your clock’s password, right-click the image of the clock in Vetro Data Manager. Choose “Properties” from the pop-up menu to see the password.

To change your clock's password:

• If your Vetro is used in Network Mode (attached to your local area network), right-click the image of the clock in Vetro Data Manager, choose “Network Functions” then “Change Clock Settings” from the pop-up menu and make the change on the screen that appears.
  
  
• If your Vetro is used in Standalone Mode (you collect the clock-ins and clock-outs with the USB drive), right-click the image of the clock in Vetro Data Manager, choose “USB Functions” and then “Change Clock Settings” from the pop-up menu and make the change on the screen that appears. Then transfer the changes to the clock with your USB drive.

Q. We have TimePilot Vetro. Once I have entered an employee into the system and he has been clocking in and out, is there a way to edit his User ID without having problems with my database?

A. Changing a user’s ID is not recommended, but can be done. The way to do it without causing chaos is first to collect the transactions from your Vetro clock. Once you have all the transactions in TimePilot Central, change the user’s ID within TimePilot Central and immediately transfer the changes to the Vetro clock. Make sure the user whose ID you’re changing doesn’t clock in or out while you are making the changes.

If at all possible, try to avoid changing a user’s ID, because that’s what the software uses to identify transactions in the TimePilot database. If a user’s ID suddenly no longer exists, any transactions linked to that ID will become orphans and need to be corrected manually. If an employee leaves the company, it’s far better to make him or her "inactive" so they cannot clock in or out but their profile is still linked to old transactions. To do so, open the employee’s profile and clear the “Active” checkbox.

Q. I have TimePilot Vetro running in standalone mode—I use the USB drive. I’d like to stop using the USB drive and connect the clock to my network. How is this done?

A. It's a very easy to switch Vetro to a network. After you plug your network cable into the clock, open Vetro Data Manager. You should see a green square next to the picture of your timeclock if the Vetro Data Manager found the clock on the network. If there's a red square, that indicates that the network hasn't found the clock, and you should have your network administrator make sure the settings in the clock's Administration menu match your network's IP and DHCP settings.

Vetro Data Manager must be running if you want to retrieve transactions from the clock in real time. If Data Manager is not running, employees will still be able to clock in and out, but the data remains in the clock's memory until you run Data Manager again. The program also allows you to make numerous changes to the clock over the network. You can access these options by right-clicking the icon of your clock and choosing "Network Functions" from the menu that appears.

Q. We would like to transfer the TimePilot program and all the data to another PC. How do we do this?

A. Essentially, the TimePilot system consists of two parts, the TimePilot software application (TimePilot Central, etc.) and the TimePilot data (clock-ins and clock-outs). In a typical installation, the TimePilot software will reside on an individual PC and the data will reside on the server.

Here are two possibilities:

• Example 1: Let's say you just want to use another computer to work with the data, while leaving the data where it is. Simply install TimePilot Central on the new computer. The first time you run TimePilot Central, it will ask you whether you want to use an existing TimePilot database or create a new one. Select “Open an existing database” and point to the data folder on the server.
  
  
• Example 2 (and to answer your original question): Let's say you want to move the TimePilot program AND the data folder to a new computer. First, install TimePilot Central on the new computer. Then copy the folder on the old computer that contains the TimePilot data and paste it into the new PC’s hard drive. The first time you run TimePilot Central it will ask if you want to use an existing TimePilot database or create a new one. Select “Open an existing database” and point to the data folder you pasted onto your hard drive.

Q. I’m taking over responsibility for our TimePilot system from an employee who has left the company, but I don’t know the password to access the system. Can you help me?

A. If you have forgotten or misplaced your password for TimePilot Central, we can help. Call a tech support specialist (1-630-879-6400) and have your license key available, and he or she can issue you a temporary password. The temporary password will expire at midnight, but it will enable you to reset your permanent password.

Q. When I view my employees' work times in TimePilot Central, the times are in decimals instead of minutes—for instance, 7.75 hours instead of 7 hours 45 minutes. Why?

A. This is a common question at TimePilot. At some point, if you pay your employees in dollars and cents, the work hours have to be converted to decimals. TimePilot just does the job for you automatically. We've put together a conversion chart if you want to see the decimal equivalents to minutes. Click here to download the chart (it's in PDF format).

Q. I'd like to see all my employees' information at once. How do I do that?

A. In TimePilot Central, click the black "View Profiles" button at the top of the employee list. You can sort the information by clicking on the column headers. For instance, if you wanted to arrange the data so that the employees were listed by Department, you'd click the blue "Department" column header. That will re-arrange each line so that all the employees in each department are listed together. To reverse the order of the employees (those at the top of the list will appear at the bottom, and vice versa), click the column header again.

Q. Will TimePilot work on a Mac? I am using your Vetro clock system and the TimePilot Central software but we have just switched to Mac.

A. The short answer is maybe. We've done some very limited testing on an Intel-based MacBook Pro running VMWare Fusion software and Windows 7, and TimePilot seems to run correctly; we've also tried it in Apple's Boot Camp, and again, it seems to run fine. However, we don't recommend it because we can't help you very much if you have problems. (We're a Windows-based company.) If you really want to give it a shot, we have a 30-day, no-questions-asked return policy if you bought the system directly from us, so you can return it if it doesn't work for you.

Here's another idea: for less than $200, you can buy a refurbished PC running Windows XP and a refurbished monitor that could be dedicated just to TimePilot work. (We found several candidates at TigerDirect.com's "Overstock Deals" section.) The difference in cost isn't that great: the least expensive version of Windows 7 is $119; VMWare Fusion is about $42 and Boot Camp is free.      

Q. What's the best way to set up a Holiday Schedule for my employees?

A. We suggest giving the Holiday Schedule a generic name (like "Holiday Schedule") when you enter your list of holidays. Then all you have to do at the end of the year is return to that schedule and change the dates of the upcoming year's holidays. Handling it this way lets you avoid the drudgery of changing each employee's profile, as you would if you had created a schedule named after a year (for instance, "2012 Holidays.")

Want to save even more time? When you're entering your holiday schedule in the TimePilot software, you'll see slots for 20 holidays. After you fill in your holidays for the upcoming year, keep going and fill the remaining slots with the holidays for the following year, too.

Q. We use TimePilot Vetro. My employees would like to see their accumulated hours when they clock in, but when they do that nothing but their name shows up. How can I set my clocks so they can see the hours they have worked?

A. That feature is available—and displayed automatically—only if the clocks are attached to your network and Vetro Data Manager is running. Here's why: The accumulated hours aren't calculated inside the clock itself; they're calculated by the TimePilot Central software on your PC or server. Therefore, if you use the USB drive to transfer clock-in and clock-out data, there's no way to get constantly updated information to the clock. In comparison, if your clocks are attached to your network and Vetro Data Manager is running, there is a constant connection between the clock and the PC-based software and up-to-date accumulated hours are displayed.

Q. Is it possible to install the TimePilot Central software on more than one computer? We have a network and numerous people working on payroll.

A. Yes, you can install TimePilot Central on as many computers as you want, though each user will have to have the administrator password to use the software. Please note that you must store your TimePilot database—the place where you store the clock-ins and clock-outs collected by your clock—in a single location on your server.

If you're using TimePilot PC, you'll need a seat license for each computer that will be used by employees to clock in and out, but you can still install TimePilot Central on as many computers as you want.

TimePilot PC comes in two versions: with one seat license, allowing employees to clock in at one computer, and with five licenses, allowing them to clock in at any of five computers. Additional licenses are available, so an entire office can have its employees clocking in at the computers, if you want.

Q. I have installed TimePilot Central and TimePilot PC, but the iButton Receptor isn't reading iButtons. What's wrong?

A. It sounds like you have not installed the Blue Dot Receptor software. Here's how:

1. Put your TimePilot CD into your computer's CD drive.
2. When the installation program starts up, click "Install TimePilot Software."
3. On the next screen click "TimePilot Installation Menu."
   
4. On the next screen, click "Blue Dot Receptor."
5. Click on "32-Bit Version" if you're running a 32-bit version of Windows and "64-bit Version" if you're running a 64-bit version of Windows.
   Not sure which version of Windows you're running? Click here to learn how to find out.
   
6. The driver will install. Now your iButton Receptor should work. 

Q. If I use the Auto Lunch feature, what happens when the employees clock in and out for lunch? Does it deduct their 30-minute lunch period twice?

A. Auto Lunch is an optional feature that eliminates the need for employees to clock out for lunch and then back in when lunch is over. It checks the employee's profile and automatically deducts the amount of time you've set for his or her lunch period.

If you use the Auto Lunch feature, it is set by default to deduct the lunch time only if the employee has worked six consecutive hours without a clock-out or -in. (You can change the six-hour "trigger" to something else; see below.)

For example, let's assume your employee has Auto Lunch enabled with the default setting:

• If they work for more than six consecutive hours and do not punch out in that time, then Auto Lunch will activate.
• If they clock out before the six consecutive hours are worked, the system will ignore the Auto Lunch feature.
• If the employee clocks out after the six hours then yes, the time will be deducted twice and a supervisor will have to delete the extra lunch period transactions. You can stop this by changing the number of hours that must pass before Auto Lunch kicks in. See below for instructions. 
• If the employee works more than 12 hours without clocking out, Auto Lunch will activate after the first six hours and again after the second six hours. You can stop this by changing the number of hours that must pass before Auto Lunch kicks in. See below for instructions.

You can change the number of hours that must pass before Auto Lunch is triggered by starting TimePilot Central, clicking on the "Administrative" menu and then "Auto Lunch Setup." You can turn on Auto Lunch for an employee—as well as set the number of minutes in their lunch period—in their employee profile (TimePilot Central > Setup > Profile Setup).

Q. I'm trying to collect the data from my Extreme clock, but it's not downloading to the USB drive. How can I get it to collect the data?

A. Replace the AA batteries in your clock.

The system was designed so that the first indication that your batteries are running down is that you won't be able to copy the data to the USB drive; believe it or not, the clock can still accept clock-ins and clock-outs from employees, because those use very little power.

(And, of course, any transactions already collected are safely stored in its memory.)

Use alkaline batteries and replace them annually.

Q. The time and date on my computer are correct, but when I transfer data from the Vetro clock to my computer, all the transactions have a date of 2010. What's going on?

A. It looks like you need to correct the time on your Vetro clock. If you have your Vetro plugged into your network, you don't need to worry about this—your clock gets its time from whatever PC is running Vetro Data Manager. 

If you're not connected to a network, here's how you set the date and time:

1. At the Vetro clock, press "99," then "OK," followed by your password.
2. The Administrative Menu will appear. Press 2, which corresponds to "Date/Time" in the menu.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions, using the keypad to enter the date and time.
4. Repeat this process for each of your Vetro clocks.

Q. Why should I activate my software?

A. The short answer is so that it will keep working for you and make it easier for you to get the support you may need.

You have 30 days to activate your software from the date that you install it. If you haven't activated the software, it will remind you each time you start it.

When you activate the software, you start the 30 days of free e-mail and phone support you receive with the product. Activation notifies TimePilot that you purchased our product and helps our Support Technicians answer quickly and easily any question you might have.

If you don't activate the software within the 30 days allowed, it assumes you were simply evaluating the product and will stop working. (Any data collected during that time will be preserved.)

Q. I'm trying to activate my TimePilot software, and it's asking for my serial number. Where can I find it?

A. It's on a sticker on the inside cover of your user manual. Don't lose that number—you'll need it to activate your software and to re-install the software. (The manual is full of useful information, too!)

Q. What's the difference between my serial number and my registration number?

A. As mentioned in the previous question, your serial number is on a sticker in your manual and proves you purchased the software legally. Your registration number is issued at the time you activate the software and indicates that the software has been successfully activated. If you activate the software via the Internet, the number is automatically transmitted into your software; if you activate by phone, a Technical Support specialist will give you a number to enter into the appropriate place in your software.

Q. When I installed the TimePilot program for the first time, something called SAP/Crystal Reports installed at the same time. What is that?

A. The SAP/Crystal Reports program is used by TimePilot to generate reports from the data in the TimePilot Central database.

For instance, when you use the software to create a Summary Report, TimePilot uses Crystal Reports behind the scenes to assemble the data and present it in a form that you can print or download.

Crystal Reports is an extremely popular program and has been a part of the TimePilot software for many years.

Q. Each time we lose power in our building, our TimePilot Vetro clock shuts down and we need to reset the time and date. Is there a way around this?

A. An accurate time and date is essential for any time and attendance system. That's why Vetro requires a supervisor using the administrator password to reset the time and date after an outage. (You wouldn't want your employees resetting the clock, would you?)

You can, however, add a device called an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to your system that keeps enough power flowing to the clock during the outage to keep the time and date accurate.

UPS units, which start at about $40 and are available at your local electronics store, combine a surge strip with a battery backup that will keep your system running when your power goes out. We covered this topic in detail in last month’s newsletter. Click here to see it.

Q. We’re installing our new TimePilot Vetro. It’s on the wall and powered up. We’ve set the time and plugged it into our network. What do we do now?

A. Install the TimePilot software on a computer that’s also on the network. (See the manual for specific instructions.)

You’ll be given a number of choices during installation, but make sure you install TimePilot Central and the Vetro Data Manager. The Vetro Data Manager is a small program that allows your computer to communicate with the Vetro timeclock.

First, you’ll set up TimePilot Central—the core of the TimePilot software—using the setup wizard. When you complete that wizard, you’ll immediately be taken through the Vetro Setup Wizard.

In the Vetro Setup Wizard, you’ll give the timeclock a name, set a password and transfer that information, as well as the names of employees you’ve set up in the software, to the timeclock.

Later on, you’ll use Vetro Data Manager to add new clocks to your system, re-set the time and date and other things. If your network crashes, you can still collect the clock-in and clock-out data using the USB drive that came with your system.

For details on that procedure, as well as far more information on all aspects of the system than appears in the TimePilot manual, check out software’s online help system. To see it, start TimePilot Central and log in with your password. Click the “Help” menu and then click “Help” from the drop-down menu. You’ll see an extensive section on TimePilot Vetro, as well as a long list of definitions of terms used by the software.

Q. Can my employees check their work hours on the Vetro clock?

A. Yes, if you’re running in Network Mode. (Network Mode means that your clock is connected to your network and the Vetro Data Manager is running.)

Here’s how: When the employee punches in their four-digit ID code, their name and accumulated work hours for the current workweek are  displayed on the clock’s screen. Every employee was assigned a four-digit code when they were set up in TimePilot Central, even if they only use an iButton to clock in and out. To find an employee’s code, open their Employee Profile (TimePilot Central  > Setup Menu > Profile Setup > Edit Profile). The code will be labeled “User ID.”   

Q. Why do I need to update my TimePilot software? And how can I do it if my computer is not connected to the internet?

A. Updates are a fact of life. Software is becoming so complex (the TimePilot software alone has more than 500,000 lines of code) that virtually every reputable software company—from Microsoft to Adobe to TimePilot—issues updates to their software. In fact, Microsoft has something called Patch Tuesday: It issues security updates to its software on the first Tuesday of every month.

TimePilot’s updates occur less often, and have included adding features requested by customers, making changes based on customer suggestions and correcting tiny errors that might affect just a few users. In fact, if you call or e-mail TimePilot for support, one of the first questions you’ll probably be asked is if you’ve updated your software.

Some TimePilot customers don’t connect their computers to the internet in an attempt to keep their PCs secure. That’s fine, but it’s still important to keep your TimePilot software updated. Here’s how:

1. At a computer that has internet access, go to this page on the TimePilot web site: http://www.timepilot.com/Support/Downloads1.php.
2. Complete the short form, then click “Submit.”
3. You’ll be taken to a page with a list of updates and programs that you can download. Click the button to download the TimePilot IV Central Update. Save the program to your desktop.
4. Next, download the update to the product you use (TimePilot Extreme, TimePilot PC, TimePilot Vetro, etc.) and save it to your desktop.
5. Copy the saved programs from your desktop to a USB drive or burn them to a CD.
6. Insert the USB drive or CD into your computer(s) running TimePilot.
7. Double-click the file named after the software you want to update ("TimePilotCentral.msi," "TimePilotExtreme.msi" or "TimePilot VetroDataManager.msi" for instance) to install the update.

Q. I’d like the TimePilot software to highlight when an employee has accumulated more than an hour of overtime. Can it do this?

A. Yes it can. The TimePilot IV software can also highlight any combination of eight criteria (more than a specified number of hours worked in a day, more than a specified number of overtime hours in a week, etc.), and assign a color to each.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Start TimePilot Central.
2. Click the “View” menu, then “Alerts Setup.”
3. Check the item(s) you want to highlight, set the number of hours to what you want and choose a color for each category. Note: Make sure you choose a light color—otherwise it will be difficult to see. (For instance, a black background isn’t a good choice, because the numbers are also black.)

Q. I forgot to reset the time on my clock for Daylight Saving Time, and now I have many transactions that are off by an hour. Is there any quick way to fix this?

A. An update was issued to the TimePilot IV software on March 1, 2011, that gives you that capability. It’s called “Adjust Transaction Dates and Times,” and here’s how to set it up:

1. Start TimePilot Central.
2. Click on the transaction(s) you want to change. To select more than one transaction, click the first, then hold down your Control key and click each of the other transactions. To select a group, click on the first transaction in the group, then hold down shift and click the last transaction in the group. All of the transactions in the group will be highlighted.
3. Right-click on the newly highlighted transactions and choose "Adjust Transaction Dates and Times" in the pop-up menu. In the box that appears, enter the number of hours and/or days (use a negative number if you want to go back in time—for instance, if you want to change a transaction from 8 a.m. to 7 a.m.).
4. Click OK. All the selected transactions will change.

If your TimePilot IV software doesn’t show the "Adjust  Transaction Dates and Times" menu item, you need to update your software.

To do so, click on the “Help” menu in TimePilot Central, then choose “Check for Updates.” Follow the instructions that appear to update your software.

Q. In TimePilot Central, the newest transactions appear at the bottom of the screen. How do I have them appear at the top?

A. If you click on the column header titled “Date,” this will toggle between “newest-to-oldest” and “oldest-to-newest.”

If you don’t see a column titled “Date,” you can get one by right-clicking on any column header to call up the pop-up menu and then clicking the “Date” checkbox.

The “Date” column is the literal time when the transaction occurred, without any rules applied (rounding, snap‐to, etc.).

Q. I have my clock-in and clock-out data on my server. When I’m using TimePilot Central, how do I update my transactions to show the latest ones?

A. There are two ways to “refresh” your screen: Press the F5 key at the top of your keyboard (this works for many other programs, too) or click the “View” menu, then “Refresh.”

Q. Is there any way to flag specific transactions in TimePilot Central? For instance, I'd like the software to indicate where an employee has accumulated an unusually high number of overtime hours.

A. Yes—with the "Alerts" function, you can have the software apply a color tint over the cell where it believes an error or problem has occurred.

To access the Alerts function, click the "View" menu and then "Alerts Setup." You can set up as many as eight alerts, each with its own color tint.

For more, see the Alerts page in the Definitions section of the TimePilot IV help files. (In TimePilot Central, click the "Help" menu, then choose "Help" from the drop-down menu that appears.)  

Software note: If you’ve updated your TimePilot Central software after March 15, 2011, you’ve got a new feature! It’s called “Adjust Transaction Dates and Times.”

This feature allows the user to highlight one or more transactions and add or subtract minutes or days from the recorded time. It will be particularly handy if you forget to adjust your clock or your software for daylight saving time and transactions are off by an hour.

To use this feature, highlight the transaction(s) you want to change, right-click on one of those highlighted and choose “Adjust Transaction Dates and Times” from the menu that appears. Any changes you make will affect all the highlighted transactions.

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