Installation
How is this version different from version 3.0 of the Abacus?
My computer crashed and I need to re-install all of my programs, including Abacus SE. How do I do this?
When Abacus SE is installed, does it make changes to my Windows registry or install extra files on my hard drive?
With what versions of Windows can I use Abacus SE?
With what versions of MS Word can I use Abacus SE?

Operation
How can I select all files at once?
Can Abacus SE count WordPerfect documents?
While counting lines, I got an error message that Abacus "can't open the specified document". What does this mean and what do I do?
When trying to prepare an invoice, I received an error message that said "External Exception E06D7363". What does this mean and what do I do?
Will the Abacus count tables and other objects (numbered lists, bullets)?

Log file, Batch screen, and other options
Can I edit the invoice after Abacus creates it?

Until now, all versions of The Abacus that we have made since its birth in 1999 have been MS Word add-in files. These Abacus versions, most recently version 3.0, run from inside Word. This means that you must first start Word and then while Word is open, start Abacus. When you close Word, Abacus closes automatically, and cannot be restarted if Word is closed. The add-in version of The Abacus works very much like an MS Word macro.

Our new version of the Abacus, Abacus SE (formerly known as Abacus 4.0), is a standalone version of the Abacus. Although you need to have MS Word installed on your computer, it does not have to be open for Abacus SE to work. You can open and close Abacus SE when you want, whether MS Word is open or not. Abacus SE was designed to be easier to install and more straightforward to use. We have found this Abacus to be more "user friendly" and of great benefit to less experienced computer users.

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First, download Abacus SE from our web site at:
http://www.theabacus.biz/about40.htm
and install it on your computer, just as you did originally. The file you are downloading is named "AbacusSE.exe". Next you will need your unlock code. If you know what it is, you can now just enter it as you did before by starting Abacus and clicking on "Help->Unlock code". If you can't find your unlock code, send us an email with your name, the name or email address you used when you bought the program, and the year you bought it. We will look up your unlock code and email it to you.

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No, with one exception. The exception is that the uninstallation file ("UnInstall.exe") is placed in your Windows directory, and must be manually deleted if you ever decide to uninstall Abacus.
When you run the Abacus SE installation program ("AbacusSE.exe"), it does the following:
1. Create the folder "c:\abacus" on your hard drive.
2. Create the files "Abacus.exe", "Abacus.hlp", and "AutoDLL.dll" in the "c:\abacus" folder.

When you first run Abacus, it creates the files "AbacusSE.log" and "AbacusSE.ini" in the "c:\abacus" folder. No changes are made to the registry. No other files are placed in your Windows or Windows\system directories, or anyplace else on your hard drive.
If you should decide to delete Abacus SE by running the UnInstall program, the folder "c:\abacus" and its entire contents are deleted.

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Just hold down the "Alt" key while you click the "Add" button.

You have other selection options also. To select a single file from the left listbox and move it to the right listbox, double click on it, click on it once and then click on the "Add" button, or drag-n-drop it. To select more that one file, hold down the "Ctrl" key while clicking on the files you want to count from the left listbox; then click on the "Add" button.

To remove all files from the right listbox, hold down the "Alt" key while you click on the "Remove" button. To remove only specific files from the right listbox, hold down the "Ctrl" key while clicking on files in the right listbox; then click on the "Remove" button.

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Yes. However, you must have MS Word (version 97 or higher) installed on your computer. In addition, most WordPerfect documents require that Word have the proper WordPerfect converter installed to allow Word to read the document. The converter is special software that permits Word to read non-Word documents. The converter software is located on your Word or Office CD. If you try to open a non-Word document using Word, and the proper converter is not installed on your computer, Word will so advise you and ask you to insert your Word or Office CD so that it can install the converter for you.

If you try to use Abacus SE to count WP documents, and you don't have the proper converter installed, Abacus will look as if it is counting the documents but when you inspect the Log screen or the Batch screen, there will be no results displayed. This is because Abacus tries to open the WP document, is unsuccessful in doing so, and therefore just closes the document (and goes on to the next one) without doing any work on it. Solution: Start Word and try to open a WordPerfect document. Word will ask you if you want to install the WP converter. Let it do so, and you should be all set.

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Abacus is unable to count lines in this document because MS Word either can't find the document or is unable to read the document. Most commonly this occurs in one of three different situations:

1. The document to be counted is corrupt and Word is unable to open it or unable to read it. When this is the case, you should open Word and see if you can open the document manually.

2. The document is not a true Word document, and you do not have the proper Word converters installed (see above question) to allow Word to open and read the document. This second situation occurs sometimes if you are trying to count WordPerfect documents (or documents prepared using some other word processor) and have not installed the correct converters. (For most versions of Word, just put your Office or Word CD in the computer's CD player, and Word will attempt to locate the converter on the CD and install it automatically for you when you try to open the non-Word document.)

3. The MS Word global template (a file named "normal.dot") is corrupt. To fix this problem, close MS Word and search your computer for the file "normal.dot" and rename it to "normal.001". Then try Abacus again.
[To search for a file using Windows 95 or 98, click on "Start->Find->Files or Folders"; then type the filename "normal.dot" and click on the "Search" button.
To search for a file using Windows 2000 and beyond, click on "Start->Search->For Files or Folders"; then type the filename "normal.dot" and click on the "Search Now" button.]
If the search fails to locate the "normal.dot" file, follow these three steps and then search again:
(1.) With the Search Results screen still open, click on "Tools->Folder Options" on the menu bar. Then click on the "View" tab. The 6th entry down is entitled "Hide file extensions for known file types". Make sure this is UNCHECKED.
(2.) Look just above the Search Results screen entry that you just examined. You will see an entry that says "Hidden Files and Folders" which has 2 options: "Do not show hidden files and folders" and "Show hidden files and folders". Select "Show hidden files and folders". Click the Apply button, the OK button, and close the "Folder Options screen.
(3.) Now do the search again, but instead of searching for the file "normal.dot", type in the filename "normal.*". You will probably get several responses. The one you are looking for is still "normal.dot". If you find more than one instance of "normal.dot", you should rename them all.

A little more info about the file, "normal.dot".
This file is used by MS Word to hold certain settings, such as your menu and icon bar, and AutoText entries. It is also essential to running Word macros and programs that use Office automation (e.g., Abacus SE). You can delete this file with no harm to Word, but you will lose your AutoText entries and saved Word settings. If you delete the "normal.dot" file, you will NOT lose any Word documents or files. When the "normal.dot" file (AKA the Word "global template") is deleted, the next time you start Word a new and uncorrupted "normal.dot" file is automatically created.

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This error message almost always means that the MS Word global template, a file named "normal.dot", is corrupt. If you have a backup copy of this file, now is the time to install it. If you don't, you should locate and rename your "normal.dot" file. If you are unsure how to do this, please refer to the section immediately above this one.

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Yes. When counting gross lines, it will count any table's row as a line if the first cell in that row has visible text in it. If that first cell is empty, then the Abacus will think it's just a carriage return and will ignore it. When counting as characters per line, it counts all characters.

Abacus cannot counts characters that constitute numbered lists or bullets when using the counting option "Spaces, tabs & returns". Therefore if you use such lists, you will get a more accurate count (when counting characters) if you select the option to "Include spaces" or count just visible characters; and do NOT use the option to count "Spaces, tabs & returns".

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Yes. After the invoice is created, it is just an MS Word document which you can save, print, and edit just like any other Word document.

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We will if you just email it to us. You may also want to consult the "Help" file that came with the Abacus (by starting Abacus and clicking on "Help->Contents"). It has a great deal of information about installation, operation, and troubleshooting. If you don't have access to it, you can download it or read it by right-clicking right here and selecting the "Save Target As" option.