In this page you can find an updated list
of the most frequent questions that we receive from our users and
their answers. It is convenient to check this list before contacting
our technical service. At the end of the page we have included a list
of suggestions to take the greatest advantage from the functionalities
of ProAnt.
Frequently Asked Questions of First Time Users
Question:
When started the program reports the error "You must run the utility GSSADD!".
What should I do?
Answer: ProAnt does not recognize the key. If your operating
system is Windows NT/2000/XP,
then you need to install the parallel port driver
by following the instructions of the Readme.txt file in the directory
(folder)
Drivers\NTDrv of the installation CD of ProAnt.
Normally it is sufficient to log in as administrator and run the file GssAdd.exe in the folder
Drivers/NTDrv with a double click of your mouse.
Please be advised that the parallel port where you install the key
should be configured in SPP mode. If after performing the operations
above the problem is not solved, please contact our technical service.
Question:
Sometimes the programs hangs during a printing job and reports an error of
key not present. What should I do?
Answer:
It is necessary to make sure that your parallel port is configured as SPP or EPP
or Bidirectional or Standard. No ECP option should be enabled. Typically this
configuration can be done only through the BIOS of your computer. There is no standard
procedure to change BIOS configurations, so if you do not know what we are talking
about you are advised to seek help from an expert.
If after configurig correctly your parallel port the problem persists, check in the
Automatic Execution directory (folder) of Windows whether there are any applications
that may interfere with the parallel port (driver of a scanner, driver
of an Iomega zip device, ...) and try to disable such
applications to se which one is causing the problem. We have noted that
sometimes the Office toolbar causes problems.
Sometimes it is advisable to install a second parallel port, e.g., when you printer
requires that your parallel port to be configured in ECP mode.
If the problem still persists,
please contact our technical service.
Question:
When started the program takes a long time to run and the computer slows down
considerably What should I do?
Answer:
This problem occurs if Norton Antivirus is active in a Windows NT/2000/XP environment.
You should deactivate Norton Antivirus before running ProAnt.
Question:
Some pieces of ProAnt do not appear on the screen.
What should I do?
Answer:
Your screen is configured with an insufficient resolution. ProAnt
requires a minimum screen resolution of 800x600. To solve the problem
it is sufficient to configure the screen to a higher resolution,
provided that your system can handle higher resolutions.
Sometimes the screen is configures at 800x600 while the monitor is
configured at 640x400. This situation can be recognized by checking
whether the image on the screen scrolls by moving the mouse to the
bottom-right corner. If your monitor does not support a minimum
resolution of 800x600 (it must be a very old monitor), then you need
to replace your monitor.
Question:
The text within the ProAnt screens goes over other graphical
elements. What should I do?
Answer:
You should make sure that Windows is configured with small characters.
To solve the problem select small characters in the screen section of
the control panel. In Windows 98 you should view the advanced screen
settings to change the character properties of the screen.
Question:
If I move the key between several computers ProAnt asks for
a personalization each time. Why?
Answer:
Your licence of ProAnt can be used on a single computer. Each time you move
the key to a new computer the key is reinitialized. Since it is typical
to use a program on a desktom and on a laptop, you can move freely
the key between two computers, without being asked for a personalization
each time, provided that you use the same identical personalization
on both computers.
Question:
I cannot find some components in the library. What should I do?
Answer:
When you load the data of a component from a library, ProAnt shows
only the codes of those components that are compatible with the
symbol of the component you are defining. Often a component is not
found because you are using the wrong symbol. A typical example is given by
a designer that uses only the four SAT lines of a 5-lines switch. Although
you use 4 inputs, the correct symbol for the component is a switch with 5
inputs. If you are using ProAnt version 4 you can find the correct symbol for a
component by selecting its code in the panel that appears on the left of the screen
in drawing mode. Once the component is selected, the components toolbar is automatically
adjusted to the correct graphical symbol. If you are using an earlier version of ProAnt,
then you can check whether a code exists in the library by trying an update procedure
or by checking the contents of the library via the window to add a line to the
estimate of expenditures.
Sometimes the component may not be in the library at all. In such case
you can input the data of the component and then save them in the library
for future use.
Question:
How can I update the program and the libraries?
Answer:
The updates to the program and the libraries are available from
the Updates of our internet
site www.proant.com. To download the libraries it is sufficient
to click on the item Download Libraries of the version of ProAnt that
you have and select a directory (folder) of your hard disk where to save the
downloaded file. The libraries are in compressed format and you need
the program WinZip to extract them. The program WinZip can be downloaded from
www.winzip.com.
To extract the libraries, open with WinZip the file that you have downloaded from
our site, select as destination directory (folder) the directory where you
store the libraries (usually C:\Programs\Zanetti F.lli s.n.c.\ProAnt 4.0\Libraries),
and select the command Extract.
To update the program, download the related zip file in the same way as
described above, expand the file into a temporary directory (folder) using WinZip,
and run the program Setup.exe. To check whether you need to update your
software compare the version of the software on our site with the
version number that appears in the info window of ProAnt.
Useful Suggestions
We end this page with some useful suggestions to get
the best advantages from ProAnt.
How to design a network quickly
There are some fundamental rules to design a network as quickly
as possible, even without using project wizards.
- Draw only one floor and replicate it using the copy and paste
functionalities. Remember to replicate also the cable that connects two floors
to avoid drawing it separately.
- Define a cable with the most common properties and copy the data on
all the other cables. Then modify the cables that have different properties,
using the copying function associated with the ALT key whenever possible.
Select View Cable lenghts from the menu to check that all cables are of the
right length.
- Use the automatic network design function to choose the other components.
How to use the network calculi
When you select network calculi ProAnt computes the minimum and maximum signals
that can be provided by the headend so that all outlets are served correctly.
You can set up the levels of the acceptable signals at the outlets from the
Options table. For the computations, ProAnt identifies the best and worst served
outlets, and makes sure that the best served outlet gets the highest possible signal
while the worst served outled gets the lowest signal.
If you note some red *'s in the results of the calculi, it means that there
is no signal that can be used to serve all the outlets. In such case you
can compute the limit signals at each component and work backward until you find
a red *. That is the first point where you can identify a problem.
How to create a generator of signals
Sometimes it is convenient to verify what signals reach each outlet by using
a signal generator. The same effect can be obtained by drawing a headend
consisting of a single antenna that will function as a generator. Then specify
your generated signals as channels received by the antenna. You can also create your
own library of signal generators.
Managing projects in different areas
Each town is reached by different signals; thus, if you need to work in
different areas, you should change the levels of the channels received
by an antenna whenever you work in a different town. To save time, we suggest to
create a personal library of antennas where the levels of the channels are
specified already. Then changing town is the same as selecting a
different antenna from the library.
What to do to avoid wasting hours or work
Sometimes computers break, either for hardware problems (hard disk failure, RAM failure,
microprocessor overheating, ...), or for software problem (we cannot deny it: we all
have experience of the effects of software bugs). However, there are some
general rules that limit and usually eliminates damages due to malfunctions.
First of all, save you work often: everything done since the last time you saved
may be lost, and not only because of malfunctions, but also because of an
electricity failure, or because your son or daughter switches of the computer.
ProAnt creates a backup copy with extension .bak every time you save a file.
Thus, in case of problems while you save a file you can recover the old file
by renaming the file with extension .bak.
It is also a good idea to backup all your files at least once a week and store
the backup copies in another building. In this way you protected both from
hard disk failures and from other rare events like a fire.
