The Neat Company Forums

Still dead in the water on my end. :(

ditto . same here . sent messages to tech support and no replies . planning on calling credit card company if i don't get a reply soon. Can't use 3.0 at all on vista. 2.7.6 ran fine.

The advertising hype is much greater than the product.  I've tried to install for 2 days.  No luck.  I was trying to SAVE time by use of this app; not waste precious time trying to install something that should work out of the box!

swtrader..

You're NOT alone.  Just by what I've read on this forum, there are known problems with the UPGRADE to 3.0.4, Not sure about a clean install but there are issues with the upgrade.

I've tried for well over a week now top get the issue resolved and I STILL AM UNABLE TO GET A SATISFACTORY RESOLVE. 

I plan on making one final call to NR tomorrow.   

Mike -

 You may have solved by now - if not maybe this will help.   Uninstall Neatreceipts again and prior to installing Neat Receipts, do the following:

From a command prompt (Start - Run - Cmd) winmgmt /verifyrepository
You may see the following - WMI repository is INCONSISTENT 
If so, type - winmgmt /salvagerepository - repeat until you get the message below:

WMI repository has been salvaged 

Odie

You may have solved by now but I have had the same issue for over a month - I spent a few hours today on this and was able to resolve.  Main issue is that SQL Server was failing to install due to the WMI DB being inconsistent.  Try the following and maybe it will help - fixed my issue (after about 4/5 hours of troubleshooting)

From a command prompt (Start - Run - Cmd) type winmgmt /verifyrepository
You may see the following - WMI repository is INCONSISTENT
If so, type - winmgmt /salvagerepository - repeat until you get a repaired/consistent message

 

Once done, reinstall neatreceipts.   Can't wait till they fix the install routine to allow you to install to a drive other than C without going into the registry.  It's been years since I've seen a program require an install to C.

 

Odie

whiterus:

Hi All -

 Just purchased the NR and also the 3.0 version on disc. - I've tried installing the latest version via disc, but also the 2.8 online version that's compatible with Windows Vista. Each time I installed a clean version and attempted to startup the program. When launching the program (following installation and calibration, etc), I get an error message that's titled "Database Not Running." - It says, "Neat Receipts Professional cannot launch because a connection to the database could not be established, possibly because the database is still starting up. Please wait 30 seconds and then try re-launching Neat Receipts Professional. If the problem persists, please contact Neat Receipts Professional technical support for assistance."

 I haven't contacted tech support yet and thought I'd try the collective wisdom here first. I also like to try to troubleshoot these things myself, but I can't figure this one out. I disabled anti-virus software during installation per instructions. I've un-installed and reinstalled several times now with no luck.

 

Any ideas? I'd appreciate any help.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

whiterus

 

I feel your pain.  I purchased this product (I am a realtor) thinking that it would be great for contracts, receipts, etc.  I have had the same problem that you speak of throughout this thread.  I have Windows XP - I called tech support and after going through a few things I was told that I didn't have enough memory to run the program properly.  I had more memory installed on my computer and tried to reinstall today, and surprise, surprise, I am still getting the same error message -- Dbase not found just like whiterus was - I, too, can't find the NR Database when I run serv.msc and I also don't have SQ....... on there either so I can't try to manually start it.  I haven't had any problems installing anything else on my computer so this really has me confused and frustrated.  I tried to call service today but they closed at 4pm.   It did take more than a few minutes to download and when I got to the part where my computer had to recognize the scanner that took forever.  I calibrated and all seemed fine until I tried to run the database.  I really would like this product to work but don't know if its worth the trouble.  ANY help at all would be appreciated.  I'm not a computer geek but can find my way around ok.   If nothing else works, I'll be sending it back unfortunately.  However, I did get more memory on my computer (who knows maybe I didn't need it).

Thanks for any input.

I ran into same issue, but use Windows XP with 1.6 Gig of RAM. Everything was going just fine. I scanned in a full year's or receipts for my business & made a back up on a CDRW. Used it several times with no problem. I purchased this because of article I saw in Entrepreneurial magazine. It was doing everything the article said it would do. Just out of the blue, one morning, I got "cannot connect to the database, please wait 30 secs & try again". I tried several things & nothing worked. I finally removed the program completely & reloaded & restored my database from my backup CD & it has worked for the last 2-wks & this afternoon, it did the same thing... I have not been able to get resolved past the reloading a clean install, which is going to be crap if I have to keep doing this over & over to keep this thing running.

---

J. Turner

This is the worst software support I have ever had to deal with. I upgraded to version 3 and now cannot access any of my databases.

I cannot even uninstall and reinstall the product to try to recover my data. I am now left with no way to access my records and have installed this on 3 different computers now and all are now toast. The software seems to corrupt the MS SQL Server records rendering the useless and will not even let you re-install the application to try to recover it.

I have gone through the registry deleting all entries related to the software ands still get a application startup failure with no indication of what went wrong or how to resolve it.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE - DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT - IT WILL STOP WORKING AND YOU WILL BE HOSED LIKE THE REST OF US!! 

WORSE - YOUR COMPUTER WILL BE TOAST AS WELL. 

I do not normally post negative reviews but this stuff is junk and the company should be ashamed. 

I am now about to rebuild the computer from scratch in the hope of recovering my records.

Any luck with this. I am having the same problem with Vista and 2.8... Brand new isntallation I just purchased it yesterday. I see lots of people with this question but no response from Net Receipts, other than going to services and making sure the service is running.

if yu were able to get it going, would appreciate a tip...thanks.. 

 

I am truly astonished. I have experienced the EXACT SAME THING!! I am posting this message on JUNE 28, 2008. This thread began in NOVEMBER, 2007. Over SIX MONTHS have gone by, and still the company has not fixed this apparently ubiquitous problem. How do they stay in business?

 For the record, I purchased Version 3 of NeatReceipts, and am running Windows Vista (Home Premium). I have installed and re-installed OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. I have disabled all security software, along with every other non-essential driver and service. I have tried Version 3, and I have tried the recently released Version 3 SP1. No dice. After reading these posts, and then carefully checking my computer, it is clear that the problem largely relates to MS SQL Server (2005) NOT INSTALLING. And I have tried installing SQL directly from its setup files. Still won't install.

I am a very proficient microcomputer user. I have done both client-side and server-side installations of many, many programs. I have run full scale version of MS SQL Server. Never have I experienced anything so frustrating and insoluble.

What is most baffling is HOW THE H*LL IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE COMPANY HAS NOT FIXED THIS PROBLEM with over 6 months of documented feedback and even another update release?!!

I will try the "winmgmt" routine suggested above, and then I will e-mail and call Tech Support directly. And then I will post my experience in this forum -- successful or unsuccessful. Based on all the above, I am not optimistic, but the promise of NeatReceipts' functionality makes just a little more effort justifiable.

 Stay tuned sisters and brethren.

Mark Shneour

 ________________________________________

Later the same day... 5:00 PM PDT

Well, sometimes persistence pays off. In my case, I could not manually start SQL Server because it DID NOT INSTALL in the first place. So, researching the issue, I discovered the following:

(1) MS SQL Server "Express" (2005) is NOT compatible with Windows Vista (and, I believe, later updates of XP). In fact, it won't even install. What version of SQL Express does NeatReceipts 3.x distribute? You guessed it -- the original 2005 release. Unbelievable that they have not figured this problem out after 6+ months of user comments/complaints.

(2) There are two updates of SQL Express which are compatible with Vista: SP1 and SP2. While SP2 will update SP1 on its own, it will NOT install with NeatReceipts 3.x resident. So, you need to stick with SP1.

So, here is what I did to solve my problem:

(1) Unistalled NeatReceipts, removed all directories and files, cleaned registry of any errant NeatReceipts keys (there weren't any), and hard-booted my computer.

(2) Downloaded from the www.microsoft.com site the latest versions of Windows Installer and .NET Framework (should be installed with Vista OS), and MS SQL Express SP1. Installed in that order. Hard-booted again.

(3) Installed NeatReceipts Version 3 SP1. Hard-booted again. (Confirmed by experimentation that while NeatReceipts attempts an install of the initial release of SQL Express, it does not overwrite anything critical from the SP1 install. So, there is no need to run the SP1 install again.)

(4) Set a system restore point in case something later crashed on me. Will likely do a full disk image just to be sure.

(5) The DAMNED THING WORKED!! No, seriously!

Here are the URL's where you can download the relevant files and documentation:

(1) Windows Installer 4.5: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=5A58B56F-60B6-4412-95B9-54D056D6F9F4&displaylang=en

(2) .NET Framework 2.0 (you shouldn't need this package, but here it is): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en

(3) MS SQL Express SP1 (the big Kahuna): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=11350B1F-8F44-4DB6-B542-4A4B869C2FF1&displaylang=en

(4) MS SQL Express SP2 (Can't install with NeatReceipts 3.x, but works fine otherwise to upgrade SP1. Among other things, this release provides more sophisticated user rights management than the earlier versions.): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=d07219b2-1e23-49c8-8f0c-63fa18f26d3a&DisplayLang=en

That's all there is to it (other than the fact that I went through 24 hours of Hell, am going blind, and want to kill a few people).

Hope this solution helps a few of you. Maybe Tech Support will read it, and claim it as its own. Maybe they'll even FIX the problem, and provide their customers an installable product. You never know.

Mark Shneour (your faithful brother in frustration)

Well its been 10 hours today trying to make this work with Vista, even tried Marks ideas and no go :mad:

I am sending this box-o-crap back and filing a complaint with the BBB, the FTC, the FCC and the attorney generals office in the manufactures state. This is by far the worst customer service I have ever seen, besides that this tiny little forum is not hard for them to answer and post questions but they ignore. They knowingly sold a product that they knew would not work. that is a crime.

Me too.  It's been at least a decade since I've purchased a software product that was so difficult to install, in other words far from plug and play.  And now that, after days of trying different approaches on 3 different very powerful windows XP Pro laptops ... the scanner does not appear to be working right. No matter how many times I calibrate it, the receipts come up blank or like ink smeared (lightly) copies that you can't read any info off of.  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

this sounds more like the lens on the actual scanner is broken,Id send it back for another one.

Ok after almost a week, I finally have Neat Receipts working including the database and SQL server issue. I have it on 3 of my computers now, one has xp sp1, one has vista sp1 and one has vista. All loaded correctly from the 3.0 disk effortlessly ( I was so shocked !! ) What did I do ? I formatted my brand new dell laptop and started over, there is an issue with permissions esp on dell computers even if you are on as admin and run the program as admin. the other computer with vista is brand new received today, right out of the box I loaded the neat receipts and VIOLA works like a charm. I also had the firewall running full blast with all the annoying popups which kept asking me for permission to let the program install ( this may be a kind of a hint for further installs because previously I had it totally disabled and no password on the admin account ).

 I didnt install any of the software listed above in Marks post either. Whatever Vista has on it already was obviously good enough.

Many of you are prolly like IM NOT GONNA FORMAT !!! But that is the only way to clear all permissions that are blocked, I worked on it for days avoiding it.

Dell can kiss my bootay !!!!!!! LOL