Upgrading Barcode Solution: Solutions to Common Problems

The perfect asset management solution would not be complete without Altiris' Barcode Solution. You can physically input all your assets to your database by scanning their barcodes, and letting Barcode Solution sync up all the newly scanned assets with your Altiris Notification Server. This makes asset entry and management quicker and more accurate.

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Avid users of Altiris' Barcode Solution software know that Altiris often releases updates for their software which add new features and fix bugs that may have arisen in previous versions. When upgrading Barcode Solution to the newest version, there are a few problems that customers tend to run into:

1. It's not the same - If you're having any problems after an upgrade of Barcode Solution that you did not have in previous versions, chances are that you did not upgrade your software correctly. If you are upgrading from version 6.0 to version 6.5 or greater, you must uninstall the version 6.0 or previous versions before proceeding. If you are updating from more recent versions to the new 6.7 version update, you do not need to uninstall any software because the update will automatically install over Barcode Solution versions 6.5, 6.6 SP1 and 6.6 SP2. If you find out that you did in fact upgrade your software incorrectly, uninstall all versions of Barcode Solution from your notification server as well as all versions of Barcode Manager from any host computers, and then proceed to install the latest versions of Barcode Solution on the fresh machines.
2. I get an error message - The most common error message upgraded users of Barcode Solution 6.7 receive is "No scanners selected. Please select a scanner from the Preferences dialog." According to Altiris, "this is a slight change of functionality in the Barcode 6.7 release to better support some types of scanners." If you receive this error, don't panic- you're information is still safe. The quickest way to fix this problem is to click OK on startup warning message, then once the Barcode Solution main menu is open, click on the little barcode icon in the bottom left corner. This will launch the Scanner Select Dialog and from there you should be able to pick your integrated symbol scanner.
3. It just doesn't work! - Many of my peers have run into problems that they spent hours trying to fix, but got nowhere. Their problems were solved, and themselves embarrassed, when they realized that all they needed to do was restart their machines. If your Barcode Solution is acting awkward or just won't start, I would recommend restarting your computer to see if that fixes any problems. If restarting your computer doesn't work, you should browse through the Barcode Solution Documentation available on Altiris' web site, under the support section. If your answer isn't in this article, or in the official documentation, your best bet would be to reinstall your copy of Barcode Solution and start fresh.

Altiris' Barcode Solution helps countless clients import their assets quickly with the use of barcode technology. When it comes time to upgrade your copy of Barcode Solution, remember the tips outlined in this article and you should be just fine. If you have not purchased any updates yet, I would highly recommend an annual upgrade protection program for Barcode Solution, available at many retailers including CDW.