7/28/2019 Cs System

1/10

System Support Guide

7/28/2019 Cs System

2/10

ConfigSafe Support Edition OEM Software forWindows 95/98 or Windows NTSingle User License Agreement

AGREEMENT

CAREFULLY READ ALL OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS LICENSE AGREEMENTBEFORE USING THE SOFTWARE (Software). BY INSTALLING OR USING THIS PRODUCT, YOUINDICATE YOUR COMPLETE AND UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS ANDCONDITIONS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, PROMPTLYRETURN THE PRODUCT. This document is a legal agreement between you and IMAGINE LAN,INC. (IMAGINE LAN") concerning the use of the Software. THIS AGREEMENT CONSTITUTES THECOMPLETE AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND IMAGINE LAN, INC..

1. LICENSE IMAGINE LAN, INC. (the "Licensor") hereby grants to you a nonexclusive license to use onecopy of the selected version of ConfigSafe software on a single computer. ConfigSafe is licensed persystem. A license must be purchased for each system on which you install ConfigSafe. Both Windows 95and Windows NT versions of the software are provided for your convenience. Each copy is licensed forthe same system. You agree that you will not assign, sublicense, transfer, pledge, lease, rent, or shareyour rights under this License Agreement. You agree that you may not reverse assemble, reverse compile,

or otherwise translate the Software. No copies of the Software or any portions thereof may be made byyou or any person under your authority. You acknowledge that the Software is a proprietary product ofLicensor protected under U.S. and international copyright laws.

2. TERM This License Agreement is effective upon your opening of this packet and shall continue untilterminated. You may terminate this License Agreement at any time by returning the Software and allcopies thereof to Licensor. Licensor may terminate this License Agreement upon the breach by you of anyterm hereof. Upon such termination by Licensor, you agree to return to Licensor the Software and allcopies and portions thereof.

3. LIMITED WARRANTY Licensor warrants for a period of 30 days from the date of commencement ofthis License Agreement (referred to as the "Warranty Period") that the diskette in which the Software iscontained is free from defects in material and workmanship. If during the Warranty Period, a defect in the

diskette appears, you may return the diskette to Licensor for either replacement or, if so elected byLicensor, refund of amounts paid by you under this License Agreement. You agree that the foregoingconstitutes your sole and exclusive remedy for breach by Licensor of any warranties made under this

Agreement. EXCEPT FOR THE WARRANTIES SET FORTH ABOVE, THE SOFTWARE, IS LICENSED"AS IS," AND LICENSOR DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESSOR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OFMERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

4. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY Licensor's cumulative liability to you or any other party for any loss ordamages resulting from any claims, demands, or actions arising out of or relating to this Agreement shallnot exceed the license fee paid to Licensor for the use of the Software. In no event shall Licensor be liablefor any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages or lost profits, even if Licensorhas been advised of the possibility of such damages. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONOR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE

LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.This License Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of New Hampshire, U.S.A.

ConfigSafe is a registered trademark of imagine LAN, Inc. (c)1996-1997 imagine LAN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

ConfigSafe System Support Guide Page 2

7/28/2019 Cs System

3/10

IntroductionConfigSafe is a comprehensive configuration tracking and recovery tool for Windows PCs.ConfigSafe tracks changes users and applications make to the system Registry, configurationfiles, file versions (including DLLs, EXEs, and drivers), system hardware, and networkconnections. More importantly, ConfigSafe restores Windows settings to their previouslyworking settings in just seconds.

Lowering the Cost of System OwnershipConfigSafe lowers the cost of ownership of a PC. Most PC problems are the result of changesmade by a user or installation program. Often, these changes go unnoticed by a user because

they happen behind the scenes. By monitoring system changes, ConfigSafe reports everychange that occurred on a system , and if necessary, you can undo the changes. Now, findingthe cause of a new system problem is easy, and less expensive.

What Has Changed On The System?

A question youll never again have to ask. With ConfigSafe, youll know exactly what changeswere made to a system configuration, and when they were made. Using the ScheduledSnapshot feature (accessed from the Manage button on the main screen ), you can be sureConfigSafe is tracking every change to a system.

Restoring A System That Isnt Running Properly

Whether your system or application suddenly wont run properly, or Windows will only boot into

Safe Mode, ConfigSafe can help. Use the ConfigSafe Restore feature to reset your system to apreviously working configuration. ConfigSafe even works from Windows Safe mode. You cansleep better knowing there is always a way to restore your system.

Restoring A System That Wont Boot Into Windows

With ConfigSafe 95 it is easy to rescue a system that will no longer boot into Windows. TheConfigSafe SOS.EXE utility lets you restore your system to a previously working configurationfrom the DOS command line. Now thats protection! This feature is not available withConfigSafe NT.

7/28/2019 Cs System

4/10

Protecting A System From Bad SoftwareBefore installing new hardware or software, run ConfigSafe and take a Snapshot of your system.Export your snapshot to a diskette or server for safekeeping. Then, complete the installation.Next time you run ConfigSafe, youll receive a detailed report of the changes made to yoursystem during the installation process. If the new product created a problem, ConfigSafe canrestore you to the earlier configuration. With detailed documentation of the changes a product

made to your system, its a lot easier to identify the problem.

Get Extra Protection With New Export/Import FeatureNow you can further safeguard your system by exporting your snapshots to a server or todiskette for safekeeping. When the need arises, import a snapshot back to your system and useit to compare against another snapshot, or to restore the system if necessary.

Insure Against System Downtime

Installing ConfigSafe on all licensed systems provides insurance against system downtime. Forproblems that may occur, ConfigSafe provides a valuable change history. Most often, the

cause of system problems is the result of some change a user or application has made tosystem settings.

Installation and SetupConfigSafe is installed on each system to be monitored. Listed below are the requirements andinstallation instructions for the ConfigSafe software. ConfigSafe is easy to install, and eveneasier to use.

System Requirements

ConfigSafe is available for the family of Microsoft Windows Operating Systems. The ConfigSafe95 Support Edition and ConfigSafe NT Support Edition are included on the diskettes providedwith the Support Edition License.

ConfigSafe 95 Requirements-Windows 95-VGA Color Monitor-5 MB Disk Space

ConfigSafe NT Requirements-Microsoft Windows NT Operating System v3.51 or 4.0-VGA Color Monitor-5 MB Disk Space

Installation

This section describes the installation procedures for installing ConfigSafe 95 and ConfigSafeNT. There are separate installation procedures for each environment, so the first step is to findthe diskette that contains the version you need.

SoftwareConfigSafe 95ConfigSafe NT

After locating the proper software, begin the installation procedure. Follow the steps listedbelow.

7/28/2019 Cs System

5/10

Note: ConfigSafe provides an Uninstall procedure wheninstalled into a Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0environment. There is no automated Uninstall procedurewhen installing into a Windows NT 3.51 environment.

1. Run INSTALL.EXE

From the diskette run the ConfigSafe Installation Utility: INSTALL.EXE

2. Follow the On-Screen instructions.

ConfigSafe is easy to install. Follow the on-screen instructions. You may be asked tospecify the following information:

Installation Directory: Provide the name of the directory into which ConfigSafe should beinstalled.

Short Cut Options: ConfigSafe will install shortcuts on your Windows Startup menu and

Desktop. If queried, select the desired installation options by marking the associated checkbox.

Configuration Files: ConfigSafe tracks the important configuration files on your system, suchas WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI. You may be asked to verify the initial location of these files.In most cases you will want to take the defaults provided by ConfigSafe.

3. Installation Complete

Upon completing the installation procedure, the required files will be copied to your system, andthe initial system snapshot will be taken. The initial snapshot captures your system configuration(for additional security, use the Export feature to store your snapshot on a diskette or server).From that point forward the system is monitored for changes. On some systems, ConfigSafe willrun itself after completing the installation procedure.

Using On-line HelpThe ConfigSafe on-line help provides detailed information about each ConfigSafe screen. Onceinside the on-line help, many of the screen captures have Hotspots. If there is a particular fieldon the screen for which you need help, click on that f ield and a definition box will display withinformation on the selected field. You can also invoke on-line help by pressing the Help buttonfrom the main screen.

How ConfigSafe Works

ConfigSafe keeps a detailed record of the changes made to your system. To do so, ConfigSafetakes a Snapshot, or picture, of your system. This picture contains detailed information aboutsystem settings such as:

The Registry

System Files

Drivers, EXEs, and DLLs

Directory Structures

Network Connections

7/28/2019 Cs System

6/10

System Hardware

To report the changes to a system, ConfigSafe compares two Snapshots, identifying thedifferences. Think of it as comparing two pictures to see what the difference is between thesettings at one point in time verses the current settings. With the Export/Import feature,ConfigSafe can compare snapshots taken from two different PCs. This can be helpful whensupporting a series of PCs that have (or should have) similar configurations.

The first Snapshot taken by ConfigSafe is called the Factory Configuration, representing thesystem settings when the PC was shipped from the factory. ConfigSafe then takes moresnapshots (system pictures) at scheduled time intervals. The snapshots are taken at Windowsstartup, and require just a few seconds.

Snapshots can also be taken manually. For example, you may want to take a system snapshotbefore installing an application. Then, proceed with the installation procedure. When theapplication is installed, ConfigSafe can identify the major changes the application made to yoursystem during the installation process.

To take a snapshot, select the Snapshot button from the ConfigSafe main screen. To managesnapshots, such as scheduling automatic snapshots or exporting a snapshot, select the manage

button from the ConfigSafe main screen. More information on all these options can be found inthe on-line help, accessed by pressing F1 from any screen.

Taking Advantage of ConfigSafe TechnologyMost system problems are more easily resolved when ConfigSafe is available on the system. Asdiscussed in the previous Lowering Cost of Ownership section, ConfigSafe provides help inidentifying the cause of a new system problem, as well as restoring a system to a previouslyworking configuration in just seconds.

Support personnel and end users alike will benefit from reduced support costs and a decrease insystem or application downtime by using the ConfigSafe system tracking tool. IntegrateConfigSafe into your support plans for telephone, on-site, or remote support.

This section explains how to use ConfigSafe to reduce the cost of supporting your systems.Using ConfigSafe is easy. There are three major tasks you can now perform quickly and easilyusing ConfigSafe.

1) Reporting Change HistorySelect the ConfigSafe Report button and the changes a user made to their system areidentified in writing. Have them FAX, e-mail, or send the report to your attention andproblem resolution becomes a snap. Additionally, the ConfigSafe Export feature enables theuser to send an actual snapshot of their system to you.

2) Restoring A SystemSelect the ConfigSafe restore option and a users system is quickly reset to the systemsettings it had on the selected day. Snapshots that have been exported for safekeeping or

imported from another PC can also be employed to restore a system. Often, this is the firststep in attempting to resolve a problem because it takes just a minute or two and will oftenfix the problem.

3) Backing Up System SettingsA common time consuming task is requesting that the user back up their existing configurationfiles. Often, before suggesting changes to a system, you want to make sure the existing fileshave been safely stored away, in case the need should arise to restore back to these versions ofthe files. ConfigSafe backs up the Registry and important configuration files in just seconds.Select the Snapshot button from the ConfigSafe main screen and a users system files are

7/28/2019 Cs System

7/10

backed up immediately. For additional safety, use the Export feature (from the ManageSnapshot screen) to export the snapshot to a diskette or server. Not only is it quick, but you knowit has been done properly.

Resolving Problems with ConfigSafeThe next time a user calls for technical support you have a whole new set of tools to resolve the

problem easily. With ConfigSafe, you can get a report of the changes to a users system, usethe Export feature to compare the user's configuration against a standard or known goodconfiguration, or restore a system to a previously working configuration using the Restore option.These options, described in the previous section, make solving problems easier.

There are two types of approaches to solving a system problem.

1. Restoring the System

If appropriate, restore the users system to a previously working configuration using theConfigSafe Restore option. Previously exported snapshots or a snapshot from a differentsystem can be imported to use in the restore process. Often a new problem is the result of achange to a users configuration files. Resetting their system to a previously working

configuration takes just about 1 minute, and can often solve the problem.

If the restore does not solve the problem, you can reset the system to the way it was before therestore by selecting the Undo button from the ConfigSafe main screen. ConfigSafe 95 usershave the additional option of executing the DOS-based UNDO.EXE utility. This provides anadded safety net in case a system wont boot into Windows after having done a Restore.

Steps to Restoring A System:1) From the ConfigSafe main screen select the Restore button.2) Select the proper system configuration in the Snapshot field (use the Import feature to

place previously exported snapshots in the selection list).3) Select the Restore button.

ConfigSafe will warn you about the changes, and recommend shutting down otherapplications that are running at the time.

4) The system is reset to the selected settings and then rebooted.

1. Analyzing Changes

The ConfigSafe Report facility generates an on-screen or printed report of the changes a usermade to their system configuration within the given time period. Use this if the user is averse toperforming a Restore, or too many changes have been made to the system for a Restore to befeasible.

Set the Changes From and Changes To fields on the main screen to the desired time period.Most often it will be some previous day until Now. Alternatively, use the Import feature toplace a previously exported snapshot, or a snapshot from a known good system, in the selectionlist for comparison. Then, select the Report button from the ConfigSafe main screen. Fromhere the user can select to print the report, or view the report. Viewing the report will result inConfigSafe generating an ASCII report and loading it into Notepad or WordPad. Many times theuser can add more information to the report if it was created within Notepad. Then, the reportcan be faxed, e-mailed, or simply saved to disk.

Steps to Printing a Report:1. Select the desired dates in the Changes Starting and Changes Ending fields.2. Choose the Report option from the ConfigSafe main screen.3. Select the desired items for the report.

7/28/2019 Cs System

8/10

ConfigSafe reports system changes for all the components selected inthe Generate Report Screen.

4. Choose Print Report or View Report to send the report to the printer orgenerate the report in ASCII and have it loaded into Notepad or WordPad.

Regardless of the approach you ultimately take to resolve the problem, ConfigSafe provides astrong set of debugging tools.

Telephone Support Using ConfigSafe

Telephone support with ConfigSafe is easy. Just follow the steps below when a customer callswith a system or software problem.

Steps for Telephone Based Problem Solving With ConfigSafe:

1. Restore To A Previously Working Configuration : If possible, restore a users system to thesnapshot of system settings taken before the problem was noticed. The ConfigSafeImport feature may be used to import a working snapshot if a suitable snapshot does notreside on the problem PC. Many times a simple Restore will resolve the problem. If not,simply Undo the Restore by selecting the Undo button from the ConfigSafe main screenand continue with normal problem resolution.

2. Generate Comparison Report or Export Snapshots: If the Restore of the system did notresolve the problem, or the user is averse to resetting the system to a previously workingconfiguration, have the user generate the ConfigSafe report, indicating changes to thesystem settings since the system last worked properly. Alternatively, the user can exportcurrent and previous snapshots of the system that can be sent to your representative forcomparison.

3. FAX/E-Mail the report/snapshots : Users can FAX or e-mail the report directly to yourrepresentative, or e-mail exported snapshots of their system to your representative.

4. Pinpoint the Problem: Pinpoint the problem and estimate the required time for resolution.5. Resolve the Problem: Determine the problem resolution and implement it. ConfigSafe lets

you quickly invoke system editors to make any necessary changes. Or, you can use therestore facility to back up a user to a previously working configuration.

6. Snapshot the System: After resolving the problem, snapshot the system before leaving. If auser calls again, youll have a history of the changes since the last service.

7. Identify Warranty/Billing Responsibility: In a fee-based service situation, ConfigSafe helpsidentify warranty and billing responsibility based on the comparison report.

ConfigSafe for Support On-Site

Quicker On-Site Resolution

If your organization sends representatives on-site to solve problems, they can take advantage ofConfigSafe technology as well. ConfigSafe will reduce the amount of time it takes to track downa problem, and provides a written report on the changes identified on the system. If a user is ina critical situation, the Restore technology can be used to quickly restore them to a workingconfiguration.

Steps for On-Site Resolution:

The steps for On-Site resolution are the same as those listed for Telephone Support UsingConfigSafe. The only difference is that the support technician will perform the recommendedsteps, instead of the user.

ConfigSafe and Remote Control

Shorter and More Beneficial Remote Sessions

7/28/2019 Cs System

9/10

Remote Control Software enables system administrators to take control of remote workstationsvia LAN connections. Many support teams are implementing remote control technology to morequickly resolve problems. But remote control is only a part of the solution. When a supportperson takes over a PC, they need accurate information as to the potential cause of a problem.

And many times they are unable to speak with the customer because the phone line is in use.

ConfigSafe and Remote Control Software can be used in combination as an extremely powerfultroubleshooting tool. Your support representatives will benefit from quicker problemidentification, and accurate technical information. More calls will result in the resolution of theproblem, and overall, calls will take significantly less time.

Steps for Remote Control Resolution:

1. Establish a remote session using your Remote Control Software2.

Note: Restoring previous system settings will result in asystem re-boot, which may result in a lost remote session.Keep this in mind when planning your steps to remoteproblem resolution. You may want to generate a printedreport before trying to Restore a system.

Upgrade To The ConfigSafe Network EditionThe ConfigSafe 95 Support Edition and ConfigSafe NT Support Edition are included on thediskettes provided with your Support Edition License. The products are licensed per systemaccording to the software license agreement.

As a ConfigSafe Support Edition customer, you can purchase a ConfigSafe license for your othersystems, or upgrade your existing license to the ConfigSafe Network Edition, at a discountedprice. Simply call imagine LAN, Inc. at 1-800-372-9776 or 603-889-3883. Have your serial

number ready (it can be obtained by selecting the Help button from the main screen andchoosing the About option from the sub-menu). For more infromation about the ConfigSafeNetwork Edition, visit the imagine LAN web site at www.imagine-lan.com.

ConfigSafe Administrator ToolsImagine LAN, Inc. offers the ConfigSafe Custom Utility to network administrators and supportpersonnel who wish to customize their ConfigSafe master diskette. With the ConfigSafe CustomUtility, youll be guided through customizing the list of files, directories, and Registry keysmonitored by ConfigSafe along with MANY other options. Also included is documentationexplaining the ConfigSafe option switches and default settings. This is a must have product fornetwork administrators.

7/28/2019 Cs System

10/10

About imagine LAN, Inc. (www.imagine-lan.com)

ConfigSafe is developed by imagine LAN, Inc. Dedicated to providing supporttools for todays complex multi-vendor configurations, imagine LAN, Inc. wasfounded in 1992. The product line includes the ConfigSafe family of products forWindows 3.1x, Windows 95, and Windows NT. ConfigSafe products areavailable through resellers and directly from imagine LAN, Inc.

imagine LAN, Inc. is headquartered at 76 Northeastern Blvd. Suite 34B, Nashua,N.H. 03062, and can be contacted at 1-800-372-9776 (U.S.), 603-889-3883, orsales@imagelan.com. The web site is http://www.imagine-lan.com.

1-800-372-9776 // 603-889-3883

Fax 603-889-8822

www.imagine-lan.com