A: ChefTec is a 32-bit program. You need to have either, Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP. It will not run on the older Windows 3.x operating system.

A: ChefTec needs 28MB of hard disk space to install and run.

A: If you can run Windows 98/95/NT/2000/ME/XP then you will be able to run ChefTec. With any Windows program, the more memory (RAM) that you have in your computer the faster ChefTec will run.

A: No. You need to re-install ChefTec and MAKE SURE the serial number you enter is exactly the same as printed on the label. Every copy of ChefTec has a unique number and if you mis-type the serial number then the program will behave as a Trial Version. Note: You must also leave the installation disks in the drive throughout the entire installation process. Even once the program asks you to click on a FINISH button, the installation is not complete and the disk must remain in the drive until the drive light goes out and all signs of activity (whirring, clicking, etc.) are done.

A: There is a difference between an Upgrade and an Update. Updates are free for downloading from the internet. Updates only fix minor bugs. If you want an Upgrade to a new version of ChefTec you will need to purchase the Upgrade by calling Sales at 1-800-447-1466 or Customer Support at 1-303-447-8054. Upgrades are only available on CD-ROM. The cost of an Upgrade currently starts at $149.95.

A: We do not have slide show demo disks. We have found that these do not really help in the decision making process when evaluating software. What we have is a Trial Version of ChefTec. The Trial Version allows you to do anything that you can do in the live software, except print reports and it only lasts for two weeks. We charge US$19.95 (plus s/h), but deduct this when you purchase the live version. We also offer a 60-day money-back guarantee. Any time within 60 days of purchase you may return the software for refund. This allows you to completely evaluate ChefTec without any risk.

A: Most customers use the built-in backup program supplied with Windows. It is easy to use and you can back up your data to diskette or tape. The Microsoft Backup program is found in your Accessories folder. In the Culinary Software Services folder there is a program to make a copy of your ChefTec data on your hard drive. You can run this at any time.

A: Yes, just open Explorer and drag your data directory - also called data folder - (by default: "c:\Program Files\ChefTec\Data") to your Zip disk.

A: 1024x768 is the recommended resolution and is the resolution that ChefTec has been designed for. However, many customers do run ChefTec at 800x600. At 800x600 the help button and exit button are cut off (but you can use the pull-down menus) and you have to move a few screens to be able to see them all.

A: Yes, if you want to see more items in a list at one time you can click on and change the Number of rows in drop down lists to a different number. 15 will be ideal for most users.

A: Absolutely. As well as working with metric units, you can also switch between metric and American units. This allows you to enter a recipe from an American cookbook and then convert the units to metric (and the other way, as well).

A: Yes. Currency switching is a Windows function. You change currencies in the Windows Control Panel. ChefTec will work with any of the currencies that your computer supports.

A: Click on and then click on the Logo tab. You can load either a BMP file or a JPG file here and it will then appear on your reports.

A: You need to use the Maintenance Program that ships with ChefTec and rebuild the files. Sometimes database files get corrupted and this maintenance program fixes this problem.

The program can be run from your Start button. Click on Start | Programs | Culinary Software Services | ChefTec Maintenance. When the program starts up click the button.

A: First, you need to use the Maintenance Program that ships with ChefTec and repair the files. Sometimes database files get corrupted and this maintenance program fixes this problem.

The program can be run from your Start button. Click on Start | Programs | Culinary Software Services | ChefTec Maintenance. When the program starts up click the button.

If this a frequently occuring problem than there are some other steps that you can take to minimize the problem.

1. Setting BDE LOCAL SHARE property to True.
   The first and easiest step is to make sure that the property LOCAL SHARE in the BDE Administrator is set to "True". Open the BDE Administrator and click on the Configuration tab. Then open the System folder and make sure the is set to "True".
   
   
2. Error transmitting data from the workstation to the server.
   Most commonly, this occurs with bad network hardware (cable, card, hub, etc.). This has been determined to be a problem even though there were no other errors detected in data transmission. To determine if this is the cause for your error, try eliminating one CPU at a time from using the data and see if the problem continues.

   As well, the speed of the network can affect indexes. If you have a slow network (10MB and below), then there is the possibility of the network dropping connections and indexes getting out of date. The only solution in this situation is to upgrade the speed of the network, or to continue to live with the problem.

3. Improperly closing files.
   Improperly closing files due to loss of power or restarting a workstation or server without closing files first may cause this problem. Paradox tables are not designed to withstand such behavior. If this is a possibility in your environment, we recommend you use a Client Server database that can recover from such conditions.

A: First, you need to use the Maintenance Program that ships with ChefTec and repair the files. Sometimes database files get corrupted and this maintenance program fixes this problem.

The program can be run from your Start button. Click on Start | Programs | Culinary Software Services | ChefTec Maintenance. When the program starts up click the button.

A: Only if you have ChefTec Plus. ChefTec Plus ships with another program called the ChefTec System Administrator. You can set up passwords in the Administrator.

A: ChefTec is written in the Delphi programming language, a sophisticated object-oriented programming language.

A: ChefTec uses the Paradox relational database for storing data. These Paradox tables are accessed internally (from ChefTec) using the Borland Database Engine (BDE). Paradox tables are non-proprietary and they may be accessed by any software package that provides ODBC support (such as MS Access). If a third party wants to integrate their system with ChefTec, they should only read the data in ChefTec (not write to it). Note: if a third party piece of software writes to the ChefTec database the data could become corrupt and ChefTec could bcome unoperable.

A:

1. Start ChefTec
2. Select Help | About.
3. The version number is on the About screen.

There are 6 version numbers in ChefTec. Both ChefTec and Data need to be the same for ChefTec to be working properly.

A: Changing the number of portions does not scale the recipe, it only updates the number of portions field. If you want to scale the recipe you should click on the button.

A: Yes, you can check the spelling in your recipe procedures by clicking on the button.

A: Absolutely, the dictionary that comes with ChefTec has over 160,000 words including French cooking terms as well as Spanish and English culinary words.

A: Yes, just click the Add button when the spelling checker tells you it doesn't recognize a word that you typed in your procedure.

A: Yes, but you need the ChefTec Plus program to create a shopping list. If you have the Plus program, then you will see at the top of the program, in the title bar, the words ChefTec Plus. If you only see ChefTec in the title bar, then you do not have the Plus program.

A: First

1. Open a recipe.
2. Click on the button.
If you want the combined ingredients from two recipes, start a new recipe and add the two recipes as ingredients before clicking on the Shop List button.

A: Yes, you need to change the number of decimal places to display to zero (0). This is done in the Report Manager.

A: Click on the last ingredient that you want grouped together and then click on the button. A blank line will be inserted.

A: You need to 'turn on' this feature before you can start to use it. To turn this feature on, you need to open the recipe list. Then click on the button. On the "Recipe List" tab, select (click) Show user defined selection of recipes.

A: Hold down the Alt key and type "248" on the keypad to the right (not on the number keys across the top of the keyboard). You must keep holding the Alt key down as you press the numbers, one after the other.

A: If the size of your picture is smaller than 300 pixels high by 500 pixels wide, then there won't be a scroll bar.

A: Yes. First you have to enter the two quantities on seperate lines in the recipe. Using your example you would enter into the recipe:

1 lb    chocolate
2 oz    chocolate
Then, you need to use the Baker's Format for previewing or printing the recipe. If you always use the Bakers Format, you can set it as the default recipe in Properties for a recipe. You can also make more changes to the Baker's Format in the Report Manager. Using the example above you would see in the Baker's Format report:
1 lb 2 oz    chocolate

A: There are many ways of selecting what recipes and how many are printed at one time. Here is one way to print a batch of recipes at once:

1. Open the recipe list and select the option (e.g. "Category", "Active", "All', etc.) so that you can see the list of recipes that you want to print.
2. From the pull-down menu select Print | All Selected Recipes - Detail | Print Recipe.

A: Yes. This occurs when your monitor is set for a smaller number of colors than the image in your photograph. When working with digital cameras or scanners it is better to use 256 colors. This will reduce the size of your image file as well as print on any computer. You don't need more than 256 colors to print good pictures. If it is not possible to redo the graphic image then you will have to use a monitor that supports a greater number of colors (24-bit or 32-bit color).

A: This occurs when your monitor is set for a smaller number of colors than the image in your photograph. When working with digital cameras or scanners it is better to use 256 colors. This will reduce the size of your image file as well as print on any computer. You don't need more than 256 colors to print good pictures. If it is not possible to redo the graphic image then you will have to use a monitor that supports a greater number of colors (24-bit or 32-bit color).

A: Go to the pull-down menu Data | New Recipe Category. Type in the new category name.

A: There is a property in ChefTec in the Report Manager that needs to be changed. Open the Report Manager and find the Export Recipe report (not the regular Recipe report). Find the property that says "Convert instructions to HTML". There should be a check mark for this property when posting recipes to the web. However, if you are sending ChefTec recipes to another ChefTec user, you should not have a check mark in this property.

A: The "Post-Instruction" field is meant for just a brief note. However, there is a 'property' that can be turned on for you to be able to type in multiple lines.

1. Open a recipe.
2. Click on .
3. Click on the Ingredients tab.
4. Put a check mark next to Procedure.

In the recipe you will now see another place on each ingredient where you can type as many lines as you want.

A: We call "batch" recipes "Sub Recipe" in ChefTec.

1. The first thing that you would do is write your sub recipe (batch).
2. Then put a check mark in the Sub Recipe box on the recipe.
   This will add this sub recipe into your inventory and aldo make it available for you to use in another recipe (plate recipe, master recipe, etc.).

A: Yes, you can set up yields for each inventory item and the recipe costs will reflect the true cost of ingredients after their waste is taken into account. To do this for, say pepper, green bell:

1. Edit pepper, green bell from the Inventory List.
2. Click on the General tab for that item.
3. There is a field called Usable. Enter the number "0.80". This will yield 80% of good green pepper in a recipe with 20% waste.

A: The Nutrition Facts label is printed on labels that are 2" by 4", ten labels to a sheet. Any label that is compatible with Avery 5263 will work.

A: No, if you purchase an ingredient (i.e. enter a price for an ingredient on an invoice) it will automatically be changed to Stocked. This is much faster than opening up the Inventory Item screen and putting a check mark next to Stocked.

A: In the Import Manager open the Maker that you want to rename. Then double-click on the name at the top right of the screen and rename it.

A: No, language switching will only switch your ingredients in a recipe. However, if you yourself translate a recipe name from one language to another the program will remember it when you switch languages again.

A: Go to the pull-down menu Data | New Inventory Category. Type in the new category name.

A: Import interfaces are $195 per interface. The process is that you send CSS an ASCII file from each vendor and CSS will send you the correct import interface on a CD which you can then install. There is more detailed information in the ChefTec help system if you need it.

A: Create an inventory item called TAX and add that to your invoice. Then enter the tax amount for that item.

A: The "Extensions Summary" report will show all inventory items, both ones that have been assigned to locations and also inventory items that are not in locations. "Locations Combined" will only show items that have been entered into a location.

A: Yes, there is. You need to:

1. Open an Invoice.
2. Click on the button.
3. On the Invoice tab put a check mark next to Add prior purchase information... .

A: You do not need a POS or a POS-interface to enter sales information into ChefTec. However, you do need to have ChefTec Plus.

1. In Plus select ChefTec | Open | Sales Data
2. Pick a date for entering sales information.
3. Enter the quantity sold for each item on the screen.

A: You need to "turn on" password with the System Administrator program. To run the System Administrator program:

1. Click the Start button.
2. Click Start | Culinary Software Services | System Administrator.

A: There are two simple things that you can check. One is to make sure you purchased a network version of ChefTec.Non-network versions will not allow you to have multiple clients. The other thing to check is to make sure that the BDE Administrator (in Control Panel) is configured correctly to point to the shared network drive. The Install Instructions that came with your software explain how to setup the BDE.

A: Same answer as the answer above.

A: No, as long as you have the default network installation where all clients are running the same EXE on the EXE directory (EXEDir).

A: Yes, but the Novel Server must be configured:

• To work with long filenames.
• So that new files are created shareable (i.e. not created for exclusive access because ChefTec manages access and concurrency.)
• To have a drive letter "visible" across the network where the program and the data reside (e.g. all clients must be able to see n:\Program Files\ChefTec.)

A: Before you do a HotSync you must reinstall the ChefTecPDA.prc file from the PDA directory onto your Palm. If you do a HotSync without reinstalling the ChefTecPDA.prcfile then you will get a "Fatal Exception" error on the Palm and ChefTec PDA will not work.

A: No. ChefTec PDA only runs on handhelds that are running the Palm OS. There are many manufacturers of handheld units that run the Palm OS. You need to find out if the unit you are considering run the Palm Operating System. If it does, then it does not matter who the manufacturer is (such as Sony). The only thing that is important is what operating system is the unit running.

A: You must reinstall the ChefTecPDA.prc file from the PDA directory (c:\Program Files\ChefTec\PDA) onto your Palm.

A: The PDA can only work with one profit center at a time. You should:

1. Start with one profit center and perform a HotSync to get the inventory to the PDA unit.
2. Do your physical counting and return to your desktop computer.
3. Perform a HotSync to move the counts from the PDA unit to the desktop.
4. Switch to a new profit center and peform a HotSync to move that profit centers inventory to the PDA unit.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for as many profit centers as you have.

A: You need ChefTec Plus software, and one of the following hardware scanners:

1. Symbol 1550 - 8MB
2. Symbol 1700 - 8MB
3. Visor CSM 150 - 2 MB

A: ChefTec PDA BarCoder works on Version 5 and above of ChefTec Plus software.

A: When doing physical inventory you point the PDA BarCoder Scanner at a barcode specific to a particular product and the PDA can identify what that product is. The count can either be entered on the palm unit using the stylus or you can press the scanner a number of times (eg 3 times to count 3 x #10 cans).

You can mount the bar codes labels on the shelves in front of the product where it is stored or the labels can be put in a folder with the name of the product that they represent and you can scan from the folder. The latter way would be more appropriate if you do not always store your inventory in the same place.

The PDA is then HotSynced in the same way as a non-scanning PDA and the counts (or order quantities in the ORD module) automatically go into ChefTec.

A: No. Any printer that can print on Avery 5160 (or equivalent) labels can be used. There are 30 barcode labels to a sheet. A label printed from ChefTec look like this: