- All users read this first
- Instructions for Expert Windows Users
- Instructions for Less Confident Windows Users
All Users Read This First
You need to install the 12Pay Payroll software on your new PC. You do this by downloading it from our website and "Running" the 12PaySetup.exe installer.
You will also need to licence the software on your new PC. To do that you need your user name and password so that the licence form in the software can retrieve your licence details from our website. Usually you can read these on your old PC by calling up the licence form (File/Licence) and reading them on that form. The password may show as "blobs" in which case you can reveal the password by clicking the "Show Password" button on the licence form.
If you no longer have access to your old PC (perhaps it failed) and you can't remember your password then our website can email your password to you if you can remember your user name. You can request this from the login page of our website. If you can't remember your user name you'll need to contact us giving details such as your licence number or an invoice number or the email address that you used when you signed up or the name of one of your registered companies. We will then email your user name and password to you.
Instructions for Expert Windows Users
Usually all the data for 12Pay systems is stored in "My Documents/12Pay", though you should be aware that when you created your employer file you could have chosen to store it in a different folder. You can identify the employer files in that folder because they'll have the yellow 12Pay icon on them. There is one employer file for each company that you're operating and that employer file contains all the payrolls/payments/employees in that employer.
So you have the option of either copying the entire 12Pay folder to the same location on your new PC (assuming that it contains the employer files) or just copying the employer files themselves to the same location on the new PC and leaving the rest of the files and folders behind. The other files in the 12Pay folder are things like Acrobat Reader PDFs of historical payslips and reports. And also you'll see employer file backups there of previous monthly and weekly data. (these backups are made automatically by 12Pay whenever the user advances to a new payroll period)
If the employer files are in the 12Pay folder and you copy them into the same location on the new PC before you first start up 12Pay on the new PC it should recognise them and ask you if you want to use them.
If the employer files aren't stored in "My Documents/12Pay" you'll need to locate them. They can be identifiied in the "Search for files and folders" routine using "*.PAY". If you search for files with a .PAY extension like that you will also find some files with names like "Master123Pay.Pay" which you should ignore, as they are used internally by 12Pay for its own purposes. When 12Pay is running it shows the location of the currently open employer file on its Help/About form.
It is worth noting that 12Pay backups are simply renamed copies of the employer file that was backed up. So one way of using a backup is to rename it to "ANameYouChoose.pay" and then you'll find that you can use it directly (for example by just double-clicking it to open it).
Instructions for Less Expert Windows Users
If you aren't so comfortable with things like copying files and folders in the Windows file system then these step by step instructions will help you get going. You need to be able to take 12Pay employer file backups from your old system (you do this using File/Backup in the software), or you need to have backups already stored somewhere, for example a memory stick.
- Take backups of the 12Pay data from the old PC onto a memory stick, or locate a backup from the old PC that you already have (if the PC has failed you'll have to find a backup)
- Install the 12Pay software on your new PC
- Start the software up
- When you are prompted to create a new employer file do so
- The new employer file will start up and you'll be prompted to create a payroll in it. You can cancel this, because you're about to restore a backup into this employer file
- Use "File/Restore" to restore a backup
- In the "Open File" form that you can now see you need to navigate to the folder with your backup in it. This is either your memory stick, or a folder that you've copied your backup into. Once you can see the backup file in the "Open File" form click on it, then click the "Open" button.
- Your employer file should now load and you'll see the list of employees.
- You may now need to licence your software. Use "File/Licence" to call up the licence form. Various options are available if you've forgotten your user name or your password.