Frequently Asked Questions

SEASONAL REQUIREMENTS

Which season will this summers leagues be part of?
Leagues beginning after March 14, 2004 and before August 1, 2004 are part of the Summer 2003/04 season. The bowling year begins August 1 and runs through the following July 31. The season of a league (and its averages) is determined by the starting date of the league.

What does the Start New Season menu option do?
The Start New Season program removes the existing inactive leagues and league bowlers (not the person record, just the role) before it makes a second pass and deactivates last years active leagues and league bowlers. This action provides a new list of inactive leagues and members that can be re-activated in the upcoming season.

When should I run Start New Season?
This program can be run twice a year, once in preparation for summer leagues and again for winter leagues. (If your association does not have summer leagues, you will run this program only one time each year.)

How do I know if I need to run Start New Season?
The best way to determine when you need to run start new season is to check the status of the leagues in the season you are getting ready for. For example, if you are getting ready for summer, take a look at where last summers leagues are listing. If they are active, you should run Start New Season for summer. If these leagues are inactive or if you have no summer leagues, you do not need to run Start New Season for summer.

The same holds true for winter. If last seasons winter leagues are active, you should run Start New Season in preparation for your winter season. Note: When you run start New Season for Summer, your winter leagues will not be affected and vice versa.

What do I need to do to run Start New Season?
Please print out and follow the Start New Season Checkoff Guide

How do I change my Local Association address, phone, and email information?
Click on Association, then Properties and make any required changes. Then create and send a new transmittal, which will send any changes up to Bowling Headquarters.

When do I enter the results of our associations election of officers? Should I wait until they take office?
No, enter them immediately after your election has been completed in the Association Officials of your Association Properties screen. Then do a new transmittal, which will send any changes up to Bowling Headquarters.

Entering them immediately lets Bowling Headquarters know who the new officials are before they take office. This provides immediate contact information the day the change takes effect.

Note: If an official is being replaced, do not remove them. Enter the new individual with their respective term of office. WinLABS allows you to view only current officials which helps eliminate the confusion of seeing more than one at a time.

When printing my rosters, the ages are not correct. What do I do to correct them?
Update your system defaults in the Setup Options. YABA associations should change the date used to determine the bowler's age here annually.

What do I do if my Local/State dues change?
When you have a local dues change, each product should be updated for state and local dues.

Click on Setup, Membership Products, and review all of your membership products to ensure the dues are correct, and update the necessary products.

How long can I use the same backup disks?
Your backup media (diskettes, tapes, or zip disks) should be replaced at least once per year. Just as important is to be sure that you have at least three sets of backups that are rotated.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS/MAINTENANCE

Will WinLABS run on my system?
Unless you are inheriting used equipment, minimum requirements are not an issue. If you are obtaining older equipment, the following is applicable. Minimum system requirements now include systems with Windows 98, 2000, ME, or XP and a minimum of 32MB RAM and 150 MB free space on the hard drive. Additional memory and hard disk space is desirable. (Associations working with state databases should have at least 256 MB RAM for improved performance.)

Can two or more computers be networked together to use WinLABS?
Yes. Many associations use WinLABS on a local area network. (Wide-area dial-up networking is not feasible.) The larger the number of users, the more capable your server and network must be.

Can I process another associations data in addition to mine?
Yes. You will need to create a new association for each database youll be working with, and restore the other associations existing database into it. You need to be certain that any backup that you are restoring includes the most recent transmittal.

Double-clicking the WinLABS icon will display a list of associations from which you can select the one youd like to work on.

Note: it is very important to back up each association you are processing - especially after transmitting.

I am a new association secretary. What should I do to use WinLABS on my system?
With the exception of a few YABA associations, there will not be any secretaries that will have to start from scratch in WinLABS. If you do not inherit the associations computer and you will be using your own pc, you need to get a recent backup from the former/outgoing secretary. A current database includes all transmittals sent to Bowling HQ. If there is any doubt regarding whether or not your data is current, please contact the WinLABS Help Desk to avoid possible loss of data and/or extra work on your part. Please print out the Database Transfer Checkoff Guide (Adobe Acrobat Format, .PDF) for more assistance.

I have lost all of my WinLABS data. Can I just start over?
No. Once anyone in your association has transmitted data, you cannot start over.

Please contact the WinLABS Help Desk at Bowling Headquarters so we can verify whether your data has truly been lost, or if the program has just lost track of the data. We then can assist you in evaluating whether or not your database and/or backup is current and ensure that your future processing is successful.

TRANSMITTALS

Why havent I received a confirmation for my transmittal?
Transmittal confirmations are normally available for pickup within one working day of the date your transmittal is received. You will need to connect through WinLABS once again to pick them up.

Click on Tools/Send and Receive Data/Send and Receive Now and then on Connect. If you connect after the next business day, and still have not received confirmation, contact the WinLABS Help Desk as soon as possible before entering any additional data.

Why do I need a password to transmit?
You dont need a password to transmit. Once you start seeing the More than 30 days has passed since you last transmitted . . . message, a transmittal is required. Once a new transmittal is created and successfully sent, the message will no longer appear.

What do I need to do when I get a message stating that I can not connect to the FTP server?
This message can display for a number of reasons. Continue to try, and if you are unsuccessful, please contact the WinLABS Help Desk for assistance.

Can I order my supplies through WinLABS?
If you processed through WinLABS last year, click on Tools and then on Order Supplies Online. This is actually a link to an Internet site. (All associations should now be able to order supplies through WinLABS.)

BACKUP/RESTORE

Can I back up my WinLABS data to a CD?
Yes. You may find it easier to create the backup folder on your hard drive and copy it to the CD rather than browsing to the CD during the backup process. If you are using Windows XP, please print out the Backing Up to CD Instructions (Adobe Acrobat Format, .PDF) for additional assistance.

When I try to restore my backup, why am I getting a message that my backup file does not exist?
Clicking the Browse button will help you determine if a file is really on your diskette/cd and if it has a slightly different name on the diskette than what is listing on your system. If you need help restoring your backup, please contact the WinLABS Help Desk at Bowling Headquarters for assistance.

I need to reformat my hard drive, how do I protect my WinLABS data from being lost?
Contact the WinLABS Help Desk at Bowling Headquarters for assistance in backing up your database to floppy disk, zip disk, or CD before the format. As an additional precaution, you can click Upload Backup in Tools, Send/Receive Data, to send a backup to Bowling Headquarters. We then can assist you in the reinstall/restore process to ensure that there is no loss of data and that you are able to process successfully.

When I start WinLABS, the program is asking for the activation code that is on the CD sleeve, but my sleeve does not have one listed. How do I obtain an activation code?
The activation code is like a "key" to let you use the software. This key is only required once, when your association begins to use WinLABS.

Please contact the WinLABS Help Desk for assistance, so that we can determine how to get you going, and provide the activation code if necessary.

Why am I getting a DynaZip UnZIP Error: Error creating output file (Problem extracting file(s)) while trying to update WinLABS?
You are seeing this message because you are attempting to run the update program with WinLabs open. The program will run successfully after you exit WinLABS and try the update again.

GENERAL

How do I print labels in WinLABS?
You can request labels on the Output Options tab in the Report Wizard from any coordinating reports.

In WinLABS, can I request a replacement card for a bowler?
You will need to refulfill this from your desktop. Highlight the bowler on the all people tab and click the membership ID button. Click on the refulfill card button. The next time you transmit a new card will be generated, and the bowler should receive their card in 7 - 10 days.

My bowler needs a replacement card right away, how can I get them a card now?
Go to Reports, Bowler, and run the Bowler Verification letter, which you can sign. This can be used as proof of membership and average at sanctioned tournaments.

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