PigCom Questions and Answers

PigCom will run on legacy systems (Windows 98/NT/XP) as well as up-to-date systems (Windows Vista/Windows 7). There are two installation versions for the two classes of operating system. The legacy systems require the installation using the 2000 installer (the last revision of which is for V1.73). New in 2010 is the new installer (2010 Installer) which is fully compatible with Windows 7. There are 3 versions of this 2010 Installer. These will form the basis of all new future releases, but all updates will be available for both versions.

As of 2010, there are now four installation versions of PigCom where up until then there had been only one. The old version (now referred to as the 2000 Installation), is suitable for legacy systems (Windows 98/NT/2000/XP). This installation will remain available in V1.73 format, but will no longer be updated as we develop PigCom. This does not mean that you cannot use this installation in the future; it just means that you will also have to apply the update as soon as you have installed V1.73.

The three new installations (referred to as 2010 Installations) are suitable for newer operating systems (Windows 7 and Vista). They install the latest versions of the required Microsoft software on which PigCom runs.

There are three installations due to the emergence of 64bit computing. There is the standard 32-bit installation version, and two 64-bit installations depending on your system set-up. There is information on these pages to help you decide which one you need to install.

The installation version of PigCom is much larger in size (>250MB) than the update version (<8MB) as the installer version contains a runtime version of Microsoft Access (needed to run the PigCom program) and Microsoft SQL Server (needed to host the PigCom data).

The update version contains the PigCom program itself along with a blank data file compatible with the most recent version, and any files necessary to update your current data file to the most recent version. The update files are usually in the format V1.xx where xx= is the version release number. Occasionally, updates will also include a language file for adding or updating language text in PigCom (e.g. Chinese.mdb).All the contents of the downloadable update should be extracted to the PigCom program folder.

Please check the download option on the left menu bar which lists the current release version. Click the button to download the update and check back regularly to see when new versions are available. The latest version of PigCom available is currently V1.83 (as of 2010-12-01).

There is no set frequency of update releases for PigCom. Feature development is always on-going and D2D beta-test updates in house before they are released. D2D do not always release interim updates and so versions may jump between release numbers e.g. V1.73 to V1.83 where 9 interim updates were not released. Interim updates are sometimes part-finished development or bespoke development for customers who may be the only people to receive that particular update until a new ‘release’ version is completed, whereby everyone will receive all development in one go.

Yes. Any previous version of PigCom can be updated to the current version. However, once a PigCom version has expired, we no longer include the update files to move from this version to the current version.

For example, the oldest un-expired version of PigCom is V1.73. V1.72 and prior have expired and so we assume nobody is currently using them. Our current update contains the version updates files from V1.70 to V1.83. Updates are applied sequentially, so if one is missing, the update process stops and gives the user a message as to which update file is missing. You can contact D2D who will then provide all the necessary update files for you to complete your update to the current version.

The data from a 2000 Installation (original version) will successfully restore to any of the three new 2010 PigCom installations. Data from any of the three new 2010 installations can be restored to any other of the 2010 installation versions.

Data from a 2010 installation CANNOT be restored back onto a 2000 installation.

Yes, trial periods of PigCom can be arranged depending on which country you wish to use the software in. To arrange a free trial, please contact your local agent or D2D using the contact us form. In the body of the e-mail, please provide a contact address and telephone number. A free trial will not be provided unless valid details are provided.

With different installation versions of PigCom (2000 and 2010) there are different requirements for each installation

PigCom 2000 Installation Version

• 32Bit Version
  • A PC running the Microsoft Windows NT, 2000 or XP 32bit operating systems.
  • Processor: 2GHz. Memory: 128Mb. Free Disk Space: 100Mb

PigCom 2010 Installation Version

• 32Bit Version
  • A PC running the Microsoft Windows 7 or Vista 32bit operating systems.
  • Processor: 2GHz. Memory: 2GB. Free Disk Space: 2.5 GB
• 64-32bit Version
  • A PC running the Microsoft Windows 7 or Vista 64bit operating systems.
  • 32-bit version of Microsoft Office already installed or no version of Microsoft Office installed.
  • Processor: 2GHz. Memory: 2GB. Free Disk Space: 2.5 GB
• 64bit Version
  • A PC running the Microsoft Windows 7 or Vista 64bit operating systems.
  • 64-bit version of Microsoft Office already installed.
  • Processor: 2GHz. Memory: 2GB. Free Disk Space: 2.5 GB

Before installing PigCom, please ensure you have installed all updates from the Microsoft update service.

PigCom 2000 Installation Version

There are no prerequisites required for installing PigCom 2000 on the Windows 98/NT/2000/XP systems as the installer itself ensures that the basic requirements are met (e.g. Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher is installed). If Microsoft Update has been carried out on your system, it is likely that the basic requirements will already be met.

PigCom 2010 Installation Version

• Windows 7
  

  There are no prerequisites required for installing PigCom 2010 on Windows 7.

• Windows Vista
  

  The prerequisites required for installing PigCom 2010 on Windows Vista are:

  Step 1: Download and install Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1. or Download and install Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0.
  Step 2: Download and install Windows Installer 4.5.

PigCom can be downloaded from the software download page on this website free of charge for a trial period. It can also be ordered on physical medium (CD/DVD) for a nominal cost to cover postage and packing (overseas orders to be sent via airmail). Please Contact us for details.

We have users who operate PigCom in a multiuser environment in one of two ways. They either have PigCom set up on one PC/Server and connect into this data file from other client PCs, or else they operate as different stand alone PCs with data being transferred between PCs via back-ups.

The main consideration when working in a multiuser environment is to ensure that all PCs operate with the same version of PigCom, and (especially when operating in a standalone multi-user environment) all PCs using the same PigCom installation version (either 2000 or 2010). This is so a user operating a 2000 installation does not encounter the situation where they need to restore a back-up from a PC operating on a 2010 installation. Such a data file cannot be restored on a 2000 installation.

Yes, D2D can convert some older systems directly into PigCom. When Pedigree Systems Ltd are employed to do any data conversion, the associated charges are passed on to the client. Please contact us with details of your current system to find out more.

There are three components which are installed by the PigCom installer:

• Microsoft SQL Server (either 2000 or 2008 R2) and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Backward Compatibility (only in 2010 installation).
• Microsoft Access Runtime (either XP or 2010).
• PigCom Program File (and necessary charting controls).

PigCom 2000 Installation Version

If you have downloaded the 2000 installation, the self extracting zip will create a folder “C:\PigCom Installation”. You can locate this folder and execute the setup.exe within the main folder.

If you have received a CD, it should autostart the Setup program. If this does not occur, simple right-click the CD drive in windows explorer and select explore. This will open a window showing the contents of the CD and you can click the Setup.exe program shown there.

PigCom 2000 Installation Version

If you have downloaded the 2010 installation, you should have already determined which installation of the three you should be using. If you have received a DVD containing all three installation variants, you need to determine which version to install. Once you have done this, simply clicking on the self-extracting zip will extract a copy of the installation to your hard drive in the location of C:\D2D\PigCom Installation, and will start the setup.

Please see accompanying tutorial.

One quick method is to open the “Add/Remove Programs” or “Programs and Features” section of the Control Panel and ensure that all three components are listed correctly.

You can obtain a License for PigCom online. When you see the License Registration box in PigCom, fill-in the user details along with the registration code that D2D has provided to you. Now press "Register and Get License". This does two things:

• It creates a site code (which is needed to obtain a license code)
• If you are connected to the internet, it takes you to the PigCom website where you are presented with the details you have just entered.

Yes, You do not need to get the License code from the website on the PC being licensed. You can obtain a License for PigCom from any online PC. Simply fill-in the user details and registration code on the License Registration box and press "Register and Get License".

Whilst it will fail to connect to the internet, it will provide the site code necessary to register PigCom. Visit the PigCom Registration page and fill in the registration code, site code and user details. Click the "Get License" button and type the License code manually into the PigCom PC.

D2D can always assist you with this should you have no way of obtaining the License code yourselves.

Generally, a license to use the PigCom software will last 12 months as the software lease fees are payable annually.

Trial licenses are for a shorter term usually lasting between 30 and 90 days. ACMC franchise holders do not pay for the use of PigCom software for their own herds and so are usually provided with licenses which last for a longer time period.

Each registration code is valid for provision of one license code from the D2D website. Once this has been provided, the same code cannot be used again unless D2D reset the code on the website.

As the License anniverasy approaches, you will be warned that the License period is running out. Once you see this warning (30 days notice) you are advised to contact D2D and request the code be reset. D2D will then raise an invoice and reset the code for it to be used again when your period has ended. Leaving it until the last day may prevent you from temporarily accessing PigCom if there is a delay in resetting the code.

If for whatever reason you need to re-install PigCom e.g. Hard drive failure or Virus Infection on PC, you can contact D2D and they will reset your registration code for the balance of the current License period.

There are two expiration settings in PigCom:

• The License code which usually lasts for 365 days.
• The PigCom Version itself which has a 'lifetime' of 545 days from initial release.

To update PigCom, simply visit the software download page and select the appropriate download for your installation (2000/2010). These two files differ only in the default location to where the updates are extracted from the self extracting zip. Using the wrong file will simply put the update in the wrong place on your PC and so the update will not be installed. If you use the wrong update in error, simply download the alternative update file and re-apply.

PigCom version numbers are sequential, but not every version is a release version. Some versions are beta versions tested in-house at D2D and are not released to clients. Some versions are developed specifically for a client and are relased to them alone. However, in this case, all users will get all 'missed' updates when they next update to the latest release version i.e. during the update process, every user transitions though each interim version until all version updates are applied sequentially. So updating from V1.73 to the next release version V1.83 means that update V1.74 is first applied, then update V1.75 is next applied etc. until finally V1.83 is applied.

When an update is 'applied' you will see version update files appear in the PigCom directory. These files are in the format V1.xx, V1.nn. For a successful update, you need all these files present in the PigCom application folder. These files should be sequential from the current version of PigCom you are on to the version of PigCom you are updating to. Failure to have all the files present in this folder will give an error message on initially starting PigCom. The message indicates which update file is missing.

Additionally, other files are occasionally required such as langauge update files. These should also be present in the PigCom application folder.

There are two possible reasons for this showing on the main menu:

• A failed update to an interim version (e.g. Update file missing)
• You have restored a data file from a new version of PigCom onto a PC with older version of PigCom on.

PigCom is uninstalled via the "Add and Remove Programs" or "Programs and Features" options in the Control Panel of Windows (depending on the version of Windows). There are three separate components that are installed by the PigCom installer and these three components can be individually un-installed in turn to remove PigCom. It does not matter which order you un-install the components. See below for a list of components.

There are three components which need to be un-installed to remove PigCom from a computer:

• Microsoft SQL Server (either 2000 or 2008 R2) and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Backward Compatibility (only in 2010 installation).
• Microsoft Access Runtime (either XP or 2010).
• PigCom Program File (and necessary charting controls).

When uninstalling SQL server, it is important to ensure no other software installed on your PC is using SQL. You should be able to remove the SQL Instance named PIGCOM without affecting other software, but you shoud leave the rest of the SQL components intact if other software is using SQL.

This message indicates that the version of PigCom you are currently using is approaching 545 days after its initial release date. To address this issue, simply download and apply the latest update version.

This message indicates that you are approaching the end of your current license period. Should you wish to lease the software for a further year period, contact D2D who will reset your registration code on the website again and this will allow you to obtain a License code when your time runs out. To avoid a period of time where you cannot access PigCom, you should contact D2D as soon as this message appears. Do not leave it until the final day!

If you do not need to use PigCom after your license period expires, you can simly let the License expire. In such circumstances, it would be advisable to make a back-up of your data before allowing PigCom to exceed its license period.

This message indicates an application error has occurred. In such circumstances, the first step is to update to the latest release version if one is available, and if you are currently on the latest version, re-apply the latest update file. This puts a new copy of the program onto the PC and rules out any corruption in the Program file.

If after applying the update, you still receive these errors, take a back-up of your data (if you can do so) and contact D2D. We will need the copy of your data to replicate and solve the issue on your data. You will then be contacted with a solution to your problem.