WHAT'S NEW IN GOLDMINE PREMIUM EDITION 9.0.3

The biggest reason that FrontRange released 9.03 is to accommodate changes that are needed for GoldMine Premium Edition to support its new GoldMine Mobile Edition 9.  (** See note below.)

A new Messaging tab appears in the user options screen when a GoldMine Mobile license is added to the License Manager.  The Messaging tab enables users to receive alarms for upcoming activities on their mobile devices as SMS messages.  For more information, please review the GoldMine Mobile Edition Installation and User Guide.  The Pager tab that appeared in previous releases is no longer displayed.

With the 9.03 release also come some "fixes."

ID # - Issue Description

150834 - Performance issues moving from one message to another in Outlook when connected to GoldMine

133122  - Service Center displays all records in the database if no filter is applied by the user (does not respect limits on System Settings > Display)

120811  - GoldMine stops responding while e-mail messages are being queued

118791  - Slow response when handling e-mails for a contact with a large number of opportunities

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Note:  GoldMine Premium Edition 9.0.3 also provides the fixes and enhancements included with GoldMine Premium Edition 9.0.0, GoldMine Premium Edition 9.0.1, GoldMine Premium Edition 9.0.1 Hotfix 1, and GoldMine Premium Edition 9.0.2, listed below.

** FrontRange is recommending that customers NOT go to the 9.0.3 release unless either they are buying GoldMine Mobile, or if they are experiencing one of the issues that is specifically fixed with 9.0.3. At this time FRS is considering 9.0.2 the "current" release.  (I know - strange!!  What can I tell you.)

If you'd like to see a demonstration or if you have questions about GoldMine Mobile contact First Direct Corp. at (800) 935-4386 or visit to request a demonstration.

By default MS Office 2010 will open documents in protected mode that fail validation, have been downloaded from the internet, are located in potentially unsafe location and include attachments. Protected view opens the document in read-only mode and minimizes the exposure to some potential security threats.  This added security presents an issue with GoldMine when you "Output to Excel."

GoldMine offers the ability to "Output To" from the various table views in the GoldMine Premium.  By "table views" I am referring to places like the History/Pending Tabs, the Activity List, the Contact Search Center, etc.  That will transfer the data that is visible in the rows to a either a new Excel spreadsheet or an MS Word file. With MS Excel in Office 2010 the "default" security settings cause the file to open in "Protected Mode" (versus "Compatibility Mode").  When this happens you are not able to edit the file without "enabling" the right to edit.

If you would like to turn this function off and have control over your documents.  Users can change their settings in both MS Word and MS Excel so that outputted files will automatically open in "Compatibility Mode" and you can just begin editing.

For MS Excel:

Output to Excel and when the Excel opens in the header of the file window select "click for more details."  (see graphic below.)

When you show details you'll get the following window below and you should select "File Block Settings."

This will open the following window in your Excel Trust Center.   Then within the window that appears simply uncheck the choices for Excel that you see checked below:

After these changes your Excel files created with GoldMine's "Output to Excel" function will open in "Compatibility Mode" so you can freely edit them.

We live in a wild world where a computer virus or malicious software (Spy-ware and Mal-ware) can attack and shut your system and business down at any time!

You don’t want to be making this call!!
It is not uncommon for First Direct to get a call from a GoldMine customer/user who has effectively lost access to their CRM system because of a virus or Malware attack.  Generally they are in a panic!  As you can imagine, the thought of losing their valuable relationship data accumulated over years and a great deal of effort, as well as not being able to access  documents on prospects, customers, and others is a scary situation for any firm.  

Malware and viruses grow smarter, more complex and more rampant by the day. According to one expert source, “There were over 73,000 new variants of malware released daily in April 2011 which is a 26 percent increase over April 2010.”  And there are more ways for attacks to be spread than ever before: the Internet, personal computing devices, file downloads, email, social media . . . the list grows.  Even fake antivirus software and poisoned image search links are becoming prevalent ways of spreading.

The attack can start anywhere and its tentacles may reach out to your entire network as well as your server and even onto your stored backups!  That's right … even your backups can import viruses and spyware upon execution.

Your Goldmine CRM takes a hit when your network is compromised by attacks.  If a virus or Malware attack compromises your CRM data and usage, it can severely damage the overall business.

Of course you can call me after this happens if heaven forbid it happens to you!  We do help people and businesses rectify problems after they occur.  But wouldn’t it be much better to take actions to try to avoid the disaster in the first place?

If you’d like, First Direct Corp. can have an engineer with special experience and expertise in this area review your protection.  Even if you have internal or external IT Support that is responsible for your system’s protection, we can give you a second opinion or provide validation.

Please pardon my bad attempt at being clever with the title of this article.  So you know what you're getting into, this post has to do with the importance of "User Preferences" in GoldMine software.  (Not to be confused with "user rights" or "user properties.")

Having trained thousands of GoldMine users over some 15 years, there are many things I have come to expect.  Some good, others bad.  Here's one aspect that most users have failed to optimize.  It is also one of the most expedient and simple ways to improve a GoldMine user's experience.  It is to change their GoldMine User Preferences.  Today, in GoldMine Premium, the user's preferences are now found within the "Tools" pull-down menu under the name "Options."  It is also likely to be on your user "Toolbar" by the same name.

Once you enter the Options Dialogue window you'll find tabs for specific categories where individual settings are made.  The "out-of-the-box" preferences, otherwise known as the "default" preferences, are reasonably appropriate.  But GoldMine programmers fully expected users, let alone administrators, to modify and adapt to their needs.

The problem is that most users don't know the impact of all the choices available to them so they don't know what to change.  Oftentimes GoldMine Administrators, who may not even be regular GoldMine users,  don't take the time to fully learn what all the options do or to coach their users to make good choices, let alone to make changes for them.  And yet, some simple changes to the defaults can increase user satisfaction and usage which is certainly desirable for all concerned.

One of the things a qualified GoldMine Solutions Partner, who is also a "Power User" by definition, can do for you is walk you through the settings and help you to understand them and make beneficial changes.

In addition to the Option settings, users have the following additional choices in many other areas of GoldMine:

• Window sizing
• Toolbar and Personal Task Bar
• Personal Knowledge Base
• Grid Controls for "Grouping, Filtering, and Summary" within views that have columns and rows such as the Record Tabs and Search Center, Contact List.
• Calendar View
• Which Navigation Panes and Record Tabs to Display

One of the nice things about the GoldMine client is all the ways each user can adjust their client view.  It takes significant programming to provide for that!   It only takes a little effort on the part of individual users to take advantage of it!

If you'd like me to review your settings and make recommendations; I can do that very quickly with you.  It is just one of the many services that First Direct Corp. offers.

Along the way, in the development of Premium Edition, FrontRange Solutions chose to change the label on the "additional contact" fax field from "Fax" to "Mobile."  This created several problems for users who had actively been entering fax numbers into that field for the original purpose it was intended.

To begin with, if you'd been storing faxes there they were all labeled as "Mobile" numbers.  That's enough confusion, but it was further complicated if you went to "Swap" an Additional Contact with a Primary Contact.  When you did that the value in the Primary Fax number (C1) field swapped with the Additional Contact's "Mobile" field.  Ugh!  FrontRange was making even more of a mess of things.

There's a couple things you could consider doing.  For one, there is a way to change the label on the Additional Contact "Mobile" BACK TO FAX!  Here's how:

The Mobile field in the Additional Contact record can be relabeled for use as a Fax number or for storing other data.  To change the label of this field, include the following entry in the [GoldMine] section of the gm.ini configuration file:  AddContactFaxLabel=Fax

After you've done this the "Swapping" of contacts makes sense again.  Albeit, now you won't have a field for "Mobile" in the Additional Contact Record.  Since Mobile phones are probably more useful than Faxes for additional contacts you may want to consider the following alternative approach.

Rather than "relabeling Mobile back to Fax" one could create a brand new "Fax" field on the Primary Contact Screen and globally move all the existing C1.Fax data into it.  Then, relabel C1. Fax to "Mobile."   And now, when you swap contacts the Mobiles match up!  Just a thought ....

If you've seen this error, likely while rebuilding your GoldMine database,  it is the 'multiples of 4GB' error.
If the FREE DISK SPACE on the hard drive that Goldmine is installed on is a multiple of 4 such as 4GB or 12GB or even any combination such as 4.5 GB or 16.4GB, you will get the Insufficient Disk Space error.

That problem is with the BDE (Borland Database Engine)

Rick Kelly has a dll that fixes this.

You have to make some small changes, but there are instructions to walk you thru them.

Rick Rans has put together the files and instructions needed at:

http://www.ransolutions.ca/Fix_For_Incorrect_BDE_Error-If_Free_Disk_Space_Exceeds_4GB.zip

As always please make a backup before beginning!!

Carbonite is a popular online backup program. Although this is a great piece of software and in general online backups are a terrific supplement to an onsite backup solution, there is something GoldMine Premium/Corporate Edition administrators should know. By default Carbonite does NOT backup files with a .BAK file extension. This is important for GoldMine Administrators to understand because database backups created by SQL Server are named with a .BAK extension. And although it is possible to override this Carbonite setting for a selected file, it cannot be done at the folder level. Since the names of your SQL backup files change daily, this would quickly become unmanageable. The solution is to set your SQL maintenance plan to use a different extension, say .BUP or .BKP., just something other than .BAK.

Of course should you ever need to restore from one of those files you will have to rename it back  to the standard .BAK extension that SQL expects. If you use some other online backup solution like Mozy, SOS, LiveDrive, etc… you should check with their documentation to see if they have a similar policy. And keep in mind that SQL backups can be rather large, so also make sure you have sufficient bandwidth to handle the uploads.

For those wanting to know, here are the files and directories that are excluded.

"The following folders are excluded from Carbonite backups:

"%WINDIR%\*",
"%TEMP%\*",
"%TMP%\*",
"\Recycler\*",
"\Recycle Bin\*",
"\System Volume Information\*",
"\MSOCache\*",
"\I386\*",
"\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\*", // skipped because most of this is system configuration stuff
"\Documents and Settings\*\Cookies\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\Local Settings\History\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\Local Settings\Temp*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\NetHood\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\PrintHood\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\History\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\NTUSER.DAT",
"\Documents and Settings\*\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\*\Cache\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\Application Data\Opera\Opera\profile\cache*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\Application Data\Microsoft\CryptnetUrlCache\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\Application Data\Yahoo! Desktop Search\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\Application Data\Google\Google Desktop\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\Application Data\Microsoft Help\*",
"\Documents and Settings\*\Application Data\Carbonite\*",
"\Program Files\Carbonite\Carbonite Backup\*",
"\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Clipart\*",

The following file types are excluded from Carbonite backups:

.bak;.log;.cab;.cf1;.chm;.com;.cpl;.dll;.dmp;.drv;.evt;.exe;.inf;.ico;.iso;.jar;.lex;.lib;.msi;.msm;
.mst;.ocx;.otf;.pnf;.pf;.prn;.reg;.rll;.swf;.sys;.ttf;.tmp;.vxd;.chq;.chw;.hlp;.hxi;.hxq;
.hxr;.hxs;.abf;.afm;.bdf;.dfont;.eot;.fnt;.fon;.lwfn;.otf;.pfa;.pfb;.pfm;.suit;.ttc;.ttf;.ani;.ann;
.bmk;.cnt;.cpl;.cur;.dev;.drv;.dvd;.ffa;.ffl;.ffo;.ffx;.ftg;.fts;.gid;.grp;.idx;.img;
.ini;.ins;.ipf;.isp;.its;.kbd;.kext;.key;.msc;.msp;.nt;.plist;.pol;.pref;.prf;.pwl;.reg;
.scf;.scr;.sdb;.swp;.sys;.theme;.vga;.vgd;.vxd;.fxp;.jse;.obs;.prg;.rox;.shb;
.tms;.vbe;.wpk;.$$$;.$db;.113;.abk;.bac;.bck;.bcm;.bdb;.bkf;.bkp;.old;.rdb;
.win;.PCH;.SBR;.PDB;.OBJ;.BSC;.ILK;.NCB;.IDB;.v2i;.ost;.lnk;.vhd;.vmc;.vmdk;.vmsd;.vmx;.vmsn;

system/;dtSearch*;Intermediate *;VMWare*;Virtual PC*;Virtual Machine*

Additionally, music and video files are excluded during free trial subscriptions of Carbonite.

Files that end in "_" or "~" don't get "Back this up" option in context menu. It means it's a compressed system file. It can be renamed (from the command line) to an extension w/out the "_" (underscore)or the "~"(tilde) and then you will get the backup option."

Make sure that the files you want to be backed up are not included in the above exclusions.

Many people are starting to use an online backup service to store their documents. Businesses will use this to keep their files safe in case of a break-in or disaster at the actual office site. Home workers may do this in order to have a secure place to store their files without having to purchase an external hard drive to do so. However, there are pros and cons to using online backup services.

What is an online backup service?

First, the basics – what is an online backup service? Put simply, it’s an Internet-based system that can be set up to automatically backup all of the files that you have on your computer. These files are stored online. You can then access these files remotely. This means that you don’t have to be in the office to access them. It also means that there is a copy of every file available to you in case damage is done to your computer and the files can’t be accessed from there.

Advantages of using an online backup service

There are some really good reasons that people today are relying on online backup systems. Some of the advantages of using these systems (as compared to other options for backing up files) include:

• The entire system is automated. When people have to be relied upon to do the backing up of files manually, there are often problems. People get delayed and files don’t get backed up in a timely manner. People make errors and files aren’t properly stored. These problems are typically avoided when using an automated online backup service to store files.

• The backup copy of the data is stored in a location other than the office or home office. This is important because it means that problems affecting the office computer won’t affect the files that are stored elsewhere. In other words, if there is a fire at your office and all of your files and equipment are damaged, you will still have the off-site backup copy of everything.

• You can store as much information as you need to store. Many people have used other forms of backup like the external hard drive to keep copies of their files. These forms are limited in the amount of information that can be stored. That isn’t the case with an online backup service (although you do pay for whatever you use).

• Your information is stored in an organized fashion. Most remote backup services offer some type of inventory-style list of the information that’s been backed up. This may be more organized than whatever system you use yourself.

Disadvantages of using an online backup service

There are a lot of advantages to using online backup services. However, not everything is perfect about them. Some of the disadvantages of these systems (as compared to other options for backing up files) may include:

• Your system may slow down during backup. This isn’t too much of a problem for most businesses today. However, it can happen. This depends on the service that you’re using, the speed of your Internet connection and other technological factors.

• You do take some minimal privacy / security risks when using an online backup service. As a general rule, your information is safe when stored online with these services. However, hackers (and problematic employees working for the remote backup service) could be a threat in some rare instances.

• The cost may be high for businesses that are storing a lot of information. Most remote backup services charge you based on the general amount of data that you backup every month. If your plan requires that you backup a lot of information then this can get pricey.

• The company could go out of business. You want to make sure that you understand what’s going to happen to your information if the company goes out of business. There should be some sort of plan in place for that but smaller companies may fail to take those precautions which can put your information at risk of loss.

Some other things to know about remote backup services

As you can see, there are drawbacks to using remote backup services but these may not outweigh the benefits of backing up your files in this manner. There are just a few other things that you might want to know about these services to determine whether they’re right for you:

• There are a lot of different online backup service providers to choose from. They vary in the exact services that they offer. They also vary in cost. You'll want to  do your research and choose a provider that you feel will meet your needs.

• You will want to look at managed vs. unmanaged backup service options. The difference is in the amount of monitoring and assistance that you get from the company that is providing the service.

• Some online backup services are good for people who work remotely. That is because you can access your files through these services no matter where you are working from. This particularly makes these types of services beneficial for people who are collaborating remotely with others. There are other ways of doing this type of collaboration but it could be an added benefit of certain online backup systems.

• The cost of remote backup services is generally considered to be worth it for most businesses. That is because you save yourself a lot of time, stress and even money if you do have to use the service. If your files are lost, it’s going to be costly to replace that information. The online backup service works as a sort of insurance program to protect you from that.

Those are the basic things that you’ll need to know to get started with researching online backup systems. From there, it’s a matter of looking at the different services available to you and finding the right one.

The following is a list of some popular Online Backup Service Providers: ( in no particular order)

• SOS Online Backup
• Mozy
• BlackBlaze
• Carbonite
• IDrive
• Norton Online Backup

If you're on GoldMine 6.x you've likely come across an unwelcome bug that appeared along with New Years 2011.

There is a fix that can be credited to a post on FrontRange site from "AHarry" that we have seen work, albeit not test for all versions.

Here it is "word-for-word', link edited for easier download:

"This is a very easy patch with any hex editor. Find a free hex editor ( I use HxD from ftp://wa651f2:anonymous@mh-nexus.de/HxDSetupEN.zip) Load GMW6.EXE and do a text search for 20101231 change the 2010 to 2020 and save the file. No more warning (at least until 2020! )

Of course, you should back up your GMW6.EXE file before editing.. and you do this at your own risk although it is very simple I am not responsible if you mess something up.
And this also will not remedy any issues that may have been lurking that the developers felt they needed to warn against in the first place.. if there are any."

We can also tell you that upgrading to GoldMine 7.x Corporate or GoldMine 9.x Premium Edition* will address this problem along with many other issues that will continue to plague old and unsupported versions of GoldMine.  The best long range solution is to upgrade!!

* GoldMine Premium Edition 9.0.1 was released 01/10/201. Click here to read the latest release notes.

For assistance with applying this fix or upgrading contact your solution partner or First Direct Corp. 800-935-4386.

No doubt you’ve heard the expression “speed kills” as a reference to driving too fast.  But there’s there one situation when it’s the other way around and the lack of speed kills.  And, that’s when it comes to computers!  With computers, the lack of speed kills productivity, nerves, and job performance, which in turn can lead to even more damaging outcomes to a business!

So when it comes to your computer you want it to scream with speed.  Here are five (5) main factors that effect the speed of your computer:

1. Too many services running in the background
2. Too many start-up applications
3. Too many unneeded programs taking up space
4. Slow Hard drives
5. Spy-ware and Viruses

Being the way hardware and operating systems have advanced and come down in price, it’s pretty safe to say that if your computer is 6-10 years or more old, you can achieve an ROI from a new machine.  By the same token, even a newer machine, let alone a somewhat older machine can gain performance speed with a some adjustments and maintenance.  Examples of what you could do include:

• Defragging the Hard Drive once a week
• Create a Page\Swap file with a fixed size and place
• Upgrade your network card to a 10/100/1000 style NIC
• Remove unneeded programs
• Add more RAM: 32 bit OS - 4GB maximum however it's really around 3.3gb that is usable .64bit OS -192 gb  maximum currently. The future for 64 bit is offered towards the 16 exabytes or 17.2 billion gigabytes maximum limit.

Applications such as GoldMine Premium demand a lot from the resources of your machine.   Add the demands of Microsoft Office products and today's graphics and audio files, and you can really suffer if you machine doesn't have what it takes!

If you want some help from a computer geek who’s also a speed freak, and you don’t know where to turn, give us a call at First Direct Corp.  We have just the guy!