Life after Windows 10

 Later this year (2025) Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 10. So this leaves us users with a dilemma  - upgrade (though many older computers will not run Windows 11), buy a new computer(s) with Windows 11 on it, move over to Linux, or soldier on with our fingers crossed?

Buying a new computer will be around £500 +, not a trivial sum. Using the Linux operating system is free, but involves dealing with a completely new system. Also, some specialized programs are only available for Windows (and funnily enough that includes Wessex Professional). Soldiering on means that you will quickly come to grief, but ONLY if you are connected to the internet. If you aren't connected to the internet at all then the baddies out there have no way of getting to you. 

It is obviously impractical for your main computer not to be connected, but if you end up with an old Windows computer it could be used in the shop as your pricing computer. Wessex Professional doesn't need to be connected to the internet in order to give prices, view job tickets and invoices etc. So that computer you were going to junk (recycle) could find a new lease of life.

But, if we're not connected to the internet how do we keep upto date with moulding prices and program updates? The answer is "Simples", by downloading the appropriate file(s) from a connected computer, and copying it\them onto a USB stick which is then inserted into the old computer that still has the pricing program on it. Thus, if we wanted to update Wessex Mouldings, on the connected computer we'd download the update file (by going to www.wessexpictures.com/Wessex-Pricing). Then copy the file to a USB stick, transfer the file to the old computer and from within the program go to "File" > "Update Mouldings" and when prompted tell the program that the file it needs is on the USB stick.

So, Microsoft switching off support for Windows 10 could be a positive after all!

Update Mouldings v's Windows Update

A few weeks ago I had a call from a Wessex Professional user about a problem she was having, trying to update her moulding records from an Excel file. I was quite busy framing at the time (the day job) so I said I'd try to repeat the issue that evening at home, not expecting a problem.
Within a few minutes of running a test the same error message appeared ("unexpected error from external database driver (1)") - problem time!
I put the error message into Google and found that other people had the same problem, and the cause was the latest Windows update.

Now I'm a firm believer in the saying "If it ain't broke - don't fix it". Unfortunately it was broken and I had to fix it!

Very quickly I came up with one solution, but that involved expecting the user to download and install 100mb of new database engine. Ok if nothing else could be done, but not ideal.

The breakthrough came when I found a DLL that returned data from an Excel file (DLL's are small files that add functionality to a program). The slight fly in the ointment was that the data came in a slightly different form which meant that a section of code had to be rewritten. Overwriting code that had worked perfectly well upto the Windows Update was rather galling, particularly as it is quite complex (loops within loops). However, after much head-scratching and testing a new program version came into being.
So, download ver. 4.4.4 from the Wessex website and all will be well.

Windows 10 and the Pricing Program

Windows 10 is here and lots of people are installing it (after all, it is free to most users of Windows 7, 8 & 8.1). In general it is a well worthwhile upgrade, certainly far better than 8 & 8.1. Windows 7 users well feel at home pretty much straightaway.


The Wessex Pricing Program runs just as well on Windows 10 as on the previous versions of Windows.


The only potential problem I've seen is the increased security. So, when you download something from the internet and try to open the file there are many warnings along the lines of "Files downloaded from the internet are potentially unsafe." and  "Are you sure you want to continue?". In fact you might even have to explore "Additional options" in the dialogue box to run the file.
As more and more people are downloading the program from the Wessex website I hope that they won't be put off when they first go to install it.
So, for now, the procedure to try out or upgrade the program is

1. Download the "30 Day Trail" from the Wessex website (you may need to log in with your user name and password).
2. If you are at all worried, scan the downloaded file with your Anti-Virus program.
3. Double-click the file to run it.
4. Select "Additional Options" from the warning Dialog box.
5. Click "Run Anyway".

Alternatively - order a CD from Wessex.

(NB. If you are upgrading an existing program remember to take copies of your Database and Labels/Values file (v3.mdb & user.xml) before you run the file, just in case!)