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Frequently Asked Questions



This page answers many of the commonly asked questions about iMagic Tour Reservation. If you can't find the answer you are looking for then you can contact us on our support page.

This section is split into Sales and Technical Questions for ease of reference. Click on the question below to be taken to the answer:

Sales Questions
Q. What is iMagic Tour Reservation?
Q. What do I do if I have a question?
Q. How much does it cost?
Q. When purchasing for multiple users, what does iMagic consider to be a 'user'?
Q. I'm quite happy with my pencil and paper why should I use a computer?
Q. Can I download the software rather than pay for postage?

Technical Questions
Q. What do I do if I have a question?
Q. Does iMagic Tour Reservation support multiple users?
Q. How can I change the default currency setting?
Q. What support is offered?
Q. Does iMagic Tour Reservation work on a Mac?
Q. How can I transfer my installation of iMagic Tour Reservation from one PC to another?
Q. I am wondering if iMagic Tour has a limit to the number of tours the database will hold?
Q. Can you change the template (add headers, logos, etc) for guest receipts and/or confirmations?
Q. How can I archive out the old database or clear it and start afresh?
Q. When I launch the application I get the error "Format of the initialization string does not conform to the OLE DB specification.". What can I do?
Q. How do I get a copy of the latest version?
Q. My rates are based on double occupany and there is an additional charge for extra persons. I also have an additional charge for pets. Is there a way to add that to the billing page?
Q. I entered one reservation and when I went to enter a new booking, the information for the previous booking came up. How do I make it so the booking screen is blank?

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions



What is iMagic Tour Reservation?
It's a reservation system for small sized tour operators. If you're running your own tour then this is the software for you.

What do I do if I have a question?
The first thing would be to scan these questions to see if it's already been answered. If you can't find anything then please contact us on our support page.

Does iMagic Tour Reservation support multiple users?
Yes iMagic Tour Reservation can be used on a LAN by several users at once.

To setup multiple users you would install the software onto each PC that needs it. Then designate one as the main/server PC, this then shares it's database with the other PCs on the network.

It takes a few steps to setup the network feature. As follows:

1) Install the software onto the server, this will then be the central database. Configure and setup the system and other details as required.
2) Still on the server, create a share to the folder in which you installed the software. You can do this in Windows 2000 by right clicking on the folder and selecting Sharing. You'll then want to give full read and write access.
3) Install the software onto each workstation (don't run it just yet).
4) On each workstation run the Network Administration program (found by pressing Start/Program Files/iMagic Tour Reservation). Follow the wizard and set the database path to the share that was created on the server.
5) You can now run the software on each workstation and it will use the database on the server.

Note - if you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7 and the Database File is located in the C:\Program Files\ folder then you must enter the Compatibility Folder before sharing the folder. To do this navigate to the Database Folder in Windows, then click on the Compatibility Folder button on the toolbar. This will take you to the actual folder.

How can I change the default currency setting?
iMagic Tour Reservation uses the system's currency setting. To change this to a different currency:
1) Press Start/Settings/Control Panel.
2) Select Regional Options.
3) Select the Currency Tab.
4) Change the Currency Symbol to your currency and click OK.
iMagic Tour Reservation will now use your currency.

How much does it cost?
Latest pricing is available by clicking the Buy Now link on the menu.

When purchasing for multiple users, what does iMagic consider to be a 'user'?
For licensing users are "concurrent users", so the licence you need is for the number of PCs using iMagic Tour at any single time. You could for example have a 3 user licence but install it on 5 PCs, this would work if you only use it on 3 of those PCs at any single time.

I'm quite happy with my pencil and paper why should I use a computer?
There are many advantages to using computer software although the main one should always be that it makes your life easier. The software product is intended to save you time and effort.

What support is offered?
Support is available either online at our dedicated support forums or via email, you contact us on our support page.

Does iMagic Tour Reservation work on a Mac?
iMagic Tour Reservation is designed for use on MS Windows as such it's intended use is a PC. You can however use Windows on a Mac which would allow you to use iMagic Tour Reservation, in order to do so you would need something like VMWare Fusion.

How can I transfer my installation of iMagic Tour Reservation from one PC to another?
To move the system to another PC you would need to first install iMagic Tour Reservation on the new PC and enter in your key details to register it. Then you would move the Database File (db.mdb) from the old PC to the new one, to do that:

1) Find the folder of the current Database File by launching iMagic Tour Reservation then selecting Help/About and clicking "Database".
2) Open the folder found and exit iMagic Tour Reservation. Note that if you are using Windows 7 or Windows Vista and the above folder is in the "Program Files" folder you'll need to click on the "Compatibility Folder" button to open the actual folder.
3) Copy the Database File (db.mdb) to the new PC either over the network or copy it to a USB key.
4) On the new PC find the folder of the Database File, again to to this launch iMagic Tour Reservation on the new PC, select Help/About and click "Database". Again on Windows 7 or Windows Vista click on the "Compatibility Folder" button.
5) Copy the Database File to the new folder.

I am wondering if iMagic Tour has a limit to the number of tours the database will hold?
The upper limit depends on the speed of your PC, available RAM etc. The average PC should be able to deal with hundreds of tours. A more powerful PC can handle many times that.

Can I download the software rather than pay for postage?
Yes. After purchase you'll be emailed a keycode, when you enter this into the application it will convert to the full version. We'll also mail you a CD just in case you need to reinstall in the future, free of charge.

Can you change the template (add headers, logos, etc) for guest receipts and/or confirmations?
Yes you can customize the confirmation and receipt templates as required. First find the Template Folder by selecting Configure/Settings. Open the Template File folder, you can then edit the Template Files (they end in .RTF). If you open these files in a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, you can edit the layout, add logos etc. Just be sure to save them as RTF files when you've finished.

How can I archive out the old database or clear it and start afresh?
At some point you may wish to clear out the database and start again. This might happen over the finacial new year, or on a new season.

There are currently two ways of doing this. The first would be to first backup the database (File/Backup Database) then manually delete any old reservations you no longer want.

Another option would be to clear out all the information in the Database. This is possible by first deleting the "Database File" and then reinstalling. This will then recreate a blank Database File for you.

To do this, select Help/About and click "Database...". Navigate to the folder in Windows and then exit iMagic Tour Reservation. Delete the db.mdb file. Then reinstall from the trial download or CD if you have one.

When I launch the application I get the error "Format of the initialization string does not conform to the OLE DB specification.". What can I do?
This error indicates that either Microsoft Jet or Microsoft MDAC are out of date or need repairing. Mostly this can be fixed by going to the Microsoft Update website and downloading the latest versions. However if you are running Windows XP with SP2 then the Microsoft updates above may not launch. In which case you'll need to repair your install, you can do this by:
1) Locate the mdac.inf file in C:\WINDOWS\inf
2) Right click on the file and select install.
3) When prompted for a location, enter:
C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386
4) If prompted for the Windows XP CD, either load the CD or point to:
C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386

This will reinstall and repair Microsoft MDAC/Jet.

What reports are available?
Commonly used reports are available. Also iMagic Tour Reservation is fully compatible with MS Access, so most reporting applications can be used including Microsoft Office and Crystal Reports. You can also export to MS Excel for even more options.

How do I get a copy of the latest version?
From within iMagic Tour Reservation select Help/Check Web For Updates.

I entered one reservation and when I went to enter a new booking, the information for the previous booking came up. How do I make it so the booking screen is blank?
The current reservation is saved until it's completed. This is useful if you need to perform searches, check other screens, reports etc. To finish the reservation click the "Next" button until you get to the last step and press "Confirm". (you can also quickly jump to the last step by clicking on the "Step 4 - Confirmation" text).