Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Any computer running Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher or FireFox 2.5 or higher will work with Motivation. Other computers/browsers (e.g. Mac Safari) may work fine but are not tested. Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 will work but with some missing functionality.

What are the system requirements for running the BSDI Suite of Windows Programs?

BSDI's software can run on essentially any computer that can run Microsoft's Windows Vista, XP or 2000. With that said, the question of requirements breaks down in four ways depending on your particular software configuration:

On a computer running...	You will need...
Microsoft SQL Server Express	Any Windows Vista or XP computer with at least 512MB of RAM for XP, 1GB for Vista. Faster processors and, especially, more RAM will give better performance. The server will communicate with the clients via TCP/IP (a standard ethernet network) unless you are installing both the server and the client on just one computer in which case you'll have the option of using TCP/IP or shared memory.
The Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine	Any Windows XP or 2000 computer with at least least 512MB of RAM. Faster processors and, especially, more RAM will give better performance. The server will communicate with the clients via TCP/IP (a standard ethernet network) unless you are installing both the server and the client on just one computer in which case you'll have the option of using TCP/IP or shared memory.
BSDI's Windows Software Fitness Analyst, Check-In.	Any Windows Vista, XP or 2000 computer with at least 256MB of RAM. If running both server and clients on one computer, you will need at least 512MB of RAM.

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Will the BSDI Suite of Programs run on an Apple or Linux computer?

The BSDI Suite of Programs is designed for Microsoft's Windows Vista or XP operating systems. It will not run natively on either Apple or Linux. However, you can purchase software that allows you to run a "virtual" Windows environment on a non-Windows computer and we have had customers successfully use BSDI's software on computers configured in this way.

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How do I Install the BSDI Windows software?

BSDI provides a manual entitled "Getting Started with the BSDI V10 Suite" that is included with the Software CD. You can also find detailed step by step instructions in our BSDI Software Installation Guide

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What is the difference between the Server & Client Software?

If you are using just our Windows software then you are likely to be hosting your own database (Motivation customers almost always have us host both the web site and their database so this topic doesn't apply to Motivation users).

In this case, you'll need to run a "Database Server" and one or more "Clients." The "Database Server" will run on just one computer on your network. It stores and retrieves the data that you will be working with (e.g. participant data, schedules, etc.). Despite its name, the Database Server does not have to be installed on one of Microsoft's true "server" operating systems but will run just fine on Windows Vista, XP or 2000.

The "Client Software" refers to the actual BSDI applications you have purchased: Fitness Analyst and/or Check-In. These applications will be configured to communicate with the server so that they all share the same data.

It is perfectly fine to run BSDI's software on a single computer. That computer just acts as both the Server and the Client and, in fact, won't even need any configuration since the client piece (e.g. the Analyst) will automatically locate the Database Server.

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When I install the MSDE, I get the error "the instance name specified is not valid." What does this mean?

This error message indicates that you have a version of SQL Server already installed on the PC. You can move on to the next step of installing the database.

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How do I find out which BSDI Software components I have installed?

You can confirm what BSDI software you have installed by opening the Windows Control Panel and selecting "Add/Remove Programs." In the list that appears, please look for the following entries:

Microsoft SQL Server 2005	This is the program that provides database services to all of your BSDI software. Note that you will not have this nor will you have the "BSDI Database" if BSDI is hosting your database for you.
Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine	This is the program that provides database services to all of your BSDI software. Note that you will not have this nor will you have the "BSDI Database" if BSDI is hosting your database for you.
BSDI Database	This is the actual database - the file holding your data - that is used by the SQL Server Desktop engine.
BSDI Client Software	This indicates whether the actual BSDI client applications: Fitness Analyst or Check-In are installed. To figure out which applications are installed, look on the BSDI submenu on your "Start" menu.
QuickBooks Integration: QBFC3.0	If you are running Retention Manager, this is the subsystem that lets Retention Manager talk to QuickBooks.

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How do I check what version of software I am running?

From within Fitness Analyst, and the "Staff" area of BSDI Check-In, simply click "Help" on the menu and then select "About...". A product splash-screen will appear that will have the software version number displayed on the upper left hand side.

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How do I back up my database?

Instructions for backing up & restoring the database are described in our document entitled "The BSDI Backup Guide". This document also outlines how to schedule the backup program to run automatically using the Windows Scheduler.

For BSDI Client versions prior to v10.9.10, instructions for backing up & restoring the database are described in our document entitled BSDI Original V10 Backup Guide.

See the Support Page for more information.

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How do I install an update of the BSDI Client Software?

Instructions for installing an update of the BSDI Windows (Client) Software are described in our document titled BSDI Client Update Guide . Typically, you'll just run the latest Client Software distribution. You must, however, make sure that all of the computers running BSDI's software are updated together.

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Does Motivation require a specific web browser or web browser version?

We recommend that you view Motivation using Internet Explorer, version 7.0 or above, or Firefox version 2.5 or above.

Other browsers, or earlier versions of the Internet Explorer or Firefox, may cause pages to be rendered incorrectly.

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How do I convert/move my clients from the V9.x version of the software to the V10 software?

Instructions for the conversion of your V9.x data to V10 are described in our document titled Database Conversion Guide .

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How do I import data from a text or CSV file into the BSDI Suite of programs?

Instructions for the import of data from a text or CSV file into the BSDI Suite of programs is described in our document titled Data Import Utility Guide .

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How do I import the BSDI Exercise Photos into the database?

Typically, you should not have to do this as our database comes with all of the photos already loaded. However, if you are upgrading from a very early version or you deleted the photos to save space, you can import all of the pictures at one time (you'll need your CD). Instructions for doing this are found in our document titled Exercise Photo Import Guide .