EasyBook Commonly Asked Questions

What is the current version of EasyBook?

The current version of EasyBook Booking Management Software is named "Adapt".  The latest build of this version (v5.6.2) was released in August 2016.  If you are running an older version of EasyBook there is an upgrade available to convert your existing copy of EasyBook to the newer version.  Existing customers with our Help & Support Service receive this update free of charge.  Use the following link to view or download the EasyBook "Adapt" Upgrade information sheet.  Contact us for more information about getting upgrades for EasyBook.

EasyBook uses around 30mb of hard disk space to operate on installation, and over time this will increase slightly as more information is stored in the system.

Do I need Microsoft Word to create letters, bills and reports in EasyBook?

EasyBook uses Microsoft Word to create letters, bills and reports within the system.  Most versions of Microsoft Word are supported from Word 97, 2000, 2003 and 2007 to Word 2010, Word 2013, Word 2014, Word 2016/Office 365.  The only exception to this is the "Click To Run" versions of Word.  EasyBook cannot currently work with these versions of Word as they run as a "Virtual" application and not a standard Windows program.  If you have purchased a computer that has a "Click To Run" version of Word installed you should be able to replace this free of charge with a full 'application' version of Word by downloading the ".msi" installer from the Microsoft website.

If you do not have a copy of Microsoft Word on your computer you can choose to create a more basic type of letters and bills using the "Wordpad" option in System Settings.  This will attempt to create letters and bills using whatever Word Processing software is set to work with ".rtf" documents (eg. WordPad).  This will only create a basic letter or bill (eg. no tables or image logos), and you will not be able to use the system to create reports.

Can I run EasyBook on more than one computer over a Local Area Network (LAN)?

Yes, you will need to contact us for instructions on setting EasyBook up to run in this way.  It is quite simple, and we have easy to follow instructions to assist you in this process.  There is no extra cost for running EasyBook on more than one computer for your business using a single registered licence.

Is there a 'cloud' based version of EasyBook?

At the moment EasyBook is a Windows PC based product and there is not a 'cloud' based version of the system.  We are working on the development of this for the future.

Running EasyBook via Remote Access Software:  We do have customers that operate the EasyBook system 'remotely', using remote access software such as 'TeamViewer' (https://www.teamviewer.com) or 'MSP Anywhere' (https://www.mspanywhere.com/).  This means the EasyBook system is running on the computer located at the Hotel or Guest House, and the remote user dials into the PC using this type of remote access software to operate the computer.

Running EasyBook via Remote Folder Sharing:  We also have some customers that are using 'remote backup'/'folder sharing' software such as 'DropBox' (https://www.dropbox.com/) or 'SpiderOak' (https://spideroak.com/) to remotely share their 'EasyBook\Data' folder.  This allows a remote user to have EasyBook installed on their local computer (eg. at home or in another remote office) sited away from the computer located at the Hotel or Guest House, and be using this remote copy of EasyBook to check availability, create, view and modify bookings on the main computer at the Hotel or Guest House.  The EasyBook PMS was not originally designed to run this way, and we offer no guarantees on the suitability/reliability of this type of solution, but for some of our small to medium sized Hotel/Motel/B&B customers this seems to be working well for them.

Can I run EasyBook on an Apple Mac Desktop or Laptop computer?

The EasyBook Property Management System is not currently available as a special "Mac" version.  We are working on the development of this for the future.

In the meantime, we do have customers running EasyBook on an Apple Mac Desktop or Laptop computer using 'BootCamp' or 'Parallels' software (https://www.parallels.com/uk/products/desktop/), or you can try an alternative Mac application for running Microsoft Windows and Windows based software, such as 'VMWare Fusion' (http://www.vmware.com/uk/products/fusion/).

Please note that we are not Mac experts, and therefore can only offer the usual help and support for installing and operating EasyBook in a Windows environment - we can do a bit extra via remote access support to see the Mac environment - but for specific Mac expertise you will need to discuss this with your Mac supplier/technician.

For any of the above 'Windows on a Mac' products you will need the actual product (eg. BootCamp, Parallels or Fusion), plus a licence for Microsoft Windows, plus a version of Microsoft Word that runs in the Windows environment so that EasyBook can automate this to create letters, bills and reports.  If in doubt about this, you can contact us, and it may be worth discussing the requirements with your local Apple shop/supplier as they will no doubt have been asked about 'running Windows programs on a Mac' before!

Downloading and Installing EasyBook:

Our main 'Get Support' page includes videos showing how to download the EasyBook Free 30 Day Trial from this website and install the EasyBook system onto your computer.  If you have any problems downloading or installing EasyBook we recommend that you first try to download the setup program again before contacting us.

To install EasyBook onto a computer running Microsoft Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 7, or Windows Vista we recommend that you use the in-built Windows 'Program Compatibility Troubleshooter' or 'Program Compatibility Wizard' to assist with the installation, and choose to install the software to C:\EasyBook for the programs, and C:\EasyBook\Data for the data files.  We have created an information sheet with instructions for doing this.  You can read or download and print this document using this .pdf link (note: this document looks old but the process is pretty much the same).

How do I take a "backup" of EasyBook?

The data files for EasyBook are normally all stored in one folder named "Data", with sub-folders for things like letter or email templates and created documents.  The main information contained in the EasyBook system (bookings, guests, etc.) is stored in one database file named "hotel.mdb", and by default this is stored on your hard disk in the C:\EasyBook\Data folder (this may be C:\Program Files\EasyBook\Data on older systems).  You can take a backup copy of this file onto a USB stick or burn it onto a cdrom and then you can store this in a safe place.

Database Repair Tool:

We have a database repair tool that can be useful if a problem occurs with your EasyBook database file.  The tool is named JetComp and is provided 'as is' by Microsoft.  We will usually ask you to download this file and then talk you through using it to attempt a database repair.  Click here to download the 'jetcomp.zip' file from this website.