PastPerfect Software is commited to providing world class support at a non-profit friendly price. To that end, we have created this knowledge base to assist our clients in finding the answers they need. The FAQs listed below are replicated in the knowledge base, though they seem to be our most popular questions and we wanted the answers to be easy to find. If you do not find your answers here, please contact our support office for assistance.
Knowledge Base
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the hardware requirements for PastPerfect?
- What permissions and network requirements are needed to run PastPerfect in a network environment?
- How much does PastPerfect cost?
- How do I get discounts on PastPerfect?
- How long will it take to receive my PastPerfect products?
- I am a Canadian customer, what are the shipping costs and taxes?
- Can my current data be converted into PastPerfect?
- How do I share collections online with PastPerfect products?
- If I upgrade to PastPerfect 5.0 from an earlier version, will my add-on products transfer?
- How do I run a free update for my PastPerfect program?
- How do I back up my data to hard drive in PastPerfect?
- What do I do if I don't see my question in FAQs?
What are the hardware requirements for PastPerfect?
PastPerfect runs on Windows XP and newer operating systems, both 32 and 64 bit versions.
Please click here for the minimum and recommended system requirements for PastPerfect 5.0.
For more information about running PastPerfect on a Mac, visit our Knowledge Base article.
Are you running PastPerfect 4.0 and getting a new computer? Click here for hardware information.
What permissions and network requirements are needed to run PastPerfect in a network environment?
For proper licensing, please be sure your organization owns a Network Upgrade. We sell multiple levels of Network Upgrades for small networks of up to five computers and large networks of 25+ computers.
For more information about our Network Upgrades, please visit our product page.
In order for PastPerfect to work correctly in a network environment, each PastPerfect user must have full control - read/write/create/delete access - to the PastPerfect folder on the hard drive where the program is locally installed (usually c:\pp5), as well as to the folder on the server or main computer where the Data, Images and Multimedia folders are stored.
A network throughput of 100 Mbps is also required.
Click here for more information about networking and permissions.
How much does PastPerfect cost?
We offer a comprehensvie and affordable basic program that comes with tools for consistent data entry, list management, research functions, customizable reports and a Report Maker to create your own reports for both collections and contacts management. The ability to attach digital images and multimedia files to records comes with the MultiMedia Upgrade. Upgrades add features to the program and may be purchased at any time. We also offer optional Annual Support which enables every PastPerfect user at your organization to contact us an unlimited number of times throughout the year for one price.
You can purchase PastPerfect for a single computer with the ability to attach digital images to records for just $1255 standard/$1004 AASLH plus shipping.
To install PastPerfect on up to five networked computers with the ability to attach pictures to records, the cost is as low as $1770/$1416 AASLH plus shipping.
For more information about pricing, please visit http://museumsoftware.com/pricing.shtml. To visit our online store or download our order form, click here.
How do I get discounts on PastPerfect?
PastPerfect offers an exclusive 20% discount to institutional members of the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). PastPerfect does not offer any other membership discounts.
Bulk Orders:
If an organization orders 8 or more Basic Programs, Version Upgrades or a combination of the two, PastPerfect offers a 30% discount on the entire order. The shipping cost for these orders is $14 per U.S. address. Please call our toll free number 1-800-562-6080 for details.
How long will it take to receive my PastPerfect products?
PastPerfect Software processes orders in 1-2 business days and ships via United Parcel Service (UPS) throughout the United States. Shipping costs $14 per U.S. address.
For our Canadian customers, we offer our software via download. When you place your order by calling our toll free number (1-800-562-6080), a staff member will ask about scheduling a time to assist you with the download. If you place your order through our online store, you will receive a follow-up phone call to schedule the appointment. Backup copies of the software on CD along with the User's Guide book are shipped through the U.S. Postal Service for US$25.
I am a Canadian customer, what are the shipping costs and taxes?
We offer our software via download for our Canadian clients. Backup copies of the software on CD along with the User's Guide book are shipped through the U.S. Postal Service for US$25. Canadian clients are responsible for all taxes, duties and fees, and should contact their provincial government or the Canadian Border Services Agency for more information.
Can my current data be converted into PastPerfect?
If your data is already in a computer, it can probably be converted into PastPerfect. There is no need to reenter the data. We charge $50 per hour for conversion services. The cost of a full conversion can range from as little as $85 for importing a single table to around $2000 for moving an entire relational database into PastPerfect. Factors that determine the price include the number of files, the number of records, the number of data fields, whether you have images to include, and the amount of information you can provide about the data.
For more information about our conversion services, please visit http://museumsoftware.com/conversions.shtml. This page has information about getting a free price quote, common data formats and instructions for creating a data map.
If you want to investigate importing data from Excel, please review our Knowledge Base article.
How do I share collections online with PastPerfect products?
PastPerfect offers two products for sharing collections online -- PastPerfect-Online and Virtual Exhibit. Both provide straightforward ways to create online content, allow you to select the records and fields to display on the Web, and provide low resolution images that can be automatically watermarked.
PastPerfect-Online is both a tool to create searchable HTML Web pages and an online hosting service. You select the PastPerfect catalog records, images and data fields you want to publish, and PastPerfect-Online will build a fully searchable, collections-based website. With PPO, you can share tens of thousands of records with the world. For more information about PastPerfect-Online, please visit our product page. To research clients' collections through their PastPerfect-Online websites, please visit www.pastperfect-online.com.
Virtual Exhibit enables PastPerfect users to build online exhibits that tell stories using the organization's cataloged collections. VE allows you to personalize the home page, color scheme, font size, image size, and more with simple on-screen selections. Since Virtual Exhibit is now based on Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) the possibilities for customization by your Web designers are endless. For more information about Virtual Exhibit for PastPerfect 5.0, please visit the VE product page.
If I upgrade to PastPerfect 5.0 from an earlier version, will my add-on products transfer?
If you already have PastPerfect 4.0, MultiMedia/Digital Imaging, Network Upgrade, Barcode Printing, Virtual Exhibit, or PastPerfect-Online, one price will upgrade all these modules. The hardware requirements are the same for PastPerfect 5.0 as they were for PastPerfect 4.0, with the exception that you must have Microsoft Word 2003 or higher.
Current Virtual Exhibit 4.0 users will receive a free CD that unlocks the VE software in PastPerfect 5.0. The new VE enables you to choose records to include from your catalogs from the PastPerfect interface. You can build an unlimited number of exhibits and choose from one of the built-in design templates. Since the new VE is based on Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), you have even more input in the design of your site. Your VE4 exhibits currently online will continue unchanged, but please note that when you are ready to add exhibits or make changes, you will start fresh in the new VE5.
Existing Users: please note that PastPerfect 5.0 does not support the use of Scatter/Gather and ezMARC. If you have questions about Scatter/Gather alternatives and ezMARC alternatives, please visit http://www.museumsoftware.com/upgrade5.shtml or call our support office toll free 1-800-562-6080.
How do I run a free update for my PastPerfect program?
Visit http://museumsoftware.com/softwareupdates.shtml and select the appropriate update. After filling out the download form, instructions will be on the next download page.
How do I back up my data to hard drive in PastPerfect?
1. From the Main Menu, click "Hard Drive Backup"
2. Click "Backup Data to Hard Drive"
3. You will see a progress bar and at the end of the process, a message will indicate the backup has completed.
We strongly recommend you backup data to hard drive every day you work in the program and make an external backup once a week. For more backup recommendations, please click here. Our Knowledge Base contains additional articles on making backups to removable media such as flash drives and CD/DVDs.
What do I do if I don't see my question in FAQs?
If our Frequently Asked Questions section does not address your question, please visit our online Knowledge Base or call us toll free at 1-800-562-6080. We are happy to help!
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