BellCommander - Frequently Asked Questions

Ordering Questions:
1.  What type of licenses are available for BellCommander?
BellCommander is available in both single-user or multi-user licenses.  The online ordering form includes discounts for orders of multiple licenses of BellCommander.  If you or your company have questions regarding our ordering procedures, please contact us.

Technical Questions:
1. How do I migrate BellCommander to a new computer?
If you have the BellCommander trial, download the current trial and install it on the new computer.   If you have a licensed BellCommander version, follow the instructions that were sent previously by email and install BellCommander on the new computer.  If you need the license information resent, please contact us.

If you’ll be migrating BellCommander to a new system and would like to migrate the data, follow the steps below:
a. Install the Licensed Version
If it hasn’t been installed yet, download and run the licensed BellCommander installer (not the trial).
If upgrading an existing install, exit BellCommander (File → Exit BellCommander) and install the new licensed version into the existing BellCommander folder without uninstalling.
b. Exit BellCommander
On both computers, open BellCommander and choose File → Exit BellCommander.
c. Stop the BellCommander Application Service
Open services.msc, locate BellCommander Application Service, and stop it on both systems.
d. Check the Old System’s Data Format
Look in: C:\Program Files (x86)\BellCommander\
If it has a \data folder and no \data-uni, it’s the older database format.
If it has a \data-uni subfolder, it’s the newer database format.
e. If the old system used the older database format:
(meaning it has \data but not \data-uni)
On the new system, go to C:\Program Files (x86)\BellCommander\data-uni and delete all files inside (leave the folder).
From the old system, copy the entire \data folder and paste it into the same directory on the new system.
You should now have:
• data (copied)
• data-uni (empty — BellCommander rebuilds this automatically)
f. If the old system used the newer database format:
(meaning it has \data-uni)
On the new system, go to C:\Program Files (x86)\BellCommander\data-uni and delete all files inside (leave the folder).
From the old system, copy all files inside the \data-uni folder and paste them into the same directory on the new system.
g. Start the BellCommander Application Service
On the new system, open services.msc, start BellCommander Application Service, then open BellCommander.
Enter the license if prompted and verify that schedules and other data appear correctly.
h. Disable BellCommander on the Old System

On the old system, open services.msc, open the BellCommander Application Service properties, and set Startup type = Disabled so it doesn’t start and interfere with the new installation.

2. How do I configure Barix devices?
For Barix Exstreamer devices, see the following configuration guides depending on the firmware installed:
Streaming Client Firmware (Exstreamer 100, 110, 120, Annuncicom 100, and other Barix devices)
IP Audio Client Firmware (Exstreamer M400 and newer generation Barix devices)
BarioNet 50 and 100 Relay Devices
Standard Firmware (legacy audio devices)

In general for Barix devices, set the UDP Command Port to port 12301 and match the transport (raw UDP or UDP with RTP Headers) and ports between BellCommander and the Barix devices.

3. BellCommander reports errors retrieving schedule data or doesn’t open.
If the schedule data in BellCommander is incorrect or if you receive errors when viewing or modifying the schedule, it’s possible that the computer was improperly shut down or there was a hardware issue that corrupted the BellCommander database. There is a database tool from the database company that will check the tables and repair them. To use the maintenance tool:
1. For BellCommander version 4 or 5, download the database tool
2. Unzip the files and run dbsys.exe.
3. Exit BellCommander (File|Exit BellCommander) and stop the BellCommander Application Service. To stop the service, open the Windows Control Panel, select Administrative Tools, then Services or run services.msc in Windows. In the Services window stop the BellCommander Application Service. If the BellCommander Application Service isn’t listed under services, then the desktop version was installed and there is no service to stop.
4. Select Utilities|Repair Table.
5. Click the Select button and select the \Program Files\BellCommander\Data directory.
6. Select all tables from the Available Tables list.
7. Check Force index rebuild.
8. Click the Repair button and the process to complete.
9. Close the Database System Utility and start the BellCommander Application Service and BellCommander.

4. How do I backup the BellCommander data?
The recommended method to backup the data would be the following:
1. Exit BellCommander (File|Exit BellCommander) and stop the BellCommander Application Service. To stop the service, open the Windows Control Panel, select Administrative Tools, then Services or run services.msc in Windows. In the Services window stop the BellCommander Application Service. If the BellCommander Application Service isn’t listed under services, then the desktop version was installed and there is no service to stop.
2. Copy the \Program Files (x86)\BellCommander\data folder and the \Program Files (x86)\BellCommander\bellcommander.ini file to a backup location.  On 32-bit Windows, the files will be under the \Program Files\ folder instead of \Program Files (x86).
3. Start the BellCommander Application Service if it was stopped and open BellCommander.

To restore from a backup, install BellCommander on the new system and then follow the same procedure to exit BellCommander and copy the data from the backup into the new BellCommander folder.