THIS IS YOUR Y2K EMERGENCY HELP PAGE

THIS IS FOR CUSTOMERS WHO FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER HAVE A Y2K PROBLEM.   THE MAIN PROBLEM CUSTOMERS ARE HAVING IS CAPTURING AP WIRE SERVICE WITH   NEWSREADY SOFTWARE VERSIONS PRIOR TO 7.5.  THERE ARE NO OTHER SERIOUS ISSUES AFFECTING  OTHER PROGRAMS.  CARTREADY/CONTROLREADY/MUSICREADY WILL NOT SUPPORT 4 DIGIT START AND STOP DATES FOR AUTOMATION UNLESS YOU ARE USING THE Y2K COMPLIANT VERSION (7.5 or later)

IF YOU HAVE CALLED TECH SUPPORT AND THEY HAVE REFERRED YOU TO THE WEB SITE, YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

GOOD NEWS!   THIS PAGE GIVES YOU A FREE "FIX" YOU CAN   PERFORM ON YOUR COMPUTER WHICH ONLY TAKES A MINUTE OR TWO.   THIS FREE FIX  NEGATES THE IMMEDIATE NEED TO UPGRADE THE SYSTEM (IN CASE YOU RECEIVED AN UPGRADE IN THE LAST YEAR, BUT HAVE PROCRASTINATED INSTALLING IT).   THE FREE FIX ALSO NEGATES THE NEED TO HAVE TO  PURCHASE THE UPGRADE IF YOU ARE AN OLD CUSTOMER USING VERSION 5 OR VERSION 6 SOFTWARE WHO HASN"T UPGRADED IN YEARS AND DOESN'T WANT TO.   THE "FIX" BASICALLY SHOWS YOU HOW TO SET THE CLOCK OF THE COMPUTER BACK A YEAR OR MORE AND/OR CONFIGURE THE SOFTWARE TO USE THAT DATE TO "STAMP" THE STORIES.  IN THIS FASHION, YOU CAN CONTINUE USING THE SYSTEM FOREVER, SINCE NO ONE MAY CARE WHETHER THE YEAR PART OF THE DATE IS CORRECT ON THE STORIES.

HOWEVER, STATIONS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN UPGRADING TO VERSION 7.5 WHICH IS 4 DIGIT Y2K COMPLIANT CAN REVIEW THE ELIGIBILIGY RULES (AT THE BOTTOM HALF OF THIS PAGE AFTER THE FREE FIX SECTION) AND DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IT WILL COST MONEY TO GET ON THE LATEST VERSION.  ASSUMING YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE FREE UPGRADE, OR YOU BUY IT, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE AFTER RECEIVING A PASSWORD FROM WIREREADY. STATIONS WANTING TO PURCHASE THE UPGRADE CAN CALL WIREREADY AFTER JANUARY 3RD DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS.   STATIONS WHO HAVE GOLD SUPPORT CAN CALL OUR 800 833-4459 NUMBER FOR HELP ANYTIME IF THEY DIDNT INSTALL THEIR LATEST 7.5 UPGRADE FOR SOME REASON AND NEED HELP PERFORMING THE FREE FIX, OR WISH TO UPGRADE, OR NEED TO DOWNLOAD IT.  SILVER SUPPORT CUSTOMERS DO NOT HAVE FREE SUPPORT ON WEEKENDS SO THEY NEED TO PERFORM THE FREE FIX ON THEIR OWN UNLESS THEY WANT TO PAY $1.50/MINUTE FOR TELEPHONE HELP.   BOTH GOLD AND SILVER SUPPORT CUSTOMERS CAN CALL FOR FREE OVER THE WEEKEND TO GET THE PASSWORD TO DOWNLOAD THE UPDATE IF THEY FORGOT TO UPGRADE TO 7.5 EARLIER THIS YEAR - OR LOST THEIR DISKS.  CUSTOMERS WITHOUT SUPPORT CONTRACTS CAN RENEW A GOLD SUPPORT PLAN AT PUBLISHED PRICES IF THEY NEED PHONE HELP OR WANT THE LATEST VERSION

THE FREE FIX

FOR STATIONS WHO ARE ON CAPTURE VERSIONS PRIOR TO 7.5

Customers can trick their old systems by setting the date back one or more years (between 1990 and 1998)

BUT !! - AP CUSTOMERS MUST ALSO CHANGE THEIR $CONFIG.WR FILE (SEE BELOW)

Changing your computer's date (in WireReady).

If you are using Version 6 or 7, escape back to the World Menu select Utilities by pressing F8. Select RESET DATE/TIME.  Enter the new date and hit enter.  do the same for time if required.   If your version is version 5, hit F8 Utlities from your Wire Browser and chose RESET DATE/TIME there.   For all wire services except AP, UPI or REUTERS, this trick will work as a temporary fix until you buy an actual Y2K compliant version.  Note: do not set the clock back further than 1990.  (by temporary fix we mean that if you set the clock back to 1990, you'll be fine for another 10 years.  Granted if you don't like having the wrong date on your computer, then you'll have to buy the 7.5 Y2K upgrade when you are ready.  WE RECOMMEND YOU ONLY CHANGE THE YEAR PART OF THE DATE, LEAVE THE MONTH AND DAY THE SAME for example if today is January 1, 2000, change your date to January 1, 1996.

        NOTE: IF YOU RUN ON A LAN WITH MULTIPLE COMPUTERS, THE ONLY COMPUTER ON THE LAN THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE
        IT'S DATE  IS THE CAPTURE   STATION. -(THE ONE CONNECTED TO AP)  (further special instructions for LAN users follow in bold)

AP Users:  If you are using AP, you must also exit the program and edit
a configuration file in addition to setting the computer's date back.  .

1) Exit the program, i.e ESCAPE until prompted for a password, type EXIT and hit ENTER to return to a DOS PROMPT. (generally C:\WIRE)

2) You must edit a file in your WIRE directory called $CONFIG.WR  IF you run on a single computer the $CONFIG.WR is in C:\WIRE>

        IF YOU RUN ON A LAN WITH MULTIPLE USERS, YOU ONLY HAVE TO CHANGE THE $CONFIG.WR FILE IN YOUR WIRE\CAPTURE
        SUBDIRECTORY - THE COMPUTER YOU NEED TO EXIT AND DO THIS ON IS THE CAPTURE STATION WHICH IS THE ONE
        CONNECTED TO AP.  YOU CAN LEAVE ALL THE OTHER COMPUTERS ALONE

On most systems you can type EDIT $CONFIG.WR and hit ENTER

3) Scroll carefully to the very end of the file.  There is a line that begins with an "s" like SAM  You have to scroll just about all the way down, past what you actually see on your screen when you first load the file. - Keep scrolling down until you can't anymore.

The line you are looking for will look something like this, but not necessarily exactly like this:

s 0 1200 3f8 4 3 0

4) You need to change the "0" after the s to a "4"

for example the line above would be changed to:

s 4 1200 3f8 4 3 0

DON"T CHANGE ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT LINE, your other settings, may be different, leave them alone, ONLY CHANGE the 0 to a 4.

5) Save and exit, i.e with EDIT you hit ALT-F and hit X and say Y to save changes.

6) Restart the WireReady program.  (usually you just type WR and hit ENTER to go back in.

    If you run on a lan, to restart the capture station type WCAPTURE and hit ENTER from the WIRE\>)

Assuming you have set the computer date back to a year between 1990 and 1998, the stories will start coming in with dates prior to Y2K and they will be readable again.   This "FREE FIX" will let you cheat the millenium bug and avoid being forced into buying or upgrading to the Y2K version   .However, we still recommend that everyone upgrade - especially if they are eligible for the free upgrade, and if not, we recommend that you eventually purchase our Y2K version when you can afford to.

Heh- but what about all those stories that you missed?.
Because you are running an old version, you have discovered that you've got no new stories today.  Sorry, if you are using version 5.8 or older (circa 1995 and earlier) stories with Y2K dates are invisble and/or inaccessible - that's why you MUST do the FREE FIX NOW and wait for new stories to come in after you do the fix.  However, there is a trick if you are using version 6 or later, you will notice that when you first start the program, all the past stories may be there, but if you hit F2 or F3 they vanish- poof. They also vanish if you don't hit a key for 30 seconds from the point you start the program, since it automatically hits the F3 key every 30 seconds or so when the keyboard is not touched.  The good news is that if you need news badly, and can't wait for new stories to start coming in after you do the FREE FIX, you may be able with version 6 to view and/or print all the 12/31/99 and later news you need so you've got something to air, while you wait for new news to arrive.  Just immediately go to the WIRE BROWSER after starting the program and read and/or print as many stories as you can before you hit F3 or leave the keyboard idle for 30 seconds.    Remember: Only stories that come in after you've made the above changes and have an older date will be readable "and stay visible and accessible." Also if you are a customer that got the 7.5 upgrade but forgot to install it, 7.5 will give you access to the stories that have already come in as soon as you do the upgrade -that's a reason to upgrade now, especially if you have the disks already and have just procrastinated.  Even if you don't have the disks, you may be eligible for the a free upgrade which can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.  Please read on below to determine if you were eligible for the 7.5 Y2K version.

Keep in mind this FREE FIX is temporary:

Remember, if you set the clock back one year, you'll have to set the clock back next year again or you'll run into the same problem.  Even if you set the clock back 9 years, you'll have this problem in 9 years.  Granted, it's all based on how you define temporary.  But sooner or later if you don't upgrade to the Y2K version, this will happen again, and we don't want to be spending all night at the office taking your calls again.  So please if you do this FREE FIX and have no intention of ever upgrading to the Y2K version, please post the folloing sign on the computer:

THIS OLD SOFTWARE VERSION IS NOT Y2K COMPLIANT
DO NOT EVER CHANGE THE DATE BACK TO THE PRESENT ! ! !
AND SET DATE BACK BEFORE IT REACHES 12/31/99 IN THE FUTURE
TO SET DATE TO PRESENT YOU NEED TO GET Y2K UPGRADE

If you are thinking about upgrading to the Y2K 4 digit Compliant version, read on...

As mentioned above, if you have the 7.5 disk(s), or are eligibile for the Y2K 7.5 Upgrade, installing that version negates the need for you to mess with the dates on the computer, Version 7.5 is fully 4-digit Y2K compliant.  However, before you decide to upgrade to 7.5 - make sure your computer has 2MB of RAM, you may need a slighty more modern computer in order to use the upgrade - it will run on anything from a 286 in DOS all the way up to the latest Pentium compatibles running Win95/98.   If you want to determine if your computer has enough memory to purchase or use the Y2K upgrade at a later time please read on:  If you are pressed for time, the FREE FIX above is certainly fine to buy you some time so you can install the 7.5 upgrade at a later time.

Determining how much RAM/memory you have to see if your old computer can run the Y2K version.

Note: while only 2MB of RAM is REQUIRED for NEWSREADY to capture wire services like AP, 8MB of RAM is REQUIRED to use the Y2K compliant version of our hard-drive automation systems, CartReady/ControlReady and MusicReady.

If you are using DOS 5 or later, you can type MEM and hit ENTER.  It will look something like this:

Memory                  Type      Total     Used Free
----------------         -------- -------- --------
Conventional         640K      64K     576K
Upper                      0K          0K          0K
Reserved             384K      384K     0K
Extended (XMS) 2048K 1048K     1048K
---------------- -------- -------- --------
Total memory     2048K     2048K 2048K

Total under 1 MB     640K 64K 576K

Largest executable program size 576K (589,792 bytes)
Largest free upper memory block 0K (0 bytes)
MS-DOS is resident in the high memory area.

The number that matters is the number next to Total Memory in the TOTAL column.  If it's 2048K or larger, your computer can handle the upgrade.  We have put in bold what you need to be looking at.  If you can't type MEM and get this information, or the number is less than 2048, then you may not have enough memory to use or purchase the update without finding a newer computer.  Note: 1MB =1024K, 2MB=2048K etc.

WHY DO YOU HAVE A Y2K PROBLEM?

WHETHER YOU ARE A CUSTOMER WHO BOUGHT IN 1992 AND DOESN'T HAVE A SUPPORT PLAN AND NEVER UPGRADED, OR YOU ARE ONE OF OUR GOLD OR SILVER SUPPORT PLAN CUSTOMERS WHO SIMPLY FORGOT TO UPGRADE, THIS PAGE HAS ALL YOUR BEST HELP OPTIONS:   GOLD AND SILVER CUSTOMERS MAY BE REFERRED TO THIS SITE FOR THE FREE "FIX" IF YOU DON"T HAVE TIME TO UPGRADE OR CAN"T FIND YOUR DISKS -NOTE: WE MAY HAVE REFERRED YOU HERE IF CALL BACK TIMES ARE HORRENDOUS DUE TO HIGH CALL VOLUMES- THAT WAY YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO HOLD YOU UNTIL WE CAN CALL YOU BACK. - THE WEEK OF MONDAY JAN 3RD IS EXPECTED TO BE VERY BUSY.   CUSTOMERS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE UPGRADE BUT COULDN'T FIND DISKS WE MAILED OUT THIS YEAR, WILL ALSO BE REFERRED HERE WITH A PASSWORD TO DOWNLOAD THE APPROPRIATE FILE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.  (ALSO CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE JUST PURCHASED THE UPGRADE WITH A CREDIT CARD ARE BEING REFERRED HERE TOO SO THEY CAN DOWNLOAD THE UPGRADE AS WELL) 

PLEASE BE AWARE, ALL WIREREADY VERSIONS PRIOR TO 7.5 ARE NOT COMPLIANT AND SOME PRODUCTS MAY EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS.  ALL CUSTOMERS WERE NOTIFIED BY MAIL OVER THE LAST YEAR AND/OR MAILED THE Y2K UPDATE EARLIER THIS YEAR.   ALL STATIONS WHO REQUIRED A Y2K VERSION AND WERE ELIGIBLE  WERE MAILED THIS UPDATE EARLIER THIS YEAR.  OUR Y2K STATEMENT HAS BEEN ON OUR WEB SITE FOR OVER A YEAR AND HAD WARNED ALL CUSTOMERS ABOUT THIS UPCOMING PROBLEM.  WHILE WE WANT ALL OUR OLD CUSTOMERS TO UPGRADE, WE ARE PROVIDING THIS FREE FIX (ABOVE) FOR EVERYONE TO USE IF THEY DO NOT WANT TO INVEST IN AN UPGRADE.  IF YOU ARE USING AN OLD VERSION OF THE SOFTWARE AND HAVE NOT KEPT THE PRODUCT CURRENT AND DO NOT HAVE A SUPPORT PLAN, THEN YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE Y2K UPGRADE OR ANY PHONE HELP FROM WIREREADY.  OTHER THAN THE FREE FIX - YOU MUST PURCHASE THE UPGRADE/SUPPORT WITH A CREDIT CARD TO RECEIVE ANY HELP OR THE PASSWORD NECESSARY TO DOWNLOAD THE UPDATE IF YOU WANT THE Y2K VERSION.  IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE AND DO NOT WANT TO PURCHASE THE UPGRADE, YOU CAN TRY THE FREE FIX AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS CAPTURING YOUR WIRE SERVICE NEWS

ELIGIBLE STATIONS CAN TRY THE FREE FIX TO GET THEM THROUGH THIS WEEKEND AND/OR CALL FOR THE PASSWORD TO INSTALL THE Y2K UPGRADE AT THEIR CONVENIENCE.    KEEP IN MIND THAT IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE UPGRADE BUT DON"T HAVE SUPPORT, WE WILL GIVE YOU ACCESS TO THE UPGRADE, BUT NOT PROVIDE HELP OF ANY KIND INSTALLING IT UNLESS YOU PURCHASE A SUPPORT PLAN WHEN YOU NEED SUCH HELP.

CUSTOMERS WITH GOLD AND SILVER SUPORT PLANS IN GOOD STANDING CAN GET THE PASSWORD FOR FREE IF THEY DON'T HAVE THE Y2K DISK UPGRADE AND WANT TO UPGRADE NOW.   GOLD AND SILVER CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CALL FOR HELP AS NECESSARY ACCORDING TO YOUR PLAN'S HELP TIMES (SILVER CUSTOMERS ONLY GET FREE HELP DURING NORMAL WEEKDAY BUSINESS HOURS - GOLD CUSTOMERS HAVE FREE 24/7 ACCESS).   PLEASE BE AWARE ONLY GOLD CUSTOMERS CAN CALL THIS WEEKEND FOR FREE 24/7 SUPPORT.  IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A GOLD SUPPORT PLAN AND WANT HELP THIS WEEKEND AND/OR THE UPDATE, YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE A GOLD PLAN WHICH STARTS AT $299 -includes upgrade and a year of 24/7 800 support. ($299 buys a whole year)  SILVER CUSTOMERS CAN ONLY CALL FOR FREE HELP MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 9AM-5PM EDT OR THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY $1.50/MINUTE DURING OTHER TIMES.  WE ENCOURAGE SILVER CUSTOMERS TO DO THE FREE FIX AND WAIT TILL MONDAY TO CALL FOR HELP WITH UPGRADING TO THE 7.5 Y2K UPGRADE.

UPGRADING TO THE 7.5 Y2K VERSION

INFORMATION FOLLOWS FOR CUSTOMERS WHO WANT TO UPGRADE THEIR SYSTEM TO 7.5 WHICH IS Y2K COMPLIANT

THIS INCLUDES CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE THEIR UPGRADE DISKS AND PROCRASTINATED - OOPS!

THIS INCLUDES CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE LOST/DIDN'T GET THEIR DISKS AND WANT TO DOWNLOAD A PATCH BELOW

THIS ALSO INCLUDES CUSTOMERS WHO DECIDE TO PURCHASE THE UPGRADE  (WHO WEREN'T ENTITLED TO IT OTHERWISE

READ THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT TO INSTALL, PURCHASE OR DOWNLOAD THE UPDATE!

YOU NEED 2048K (2MB) OF RAM ON YOUR COMPUTER TO USE THE Y2K VERSION.   IF YOU DON'T, THEN ONLY DO THE FREE FIX. - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INSTALL THE 7.5 UPGRADE ON A REALLY OLD (AND WE MEAN REALLY OLD) XT COMPUTER.

FOR EXAMPLE - THE FREE FIX IS THE ONLY OPTION FOR CUSTOMERS RUNNING ANCIENT 8086/8088 "XT" COMPUTERS (circa 1980-9) that only have 640K of RAM or 1024K (1MB) of RAM.  No matter what your situation is, your DOS computer MUST have atleast 2048K (2MB) of RAM and be a 286,386/486 or better.   The Y2K version will also run from Win95/98 with 16MB of RAM, but if you want to reinstall from scratch on a new Win95/98 computer, you'll need to request or purchase disks from us after Jan 5. (Customers with Silver and Gold Support Plans can request the disks for free -sent via US mail or on customers FEDEX/AIRBORNE acct)

In the meantime, remember the FREE FIX explained above will keep even the oldest version 5 and 6 computers chugging along until you decide to do something more permanent.  If you attempt to install the Y2K upgrade on a machine with less than 2MB of RAM, you will be permanently out to lunch - so please don't try it

If you aren't sure how much RAM/memory your computer has, we have also shown you how to try and determine how much memory your computer has right below the text explaining the FREE FIX above.

ELIGIBILITY RULES FOR UPGRADES

DETERMINING IF THEY ARE FREE OR WILL COST YOU MONEY

FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE SUPPORT PLANS. (UNLESS YOU RENEW A SUPPORT PLAN, THERE IS NO PHONE HELP)
Customers whose support expired before 11/1/1998 CANNOT get help from WireReady technical support staff nor be given the password to     download one of the quick upgrade files below.  There is some "free" advice at the very bottom of this page which may allow your system continue to run past 12/31/1999 under certain limitations.  If however you need phone help, or want a password to download a Y2K version, you must call 800 833-4459 and purchase the upgrade.  Cost ranges from $299 (for a stand-alone wire-capture/Newsready system) to $999 depending on the system you use and the number of computers you run it on, and what level of 800 support you want in addition to the upgrade. The least expensive option is to buy our silver support which includes an upgrade below and up to a year of free 800 help during weekday business hours. However, anyone purchasing Silver would have to wait until Monday January 3rd.   Anyone wishing to get help or purchase the upgrade before January 3rd must purchase the upgrade at the GOLD price.  When you call we will quote your rate based on the published support prices shown on our web site.    Note: Customers without support plans trying to renew over the weekend will receive the lowest priority and call back times may take an hour or more.   We will also reserve the right for someone without a support plan to refuse to take a renewal if the call occurs in the wee hours of the night i.e your best bet is to call during any day between 9am and 5pm.  Also note, if we do allow you to renew outside the 9-5PM M-F Silver plan window, you may be forced to renew at the GOLD price unless you are willing to wait till Monday January 3, at 9am EDT to renew.

CUSTOMERS WITH EXPIRED SUPPORT PLANS, BUT WHO WERE ENTITLED TO THE 7.5 UPGRADE
Customers who do not have a current support plan but who expired after 11/1/1998 are entitled to a y2k upgrade, but cannot receive any "live" phone help unless they renew a support plan.   If however, you just want the upgrade, you can call our 800 833-4459 number.   When you are called back (wait times may be extensive) you will be required to identify yourself including the serial number of the system you are running (visible when you start the program).  If you were eligible, you will be told to download ONE of the files and be given the proper password.  Note: If you need any help whatsoever besides being given the password, you will have to renew a support plan following the same guidelines given above for stations without a support plan.  OTHER THAN GETTING THE PASSWORD, NO PHONE HELP IS AVAILABLE UNLESS YOU RENEW A SUPPORT PLAN.

CUSTOMERS WITH SILVER SUPPORT PLANS:
If you have a Silver Support Plan, Friday December 31st as well as Saturday Jan 1st and Sunday January 2nd are NOT available for free help, as Silver support provides free help M-F 9-5edt and holidays are not included.  If you just need the upgrade because you lost the disks, setting up a new computer, never received the version etc, you may call for the password, but no help will be given without paying $1.50/minute for help outside normal hours which is what Silver Support provides.   Silver support customers with a credit card will be provided support on a priority basis, but only after we have called back all GOLD customers first.  However, we will be calling Silver customers to provide passwords if they need to download the versions below with rapid response times, if possible.

CUSTOMERS WITH GOLD SUPPORT PLANS:
Customers with Gold support plans will be receiving normal priority rapid response call backs during the weekend.  However please expect delays which are possible because of the crush of calls we may be receiving.  If you require help with installing a Y2K upgrade you received weeks or months ago, please realize that other GOLD support customers will receive priority if they have other problems.  We will provide phone help however with upgrades for GOLD support customers ahead of Silver and all other non Gold customer requests.  If you are a Gold customer who needs the Y2K upgrade because you don't have disks or lost them, we will be calling all GOLD customers back with rapid response to give out passwords so you can atleast get the upgrade and try to perform it yourself.  Then you can call back if you still need help.

Y2K PROBLEMS BEYOND WIREREADY'S CONTROL:
Please be aware, WireReady cannot do anything for you if your wire service you subscribe to goes down, or if a satellite they use spins out of orbit, if you have a hardware y2k problem, or are using 3rd party products, for example Novell, NT server etc and you aren't using their Y2K certified versions. We will however attempt to pinpoint your problem so you know exactly where to turn for more help.  We of course can only make sure your software is running to spec

IN ORDER TO DOWNLOAD ONE OF THE FILES BELOW, YOU MUST RECEIVE A PASSWORD BY CALLING 800 833-4459.

ONLY ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS ACCORDING TO THE RULES ABOVE WILL BE GIVEN THE PASSWORD  

INELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS HAVE TO PURCHASE THE UPGRADE - PRICES START AT $299 WITH CREDIT CARD
PRICES START AT $199 WITH CREDIT CARD IF PURCHASED DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS

IF YOU DON'T TO UPGRADE OR YOU DON'T WANT TO PURCHASE THE UPGRADE DO THE "FREE FIX"
THE "FREE FIX" TAKES ONLY TWO MINUTES AND IS DESCRIBED AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE

DOWNLOADING THE Y2K UPGRADE PATCH BELOW

    The files below are encrypted so you'll need a password from tech support to run them on you computer after you download them.   (A password is not required to download them, the password is used when you run the file on your computer) To get your password call WireReady @ 800.833.4459.  Please note: you may only get a password if you have a valid support contract, or meet one of the special criteria above, all other customers may have to purchase the upgrade to get the password.  For pricing on support contracts go to our support plan page   if you are buying a support plan, we will require a valid credit card number (Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express only),

Instructions:

Remember to backup your current manager.exe and $id2.dat (if present) file!!!!
    Before applying the following upgrade, goto your WIRE directory, and rename MANAGER.EXE to MANAGER.OLD and
    rename $id2.dat to $id2.old  For non dos users, first type C: and hit ENTER, type CD \WIRE and hit ENTER  (make sure you use
    the right backslash.  Note if you run on a network, it may be a drive letter other than C:   Type REN MANAGER.EXE MANAGER.OLD
    and hit ENTER and type REN $ID2.DAT $ID2.OLD and hit ENTER

Download the appropriate file below.
You can transfer the file below to a floppy disk if necessary to copy to your WireReady computer.  Remember to "save the file to disk." if asked.  To change what directory to save the file to, click the cursor before the file name and type in the new path before the filename.  Example: A:\news1.exe would save the file to the floppy disk drive.
Copy the download file to the WIRE directory, and run it per the next step

Exit your Software
Exit your program to DOS (if running from Windows open an MS DOS window and go to the WIRE Directory).  To exit the program, i.e ESCAPE until prompted for a password, type EXIT and hit ENTER to return to a DOS PROMPT. (generally C:\WIRE)  Note: If you are running on a LAN, each workstation running the software will need to exit the program and restart AFTER you run the upgrade.  You don't have to kick them out when performing the steps below. 

Running the upgrade file
At a DOS prompt type the file name you downloaded with a space and then -s and then password given to you by Tech Support without a space
(example: NEWS1  -sBUTCH
    note, there is NO space between the s and BUTCH, and BUTCH would be the password if we told you BUTCH was the password. (it's not)
Note:  When you run the file, if it asks to overwrite? say Y  (yes) and ENTER when asked each time. 

Restarting the progam
After you have updated the files as shown above, go back into the program.   For example, most single user customers type WR and hit ENTER.  LAN customers might type RUNWR, or you may have a shortcut you click on if running from windows.   When you restart, you will notice the version is 7.517 on the lower left corner of your screen.  NOTE: LAN users need to restart the program on each workstation.

Congratulations: Versions 7.5 and later are 4 digit Y2K Compliant and do not force you to set your computer's clock back.

Special Notes about changes in new version:
NewsReady users:  No major changes to worry about, just do the free fix and/or upgrade, and drink champagne!
CartReady/ControlReady/MusicReady audio users:  Do not upgrade unless your computer has atleast 8MB of RAM, 16MB is preferred.  If you are upgrading from version 5 or 6, to version 7.5 you will get a slew of errors when you restart for the first time.  You need to setup/convert the library database (won't hurt your audio) -see the document on setting up your version 7 library on our on-line documentation page under CartReady.  If you are upgrading from version 5, you will also have to redefine your audio cards,  You also have to define atleast one Cart Status and Cart Category, by hitting F9 SETUP on the World Menu (opening screen) and setting up something like MISC in slot A for both screens, and hitting F4 to save.  You may also have to redefine your standard cart settings (F10 from Cart Deck screen, choose standard cart settings and select what you used before).   Please consult the on-line documentation section under both CartReady and ControlReady/MusicReady for several other useful features that version 6 and version 7 (which includes the improvements of version 6 offer).  Note: If you are upgrading from version 5, please note that version 7 only works with Card-D Plus and SoundBlaster64 AWE GOLD audio cards, and in some cases some old SoundBlaster16, 32, and 64 VALUE cards, however most SoundBlaster16's don't work, unless you already are using SoundBlaster16's in version 6 and they work, don't try to buy new SoundBlaster16s, go with the 64's or the 64 Gold's)

WireReady will tell you to download ONE of the files below based on what kind of system you use, and supply a specific password for that file
The password is NOT used to download the file from the web site, rather the password is required to unzip the file on your wireready system
after you download and transfer the file to your affected computer.  Instructions for how to do this are a few paragraphs ABOVE.

Fully Y2K 4-Digit Compliant Version 7.5x Software Downloads

By popular request: 
Special wire capture patches for those 10 year old and even older, nearly extinct 640K/1MB computers:  NEWS5  and  NEWS6
        Note:  NEWS5 and NEWS6 are not fully compliant, but are compliant enough to capture wire services with Y2K dates.