You open the software and enter your User Name and Password, only to see the message “Duplicate User IDs were found.”
One of the most common support calls we receive is about this message. 
Clicking Yes opens the Active User List where you can select your user name and then click the Reset button, which opens the Active User List – Reset Confirmation window. This window prompts you to verify the user in question is not in the software and that you understand potential data corruption can be caused by resetting the user.
So, why are you receiving this message and why do you have to verify the 
user isn’t in the software when that user is you?
Each user should be logged in only once at any given time. If the software is improperly closed, the User ID remains logged in to the software, thus creating a “duplicate” User ID the next time the user tries to log in. To properly close the software, you can use one of the following: select File | Exit, click the 
(Close) button in the upper-right corner of the application’s window, or press Alt+F4. Alternatively, you can click the Exit button on the Main Task Folder. If this button is not displayed on your firm’s Task Folder, you can customize the Main Task Folder to include the Exit button if desired.
The following items are examples of improperly closing the software:
- Power loss.
- Computer lockups.
- The network connection to the server is broken/interrupted.
- The server is shut down or rebooted while users are still logged in to the software.
If the Duplicate User ID message is received and you choose to reset the user, you should always verify that the user is not in the system. If you reset an active user in the software, this can cause data loss and data corruption that results in Data File Integrity Check Errors and/or Fatal Errors. Because of this, we provide a checklist when resetting a user as a reminder to not reset anyone you are not 100% sure is out of the software. Once you have determined it is safe, you can reset the user and then log in to the software without receiving the message again.
Depending on why the Duplicate Users message is received, you may want to run a Data File Integrity Check.
For more information on resetting users, visit Knowledge Base Article R10789, “Resetting Users.”
If you are new to PracticeMaster, or you want a new employee to get a jump-start on learning about PracticeMaster, Quick Guides are a great place to start when there isn’t time to read everything there is to know right now. A Quick Guide is a short guide that highlights the main points of a specific feature. Graphics are included to help illustrate important menu options, tabs, fields, buttons, and more.
Knowledge Base Article R11130, “PracticeMaster Quick Guides,” provides links to each PracticeMaster Quick Guide as well as the number of pages and a brief summary of the guide. The following Quick Guides are currently available:
- Matter Manager
- Contacts
- Calendar
- Fee Entry
- Timer Window
- Quick Clicks Pane
- Journaling
- Outlook Plug-in
- Tabs3 Connect
Our Knowledge Base can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at support.Tabs3. com. You can also access our Knowledge Base while in the software by selecting Help | Internet Resources | Knowledge Base.
Did you know that you can try out the Tabs3 software you don’t have a license for, without downloading anything new? Maybe you currently use Tabs3 Billing and you want to try Trust Accounting Software (TAS), or you use both Tabs3 Billing and General Ledger Software (GLS) and want to try PracticeMaster, or any other combination. When you install your licenses, a trial version of each program is also installed. This means that you can try out each program before you commit to purchasing a license.
- In Windows 10, Trial Software is accessible via Start | All apps | Tabs3 & PracticeMaster with Sample Data.
- In Windows 8, Trial Software is accessible via the Apps window in the Tabs3 & PracticeMaster with Sample Data group.
- In Windows 7 or earlier, Trial Software is accessible via Start | Programs | Tabs3 & PracticeMaster | Trial Software with Sample Data.
When accessing Trial Software, sample data is included so that you do not have to create your own set of data in order to try out all of the features and includes clients, contacts, transactions, and much more. This lets you jump right in to seeing what the software does, instead of spending time setting up and entering data.
So if you’ve been thinking about other Tabs3 software, try it out at your convenience and see what it can do for your firm!
