Username & Password, and Validation

For the first article in this series, we'll keep it short, sweet, and interesting.  This article will briefly discuss your username and password, how and where to use them, and how to change your password.

When you received the PEAC-WMD program, or if you received an update CD, there should have been a label, on the back of the sleeve, with a username and password.  Do you know what this is really for?  These are important and are used to login to the Customer Service page of our website.  This is how customers get program updates and additional features and files from us. 

 
Figure 1 - Homepage - Customer Service Login Link

Figure 2 - Customer Service Login Page

The Username
The username and password are different for every license of the program.  Both are case-sensitive.  The username is something usually related to the name of the organization or person who holds the license for the software.  There is often an underscore (_) in the username.  This is made by holding down the shift key on the key board and pressing the hyphen/underscore button, located between the number 0 key and the +/= key at the top of the keyboard.  The username cannot be changed.  The label on the CD envelope will look something like Figure 3.

Figure 3 - User Name and Password Label

We may change this label in the future to make clear that the customer should use this information to login to the "Customer Service" page of our website, and to register and validate the program.

The Password
The password, however, can be changed.  The original password given to users usually alternates letter, number, letter, number, etc., and the letters are usually capitalized.  Because of the font we used initially for the labels, many passwords contained a capital letter “I” which looked like a number one (“1”).  That problem has been resolved.  We no longer use the letter “i”, nor the number “1” when issuing information for new accounts, and we also do not use the letter/number “0”.  For those who may have an "i" or a "1" in their password, look at the characters before and after it, and follow the letter, number, letter, number pattern to determine what the character should be.

To change your password, you must first use the current username and password to login to the “Customer Service” page of our website.  Then click on “Registration”.  At the top of the page it says “To change your password please Click here.” as noted in Figure 4.  Clicking on the link will take you to a page where you can change your password.

Figure 4 - Link to change password

Although your password is stored, it is encrypted and even we cannot find out what it is.  If you lose it or forget it, we cannot look it up.  However, there are ways we can help users that have lost their information.  Do not hesitate to call us for help if this occurs.

Important
Make sure you are the only one using your username and password.  Many organizations have more than one license of the software, and each user license should have its own username and password.  This will help us keep track of users, send out update notifications, track problems, etc.  

Using the Username and Password for Validation
The username and password are only used at our website.  One common mistake is that some people think the username and password are used to validate the program at installation.  When the program is first installed and run, a “validation” window will appear.  There should be a “validation key” towards the top, and a place for the user to enter a “validation code.”  See Figure 5.  The code is obtained by logging in to the Customer Service page on our website, registering the software, if not yet completed, and clicking on the validation link to go to the validation page.  The user can enter in the key, click on “Submit”, and get the required code.  See Figure 6.

Figure 5 - Validation Window

It is important that the user NOT close the validation window of the program while they go get the code from the website.  If this happens, the validation key will change the next time the validation window opens, and it will require a different code.  The validation code is not automatically entered from the AristaTek website.  The user must copy the code from the website and then manually enter it into the validation window in the validation code entry box. The user can even use a different computer to get the code from the website.  For the Pocket PC version, the Pocket PC itself does not need to be "synched" to the computer in order to enter the validation code.

Figure 6 - Getting Validation Code

The validation might say, “For a validation code, contact AristaTek…”  This is not necessary.  The user can go to the website to get the code as described here.  (AristaTek staff also have to go to the website in order to get any validation codes.)

It is very important to keep track of the user name and password.  AristaTek will be distributing product updates from the website.  Without a username and password, a customer will not be able to login and download those updates.  (Some great updates to the program are currently being developed.)

There may be instances where the program has been lost, computers have changed or been replaced, or a PDA has lost all program information, and the PEAC-WMD program needs to be re-installed.  If you do not have immediate access to the username and password, or to the Internet, you can click on the “Demo” button.  This will allow the user to operate the full program for 31 days without validation.  If running the program in “Demo” mode, the validation window will appear each time the program is opened.  Continue to select "Demo" until you are able to validate the program.  See Figure 5 above.

If you have a problem, question, or request for a particular topic for this section, you can contact me at: aaronb@aristatek.com or at customerservice@aristatek.com .