| Publication Date: April 3, 2006 Author: G. Kay Jacks, General Manager, FSA Application, School Eligibility and Delivery Services Summary: Availability of EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007, Release 2.0 Posted on 04-03-2006 The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the release of EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007, Release 2.0, on the Department's Federal Student Aid Download (FSAdownload) Web site, located at http://fsadownload.ed.gov. This release adds Pell and Direct Loan processing functionality for the 2006-2007 cycle. In addition, the following EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007 documents are available on the FSAdownload Web site: * The EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007, Release 2.0 Cover Letter These documents, along with the EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007 Installation Guide (also available on the FSAdownload Web site), contain important information regarding EDExpress functionality and enhancements that should be reviewed. Release 2.0 is available on the FSAdownload Web site in two formats. You can download the entire software in one file, called Express67r2.exe, or you can download the software in separate, smaller "disk" installment files. Please review the download and installation instructions in the Installation Guide for further information. You are required to have Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, or Windows XP as your PC workstation operating system to run Release 2.0. You must also meet the minimum hardware and software configuration requirements outlined in the September 2004 Federal Register Notice, available on the IFAP Web site at http://ifap.ed.gov/fregisters/FR09142004.html. Additional details and frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the new requirements are available on IFAP at ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0408.html. Other system and network requirements are outlined in the Installation Guide. ** Important Installation Note ** If you use Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you must be an Administrator on your workstation to install EDExpress. If you are not an Administrator, you will receive a warning when you try to install EDExpress. After an Administrator has installed EDExpress, you can run EDExpress for Windows 2006-2007 as a member of the Power Users group. If your database is on a network server, you must be a Power User or higher on the network (or "domain") as well as on your workstation. There are no workarounds for these Windows rights issues. Consult with your school's technical department if you receive a warning that an Administrator must install the EDExpress software. Release 2.0 can be installed as an upgrade to Release 1.0. You must have Release 1.0 installed in order to run an upgrade (or "Custom") installation of Release 2.0. Release 1.0 is also available for download from the FSAdownload Web site. NOTE: If you have not installed Release 1.0 on your system, you can proceed directly to a Stand Alone Full or Network Server/Workstation Full installation of Release 2.0. Please be aware, however, that a Stand Alone Full or Network Server/Workstation Full installation will load a completely new, blank 2006-2007 EDExpress database to your system. If a database already exists for 2006-2007 on your system, a Full installation of Release 2.0 will overwrite it and all data previously entered will be lost. Before upgrading from Release 1.0 to Release 2.0, it is crucial that you ensure you have a valid, reliable backup of your current production 2006-2007 EDExpress database (expres67.mdb). You must also make sure there are no record locks on the database and that no user IDs are logged in by following the steps listed below: 1) To check for record locks, select Tools, Utilities, Clear Locks from the menu bar. If you receive the message "No records selected," there are no record locks. If the Clear Locks dialog box appears, click Select All, then OK to clear any record locks. 2) To check for logged-in user IDs, select Tools, Setup, Global, Security Users from the menu bar, and then click Retrieve. The user ID you are currently using should be the only ID with the checkbox selected in the Logged In column (you can disregard the Locked column). Select any user ID displayed as logged in and click OK. Clear the Logged In? checkbox and click OK. Repeat the process for each logged-in user ID except the one you are using. 3) After clearing any record locks and logging out any user IDs, you should compact and repair the database by selecting Tools, Utilities, Compact and Repair Database from the menu bar before installing Release 2.0. To upgrade from Release 1.0 to Release 2.0, select either the Stand Alone Custom or Workstation Custom option during installation, depending on your EDExpress operating environment. Do NOT mark the "Database" checkbox unless you are performing a first-time installation or want to overwrite your Release 1.0 database. If you choose to overwrite your database, all data previously entered will be lost. If you receive any prompts during the installation indicating an existing file was found and asking if you want to overwrite, click "Yes." After you upgrade from Release 1.0 to Release 2.0, reboot your PC, then log on to EDExpress to allow the software to perform a one-time only database update. This update loads important changes to your database structure. If you need assistance connecting to the FSAdownload site, downloading EDExpress in single or multiple file formats, or with the installation or use of EDExpress, please contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800/330-5947 (TDD/TTY 800/511-5806) or by e-mail at CPSSAIG@ed.gov. If you have technical questions about our systems and software, you may want to subscribe to our e-mail listserv, FSATECH. For more information about FSATECH, including how to subscribe, visit the Federal Student Aid Technical Support Web site at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/services/fsatechsubscribe.html. |