How to send your ACT! database
for conversion, upgrade, clean-up, or repair  

There are 3 basic steps:

1. COMPRESSING YOUR ACT! DATABASE  FILES
    Select: File, Back Up, Database
    into a ZIP file

2. SEND THE FILE via a secure web browser service

Go to https://WeTransfer.com
Select the file such as "MyDatabase.zip"
Send to Convert@CICorp.com
Enter your email address at your company
Message is optional, such as a password if necessary
click Transfer

    Large (over 100 megabytes):       Upload it using FTP (call for instructions and password)

    Or you can mail us a CD.

    Remember to let us know the password if necessary to open the files.
    We will then perform the conversion.

3. DOWNLOAD the FINISHED DATABASE FILE
    When done, you can download the converted ACT file
    Use the ACT Admin record to check the conversion
    Let us know when you are satisfied with the results so we can delete your files.

How much will it cost?

In ACT! select Lookup, All Contacts then use the number of contacts to look up the cost on our Standard Chart.
If you have an unusually large number of User Defined Fields, Groups, or Notes, please contact us.

How to determine the number of records

In ACT! select Lookup then All Records Then look at the number in the status bar

Which files to send?

Here are the general steps

The files you need to send are a bit different depending on which version you have: ACT! SQL (2005, 2006) or ACT! 3.0 - ACT! 6.0 (2004)

Simple!
File, Back Up, Database
Then send us the .Zip file

For example: ACT!MyData.zip

Then go to Step 2 - Data Upload

More Complex Technique

ACT! SQL  - the Microsoft SQL based versions of ACT!
ACT! 7.0 for 2005  through   ACT! 18 for 2016

If you have this version, you will have to Detach the Database. 

The new data format protects your company's data.  Unauthorized persons cannot do any of the following to your database file:

• Copy
• Download
• Move
• Delete
• Rename
• Upload
• Zip

ACT! provides a tool for your organization's Database Administrator.

1. Go the Windows Run window in the lower left
2. Type "ACTDiag"
(alternatively, find ACTDiag.EXE under C:\Program Files (x86)
3. Select the Databases tab
4. Select the database you want to send to us
5. Right click
6. Select Detach Database (this will detach the ADF, ALF, and PAD files)

Find your database under C:\Users\YourName or C:\Users\Public
In a folder called something like ACT\ACT Databases (it depends your system setup)

	Data File	Description
	ACTDemo.ADF	ACT! Data File  - required This contains your ACT! data
	ACTDemo.ALF	ACT! Log File  - required This contains login information
	ACTDemo.PAD (optional)	Pointer to ACT! Database Somewhat optional, Gets created automatically
	ACTDemo-database files  (optional)	Folder of Templates, Reports, etc. Optional - you would need to create these in 6.0

The ADF and ALF files contain all the data required for a conversion

FINDING THE ACT! FILES for Older Versions

Windows XP has the ability to compress files automatically included.  Just select the files or folders you want to compress, then right click then the  "Send To - Compressed (zipped) Folder" option.  For previous versions of Windows, if you need WinZip, download the free Evaluation copy from http://WinZip.com

Find the ACT! Database folder. It may be under C:\My Documents\ACT\Database
You can tell if this is the right folder if it contains such files with extensions such as:
.DBF, .ADB, .HDB

Once WinZip is installed on your computer, you can
1. Make sure everyone is out of ACT!
2. Select the ACT\Database folder with a single left click
3. Right click, then select Add to Zip
4. For the file name, enter DATABASE.ZIP

Everyone should be out of ACT! for this to work because if a file is open by someone on your network, it will not compress some files, and I will not have all the data to convert.

To make sure you have the right database, go in and make a simple change, such as changing "St." to "Street" in an address.  Then exit the software and check the date and time stamp.  If it is within the last minute you have the right data file.   More Tips

We can take care of the data files. If you need assistance on the other files, such as word processing templates, which may have to be converted separately by your staff, please feel free to call.

ACT! 3.0 - ACT! 6.0 (2004)

The location of this folder may vary.  Usually this folder is found in
C:\ACT\Database   or
C:\My Documents\ACT\Database

The files will have the same "first name" and extensions as follows, using the example of the ACT Demo database:

When the .DBF file is opened by ACT!, the other files follow automatically.

Please do not send the \ACT\MAIL\ATTACH folder, as this may have hundreds of Word processing, Excel spreadsheet, and PowerPoint files.   These do not need to be converted. 

The attachments can make the Zip file quite large, such as 200MB, when the necessary data would fit in 2 MB.  This makes it take longer to send your files to us.

If the ACT! file is corrupted, follow these steps.

2. UPLOAD YOUR ACT DATABASE TO OUR SECURE SERVER

Large files (10 MB+) often do not transmit properly, if at all, through email.    
Some organizations have a limit on the size of attachments you can email.
We suggest using our web based drive, which offers you up to 100 Megabytes of online storage space.

If your file is larger than that, we suggest using another of our methods:
www.OnlineFileFolder.com
Username: data1234
Password: (contact us for the latest password)

If you prefer to use FTP to upload it directly, using an FTP program such as CuteFTP, call us at 800-319-3190 to get the current settings.

Enter your name, company, phone, and email, so we can contact you if there are  any questions during the conversion.  This will be the phone and email we will use to tell you when your data is ready. 

For your protection, enter a password of your choice.  We will use this to encrypt  the ZIP file.  This is for your security.  We want zero chance that your data will   accessed by anyone other than you.

ACTConvert.com
202-829-4444
800-319-3190

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