Act CRM: Error: “Object reference not set to an instance of an object” when clicking a contact email address to create a new email message

by Tony Holowitz | Oct 27, 2021 | Act CRM Software Knowledgebase (KB) Articles | 0 comments

Act CRM: Error: “Object reference not set to an instance of an object” when clicking a contact email address to create a new email message

From Act Knowledgebase

Symptom:
When I click a contact email address to create a new email message, I get the Error: “Object reference not set to an instance of an object”.

Product Details:
Product Family: Act!
Product: Act! Pro, Act! Premium
Version: 2005 and later

Cause:
This can occur as a result of conflicting system permissions, if the Windows Dots Per Inch (DPI) settings are set to a value greater than 96, if the Normal.dot/Normal.dotm file is damaged, or if the redemption.dll file has become unregistered.

Solution:

Conflicting system permissions

This can occur if the Windows User Account Control (UAC) settings are turned on and Act! has been configured to Run As Administrator, but Microsoft Outlook has not. In this case, there are two options which may resolve this.

Note: Act! does not provide support for Microsoft Products. For more information about UAC and how to disable it, refer to the following Microsoft documentation:

What are User Account Control Settings?

Option 1 – Permanently run both Microsoft Outlook and Act! as Administrator

Ensure Microsoft Outlook and Act! are closed
Right-click the Microsoft Outlook shortcut, then choose Properties
Click the Compatibility tab
Check the option to Run this program as an administrator, then click OK
Right-click the Act! shortcut, then choose Properties
Click the Compatibility tab
Check the option to Run this program as an administrator, then click OK
Launch Microsoft Outlook, then launch Act!
In Act!, test clicking the contact email address again

Option 2 – Disable UAC

Disable UAC
Test clicking the contact email address again

Windows DPI settings are too high

Reduce the Windows DPI settings. For more information, refer to the following knowledgebase article:

Issues using Act! with large or custom size Dots Per Inch (DPI) Display Settings
Answer ID Issues using Act! with large or custom size Dots Per Inch (DPI) Display Settings
Once the DPI has been adjusted, rebuild your Act! Preferences File. For more information, refer to the following knowledgebase article:
How To Rebuild the Act! Preferences File
Answer ID How to rebuild the Act! Preferences file
Test clicking the contact email address again

Normal.dot/Normal.dotm file is damaged

Follow the steps in the following knowledgebase article:

Error: “RPC Server not available.” When Attempting to Send an E-mail Using Microsoft® Outlook®
Answer ID Error: “RPC Server not available.” When attempting to send an e-mail using Microsoft Outlook
Test clicking the contact’s email address again

Redemption.dll has become unregistered (Microsoft Outlook users only)

Close out of Act! and all Microsoft Office programs
Navigate to one of the following locations, depending on your operating system (OS) and version of Act!:
64-bit OS
- Act! Pro or Act! Premium: C:\Program Files (x86)\ACT\Act for Windows
- Act! Premium (access via web): C:\Program Files (x86)\ACT\Act for Web
32-bit OS
- Act Pro or Act! Premium: C:\Program Files\ACT\Act for Windows
- Act! Premium (access via web): C:\Program Files\ACT\Act for Web
Locate the following files:
- Redemption.dll
- regsvr32.exe
Drag and drop Redemption.dll on top of regsvr32.exe
When the prompt appears to let you know that it has registered successfully, click OK
Attempt to click a contact email address to test

Act Error Message: Resolution of the dependency failed or Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation.

by Tony Holowitz | Oct 25, 2021 | Act CRM Software Knowledgebase (KB) Articles | 0 comments

First and foremost, who makes up these Act Error messages? According to the Act Knowledgebase, there are a number of reasons that this can happen. Here is the list that they provide:

Program shortcut failed to update after upgrading to Act! v16 or later
Windows User Account Control settings are stopping Act! from opening
Act! program preferences are damaged
A third-party add-on is causing a conflict
Windows font, Tahoma, is missing or damaged
Act! installation is damaged
Missing Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 registry key
Damaged Microsoft .NET Framework installation

They offer some solutions to the above issues which can be found right here: http://kb.act.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/25865/~/error%3A-resolution-of-the-dependency-failed-or-exception-has-been-thrown-by.

This is from answer ID 25865 in act’s knowledgebase which can be found here: http://kb.act.com.

How Do I Install or Upgrade Act by Swiftpage

by Tony Holowitz | Oct 2, 2021 | Act CRM Software Knowledgebase (KB) Articles | 0 comments

If you have recently purchased Act for the first time or have decided to upgrade your version of Act, this knowledgebase article will describe the steps you need to take to make this a simple process.

If you have never used Act, installing the software is pretty straightforward if you know how to download the software and run it. If not, call me for help (Tony 781-728-9777). What can become tricky is knowing when to uninstall the previous version of Act and the engine that runs it: SQL. As a rule of thumb, always uninstall Act before you install the newest version. If you go to the Control Panel and uninstall Act there, you will only uninstall the software but not your data.

Having stated that, it is so important to make sure that you are continuously backing up your Act data. If you do not know how to do this or you have not scheduled Act to do it automatically, this is a good reason to reach out to me for a little bit of training. Your data is too valuable to mess around with ever.

Here is the knowledge base article that describes this process: http://kb.act.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/38867/kw/Installing%20Act.

Act Knowledgebase Article: What issues have been fixed in Act! updates?

by Tony Holowitz | Oct 2, 2021 | Act CRM Software Knowledgebase (KB) Articles | 0 comments

What issues have been fixed in Act! updates?

Answer ID 36573 | Updated 08/07/2018 12:54 PM

Question:
What issues have been fixed in Act! updates?

Product:
Product Family: Act!

Note: This list only includes issues that have been fixed in service pack releases, hotfixes, and update releases. It does not include fixes that were implemented in full version major releases of Act!. For information regarding issues that have been fixed in full version major releases of Act!, refer to the following knowledgebase article:

Issues fixed in Act! full product releases

To download any of these updates please visit the Act! Download Center.

If you are experiencing an issue that is not listed here, there may be a DBFixer released for that issue. For a list of DBFixers, refer to the following knowledgebase article:

What are Act! DBFixers and where can I find them?
Answer ID 24753

Service Packs for Act! v20

Updates for Act! v20

Service Packs for Act! v19

Updates for Act! v19

Service Packs for Act! v18

Updates/Hotfixes for Act! v18

Service Packs for Act! v17

Updates/Hotfixes for Act! v17

Service Packs for Act! v16

Hotfixes for Act! v16

Service Packs for Sage ACT! 2013

Hotfixes for Sage ACT! 2013

Service Packs for Sage ACT! 2012

Hotfixes for Sage ACT! 2012

WARNING! This KB article (including any software and related documentation) is provided “AS IS.” Swiftpage disclaims all express or implied warranties of any kind with respect to the article, including but not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Act CRM: Act! has detected the Protexis Licensing Service may not be started or installed properly

by Tony Holowitz | Oct 2, 2021 | Act CRM Software Knowledgebase (KB) Articles | 0 comments

Error: “Act! has detected the Protexis Licensing Service may not be started or installed properly”

From the Act Knowledge Base: Answer ID 27479 | Updated 01/17/2019

You are attempting to register the Act! program and receive the error: “Act! has detected the Protexis licensing service may not be started or installed properly”.

DISCLAIMER

An embedded third-party software component (Protexis) that facilitates licensing services was discontinued by the manufacturer at the end of 2018. As of January 1st, 2019, the impact of this is twofold:

Any steps in the below article relating to the Protexis service e.g. uninstalling/reinstalling or any action that would cause the software to re-register WILL PREVENT THE ACT! SOFTWARE FROM RUNNING.
Depending on what version of Act! you are running, there will be necessary steps that need to be taken to ensure uninterrupted access. Read the full statement here.

In order to perform these steps, please see the Knowledgebase article below for links to your version of Act!:

Act! Licensing Software Update
Answer ID 39192

Act Knowledgebase Article: How do I upgrade to Act! v20 from a previous version?

by Tony Holowitz | Oct 2, 2021 | Act CRM Software Knowledgebase (KB) Articles | 0 comments

u

Reposted from the Act Knowledgebase. Thank You Swiftpage.

Visit the Act Knowledgebase here: http://kb.act.com/

Visit kb.act.com for more information.

How do I upgrade to Act! v20 from a previous version?

Answer ID 38868 | Updated 04/24/2018 02:45 PM

Question: How do I upgrade to Act! v20 from a previous version?

Product Details:
Product Family: Act!
Product: Act! Pro, Act! Premium, Act! Premium (access via web), Act! Premium Cloud (Offline Client users only)
Version: v20

Answer:

Important Note: Act! v20 installs and uses Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express as its database engine. If you are upgrading from a version of Act! that used Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 (Act! versions 2011 (v13), 2012 (v14), 2013 (v15), v16, or v17.0) and you are or will be using remote databases, it is strongly recommended that you read the following knowledgebase article before proceeding further to ensure remote synchronization functions properly:

Frequently Asked Questions about using Act! v17.1 and later with Microsoft SQL Server 2014

Upgrade Prerequisites

Microsoft Outlook or Google Synchronization Users

If you use Microsoft Outlook synchronization or Google synchronization with Act!, refer to one of the following knowledgebase articles, depending on whether you are using Microsoft Outlook or Google:

What is the recommended way to upgrade from Act! 20.0 and earlier to Act! 20.1 and later if I sync Act! and Outlook?
Answer ID 39020

What is the recommended way to upgrade from Act! 20.0 and earlier to Act! 20.1 and later if I sync Act! with Google?
Answer ID 39022

Backup Database

If you are upgrading from ACT! 2005 or later, it is CRITICAL that you create backups of any databases on your computer prior to upgrading. Once you have installed Act! v20 and updated your database to Act! v20 from the previous version you CANNOT revert back without uninstalling Act! v20, reinstalling your previous vrsion of Act!, then restoring from the backup that was taken prior to upgrading. If you are using Act! E-mail, you must also create a backup of your email database. For information on creating these backups, refer to the knowledgebase articles below:

How to back up and restore an Act! database

How to Back Up and Restore Your Act! E-mail Database

Shared Database, Remote Database, and Offline Client Users

All users must upgrade to the same version of Act! in order to continue sharing the database. Users who have not upgraded will not be able to access the database. Once upgraded on the server, remote database and Offline Client users who have not upgraded will not be able to synchronize. It is strongly recommended that remote database and Offline Client users do not attempt to synchronize until after the main database and all remote databases or Offline Clients are upgraded and converted to the new version.

For Act! Premium users, Network and Internet sync services must be uninstalled and reinstalled using the Act! v20 download files. For more information refer to the following knowledgebase articles:

How do I uninstall the Act! Network Sync Service?

How do I install and configure the Act! Network Sync Service?

How to uninstall the Act! Internet Sync Service

How do I install and configure the Act! Internet Sync Service?

Note: If you are using Application synchronization (built-in sync service), this is upgraded along with the program and does not require installation of a separate service.

Upgrading the Act! program

Note: If you have already installed Act! v20, skip to the next section

Ensure that a backup has been created of your database
Ensure that all users have logged out of the database
Uninstall the previous version of Act! from the Windows Control Panel. For information, refer to the following knowledgebase article:
How do I uninstall Act!?
Note for Act! Premium (access via web) users:
How do I uninstall the Act! Premium Web API?
Install Act! v20 using the installation instructions in one of the following knowledgebase articles below:
How do I install Act! Pro or Act! Premium v20
How do I install Act! Premium v20 (access via web)

Updating the Act! database

Note: You can only convert database that locally reside on the machine where you are converting them. Do not attempt to convert databases from a workstation over a network.

Once you have installed Act!, you must upgrade your database. Opening the database will trigger the database update process. Follow the steps below:

Open Act! and your database
When prompted to back up the database, click Yes (if you haven’t already backed up the database), or click No
Note: If you clicked No, skip to step 5
Ensure that the database backup will be saved to the desired location, then click OK
When the notification that the backup completed successfully appears, click OK
When the prompt to update the database appears, click OK to begin the upgrade process
Note: A typical update can take from 5 – 15 minutes
When the update is complete, click OK on the confirmation that appears
Repeat the above steps to convert any additional databases to the new format

Note for Outlook Integration users:

If you use Outlook integration, you must reselect the Address Book after upgrading your database. For instructions, refer to the knowledgebase article below:

How to Add My Act! Address Book to Microsoft Outlook 2010 and later

WARNING! This KB article (including any software and related documentation) is provided “AS IS.” Swiftpage disclaims all express or implied warranties of any kind with respect to the article, including but not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.