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Take Command FAQs
This page outlines some of the key questions we get about Take Command, as well as solutions to common problems. Version 9 issues are at the top, Version 8 are down below.
  • Installation Problems - Check here first if you are having trouble installing Take Command
  • Operations Questions -- Various questions about running our products
  • Other Questions - Mostly about purchasing our products

 

 FAQ Doctor
Installation Problems - Version 10

1. Take Command will not register

  • Check to see if you have the latest versions of our software -- you can get them here: http://jpsoft.com/download.htm.
  • Make certain when you cut and paste the name that you copy the entire name including the phrase "1 System License" - this is the most common issue for registration problems.

2. Take Command crashes on startup

  • The crash is probably occurring inside the Windows loader, before the Take Command code is executed. This is normally caused by another application attempting to inject a dll into Take Command's address space (i.e., an antivirus app, a screen manager, etc.) and the injected dll is crashing.
  • There are two things to try:
    • Turn off DEP for Take Command (control panel / system / advanced / performance settings / Data Execution Prevention) - see image

    DEP Screen

    • If that doesn't work you'll need to find the app that's injecting the dll -- try disabling the other running applications one by one until 4NT loads successfully.
    • If neither of these solutions work, contact us directly for a workaround.

3. Will JP Software's products work with Vista?

  • Take Command Version 10 supports XP, Windows 2003, Vista and Windows 2008.
  • If you have 4NT or Take Command prior to Version to Version 8.01, or TCI prior to 2.01, you should upgrade to the most current version if you are running Vista.
Operations Questions - Version 10

1. Can I run Take Command from a USB drive? Yes

  • In Version 10, the standard product can be installed to a USB drive as well as your hard disk.
  • When you register Take Command v10, it will create a file called "TC_KEY.DAT" in the Take Command directory. Make sure that file is copied to the Take Command directory on the USB.

2. What Happened to 4NT?

  • 4NT is still there. We have renamed it Take Command Console (TCC)
  • If you want to run it separately, look inside the installation directory for Take Command. You will find both a 4NT and TCC icon. You can run them separately from Take Command if you like. We included the 4NT icon for compatibility if you hard coded the name in some of your batch files.

3. How do I change the default command processor?

  • You can change the default command processor in Windows Vista by going to the Control Panel / System / Advanced System Settings / Advanced / Environment Variables, and changing the value of "ComSpec" in the System Variables window.
  • For example, in v10 you'd change it to something like: c:\program files\jpsoft\tcmd10\tcc.exe depending on where you installed TCMD & TCC.

4. Is Take Command completely compatible with the standard Windows CMD.EXE?

  • It's impossible to be 100% compatible with CMD.EXE, because
    • (1) Take Command has several thousand additional features, and
    • (2) CMD.EXE itself is incompatible with other versions of CMD.EXE.
  • We strive for 99.9% compatibility (generally more than CMD.EXE manages with itself!) .
  • There are always workarounds for the rare situation where Take Command doesn't execute a batch file in an identical way.
  • The best answer would be to download a 30-day fully functional trial of Take Command and test it in your own environment.

5. Is there a 64-bit version of Take Command?

  • We have a 64-bit Take Command running in-house but we are waiting for 64-bit versions of some external DLLs.
  • There aren't any notable advantages to a 64-bit Take Command; it's bigger and slower without offering any additional features or capabilities.
  • You can make Take Command behave as though if were a 64-bit app by setting the .INI directive Wow64FsRedirection=No. This will allow Take Command to run the 64-bit Windows programs in windows\system32 rather than the 32-bit versions in windows\sysWOW64.

6. Why can't I get to a full screen console in Vista?

  • Vista video drivers don't support full screen consoles. (It's not a Take Command issue; CMD.EXE won't work either.).

7. My IF statements are not working the same way since I upgraded

  • The default IF behavior was changed in 8.02 to match undocumented behavior CMD.EXE -- Microsoft was distributing a number of batch files that would not work with 4NT or Take Command. (The problem was with the compound command on the IF line -- CMD.EXE will only execute the remainder of the command line if the IF test succeeds.)
  • If you don't intend to run any Microsoft batch files, you can restore the previous Take Command behavior by adding the line to your tcmd.ini file:

DuplicateBugs=NO

Other Questions - Version 10

1. Can you get me keys for earlier versions of JP Software Products?

  • We can sell and create keys for versions of 4NT and Take Command back to Version 8.
  • Pricing is the same as current prices.

2. If I buy a key for a JP Software product, do I get free upgrades forever?

  • No -- though if you order within 60 days of our releasing a major update you will get the new version free.
  • Minor releases are free -- these are mainly compatibility and bug fixes.
  • We try to price major upgrades lower than most software companies -- upgrades are generally less than 50% of the original price.
  • You can purchase an annual support contract when you purchase one of our products -- in addition to support benefits, you will receive free upgrades to all new versions released during your support period.
Installation Problems - Version 9

1. Take Command will not register

  • Check to see if you have the latest versions of our software -- you can get them here: http://jpsoft.com/download.htm.
  • Make certain when you cut and paste the name that you copy the entire name including the phrase "1 System License" - this is the most common issue for registration problems.

2. Take Command crashes on startup

  • The crash is probably occurring inside the Windows loader, before the Take Commandcode is executed. This is normally caused by another application attempting to inject a dll into TC's address space (i.e., an antivirus app, a screen manager, etc.) and the injected dll is crashing.
  • There are two things to try:
    • Turn off DEP for TC (control panel / system / advanced / performance settings / Data Execution Prevention) - see image

    DEP Screen

    • If that doesn't work you'll need to find the app that's injecting the dll -- try disabling the other running applications one by one until 4NT loads successfully.
    • If neither of these solutions work, contact us directly for a workaround.

3. Will JP Software's products work with Vista?

  • Version 8 and Version 9 both support Vista. There are some issues in Version 8 with registration that are covered below in the Version 8 section
  • If you have 4NT or Take Command prior to Version to Version 8.01, or TCI prior to 2.01, you should upgrade to the most current version if you are running Vista.
Operations Questions - Version 9

1. Can I run Take Command from a USB drive? Yes

2. What Happened to 4NT?

  • 4NT is still there. We have renamed it Take Command Console (TCC)
  • If you want to run it separately, look inside the installation directory for Take Command. You will find both a 4NT and TCC icon. You can run them separately from Take Command if you like. We included the 4NT icon for compatibility if you hard coded the name in some of your batch files.

3. How do I change the default command processor?

  • You can change the default command processor in Windows Vista by going to the Control Panel / System / Advanced System Settings / Advanced / Environment Variables, and changing the value of "ComSpec" in the System Variables window.
  • For example, in v9 you'd change it to something like: c:\program files\jpsoft\tcmd9\tcc.exe depending on where you installed TCMD & TCC.

4. Is Take Command completely compatible with the standard Windows CMD.EXE?

  • It's impossible to be 100% compatible with CMD.EXE, because
    • (1) Take Command has several thousand additional features, and
    • (2) CMD.EXE itself is incompatible with other versions of CMD.EXE.
  • We strive for 99.9% compatibility (generally more than CMD.EXE manages with itself!) .
  • There are always workarounds for the rare situation where Take Command doesn't execute a batch file in an identical way.
  • The best answer would be to download a 30-day fully functional trial of Take Command and test it in your own environment.

5. Is there a 64-bit version of Take Command?

  • We have a 64-bit Take Command running in-house but we are waiting for 64-bit versions of some external DLLs.
  • There aren't any notable advantages to a 64-bit Take Command; it's bigger and slower without offering any additional features or capabilities.
  • You can make Take Command behave as though if were a 64-bit app by setting the .INI directive Wow64FsRedirection=No. This will allow Take Command to run the 64-bit Windows programs in windows\system32 rather than the 32-bit versions in windows\sysWOW64.

6. Why can't I get to a full screen console in Vista?

  • Vista video drivers don't support full screen consoles. (It's not a Take Command issue; CMD.EXE won't work either.).

7. My IF statements are not working the same way since I upgraded

  • The default IF behavior was changed in 8.02 to match undocumented behavior CMD.EXE -- Microsoft was distributing a number of batch files that would not work with 4NT or Take Command. (The problem was with the compound command on the IF line -- CMD.EXE will only execute the remainder of the command line if the IF test succeeds.)
  • If you don't intend to run any Microsoft batch files, you can restore the previous Take Command behavior by adding the line to your tcmd.ini file:

DuplicateBugs=NO

Other Questions - Version 9

1. Can you get me keys for earlier versions of JP Software Products?

  • We can sell and create keys for versions of 4NT and Take Command back to Version 8.
  • Pricing is the same as current prices.

2. If I buy a key for a JP Software product, do I get free upgrades forever?

  • No -- though if you order within 60 days of our releasing a major update you will get the new version free.
  • Minor releases are free -- these are mainly compatibility and bug fixes.
  • We try to price major upgrades lower than most software companies -- upgrades are generally less than 50% of the original price.
  • You can purchase an annual support contract when you purchase one of our products -- in addition to support benefits, you will receive free upgrades to all new versions released during your support period
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