General

Using the Scoreboard

Purchasing/Registration

Custom Scoreboards/Modifications

General

The scoreboards are 'shareware'. What exactly is shareware?
You wouldn't buy a car without seeing it and trying it out, and the same applies to software. We let you try our software before deciding to purchase it. Shareware means that you can download the program for free and try it. To use the scoreboard without interruption, we ask that you purchase a registration for the scoreboard.

What is the difference between the trial version I download and what I get when I purchase/register?
The scoreboard that you download from our website is fully functional, with the only restriction being that a trial reminder appears every few minutes. When registered, the only thing that changes is that the trial reminder no longer appears, allowing you to use the scoreboard uninterrupted.

Will your scoreboards work on my computer?
For our v2 scoreboards, if it's a PC running Windows 7/Vista/XP, odds are that it will work. For our older v1 scoreboards, if it's a PC running Windows 7/Vista/XP/ME/98 SE/98, odds are that it will work. The best way to make sure it works is to download and try it for free. If you are on a Mac, we recommend getting a dedicated Windows computer to run the scoreboard, as using our scoreboards within Mac can take some technical expertise and cost about as much as a basic Windows computer. While we have no experience with Mac, you should be able to use an emulator such as Parallels Desktop for Mac to run Windows on your Mac, then install the scoreboard within Windows. On Linux, you would also need to use a Windows emulator.

What projectors/displays do you recommend for your scoreboards?
Any projector/display should work with our scoreboards, as long as it supports the video resolution that the computer running the scoreboard uses. In general, gyms and other bright places will require projectors with higher lumens to be clearly visible. We suggest that you contact a local projector/display distributor if you need additional help with displays for our scoreboards.

Does the computer need internet access in order to use your scoreboards?
The computer does NOT need internet access to use and register a scoreboard on it.

To install the scoreboard on a computer without internet:

1. Using a computer that DOES have internet access, download the program installer from our website
2. Transfer the installer to a removable media such as a burned CD/DVD, USB drive, external hard drive, or other removeable media.
3. On the computer without internet access, locate the installer on the media and run it to install the scoreboard.

1. On the computer being registered, start the scoreboard and click Purchase Information or Register.
2. Copy down the serial number and supply it during registration on our Purchase page.
3. Once we send you the registration password, you will need to enter the password into the program on that same computer.

Do you have a brochure for your scoreboards?
No, we feel that the information available on this website and the ability to try the scoreboards should give you enough information to decide whether to use our scoreboards.

What are the dimensions, weight, and other physical specs of the scoreboards?
We provide SOFTWARE scoreboards that work with video displays, not PHYSICAL scoreboards. The scoreboard is the size of the display you use. Most of our scoreboards will stretch to fit the size of the display, whether it has a proportion of 4:3, 16:10, 16:9, or some other variation.

Using the Scoreboard

The scoreboard crashes or doesn't work properly after installing, what's wrong?
Often the problem can be attributed to Windows needing a restart to load the newly installed dll's. Try restarting the computer a few times and try again. Also you may try uninstalling the program, restarting the computer, installing the program, restarting the computer. If this doesn't help, contact us with details of the steps leading up to the problem.

I can't change a number or time on the scoreboard, what do I do?
If one or more parts of the scoreboard appear to be not functioning properly, usually the problem is that you have not read/followed the scoreboard help. Directions for accessing help are displayed on the intro screen before the scoreboard appears. Help can usually be accessed from the scoreboard by pressing 'F1' or 'h'.

What is the control screen (v2 scoreboards only)?
All of our new v2 scoreboards are now available with or without a control screen. The control screen is used by the operator to control the operation of the scoreboard without having to mouse or tab over the actual display screen. The control screen is only useful if you have two separate video outputs on the PC. The control screen is enabled from the scoreboard by pressing F2 to access the Options window, then selecting the Other Settings tab and checking the Show control screen Checkbox.

How do I use the control screen while showing the display screen to spectators?
All of our v2 Scoreboards have the optional capability to display an operator control screen on a separate Windows display. In addition, a few of our scoreboards such as Basketball Scoreboard Pro v2 have the optional capability to display a Shot Clock on a separate display screen.

In order to make the most of these additional screens, you will need:

• A Windows PC with at least 2 video outputs (most laptops) connected as follows:
  • Output 1 to the operator screen to display the control screen; on a laptop this would be the built-in laptop display
  • Output 2 to the large screen display(s) or projector(s) for the spectators to view
  • (Basketball Pro v2 and similar scoreboards) Output 3 to the shot clock display(s)
• Configure Windows to extend the desktop to all two (2) or three (3) displays, do not clone the display
  • If you need additional help to configure Windows to extend the desktop, use Google and type “how to extend the windows desktop”, followed by the version of Windows you are running, into the search. Example: "how to extend the windows desktop in windows 7". If you need additional assistance please contact us.
• Enable the additional screens in the scoreboard:
  • Start the scoreboard
  • Press F2 to open the Options screen
  • Click on the Other Settings tab
  • Click the checkbox to enable the Control Screen
  • For Basketball Pro v2 or other scoreboards with a third window, click the checkbox to enable the Shot Clock display or similar display
• Drag the display screen to output 2 and press the F11 key to make it fill the screen
• For Basketball Pro v2 and similar scoreboards, drag the Shot Clock to output 3, then resize or press the F11 key to make it fill the screen
• Position the control screen on the operator screen, output 1, and resize or press the F11 key to fill the screen

Purchasing/Registration

How much does that scoreboard cost?

• v2 Scoreboards: We offer two purchase options, either a lifetime USB key or a one-month single computer. See the Purchase Options page for details on each purchase option.
• v1 Scoreboards: The only cost of our scoreboard software is the one-time registration fee per scoreboard per computer.

How does the purchase/registration process work?
The registration process is as follows:

1. Download and install the scoreboard on the PC it will be running on during the first games. The temporary registration is locked to a single computer.
2. Start the scoreboard - the first screen that comes up is the Reminder screen.
3. Click on the Purchase Information button. It is here that you will find the 15 character registration serial number.
   1. If the PC has an internet connection, simply click on the "Click here to purchase program online" link.
      1. This will take you to our Purchase web page and automatically enter the registration serial number.
   2. If the PC does not have an internet connection:
      1. It is very important to copy this serial number exactly.
      2. On a web connected PC go to www.pcscoreboards.com
      3. On the left side click on Purchase/Register
      4. Enter the 15 character serial number very carefully.
4. Complete the online purchase/register process on our website. This will transfer you to our secure PayPal payment processing, where you can use various payment methods including a credit or debit card to complete the purchase.
5. As soon as payment is complete, we will send you the temporary registration password, which is 16 characters long, by email. If you use an instant payment method, the password should also appear on the purchase completed page on our website.
6. To enter the registration password, start the scoreboard on the same computer you used in step 2. You should get to the first screen, the Reminder screen.
7. Click on the Enter Password button. It is here that you enter the 16 character registration password. Once again it is very important to copy and enter this password exactly. Once the password is entered, the scoreboard will be registered on that PC.
8. At this point the reminder screen should show the expiration date for the registration password you entered.
9. If you purchased a registration that includes a USB registration key, it will be sent by regular mail within a week. Once you receive the USB registration key, you can run the scoreboard uninterrupted on any one computer while the USB registration key is plugged into the computer.

What / where is my registration serial number?
Your serial number is a unique number that identifies your computer. It allows us to give you a unique registration password that registers the scoreboard on the computer with the corresponding serial number that you provide to us. Therefore, when registering it is important to provide the serial number from the scoreboard running on the computer being registered. It can be found by starting the program and clicking on Purchase Information (for v2 scoreboards) or Register (for v1 scoreboards) on the Reminder screen. Multiple registrations can be purchased at a discounted rate by contacting us.

I have the registration password, now where do I enter it to register the scoreboard?

• v2 scoreboards: Start the scoreboard and click Enter Password on the Reminder screen.
• v1 scoreboards: Start the scoreboard and click Register on the Reminder screen. The 3 parts of the registration password get entered into the 3 boxes found on the Register screen.

What is a portable USB Registration Key and how is it used?
All of our new v2 scoreboards that are purchased (not rented) come with a portable USB Registration key. The key, while it looks like an ordinary USB thumb drive, is an individually coded scoreboard license key that allows uninterrupted use of the purchased scoreboard as long as it remains plugged into the PC running the scoreboard. In that sense it is like the key to your car. Once you receive the USB Registration key you will be able to install the scoreboard on alternate PCs to provide for backup PCs in case the original PC is not available or there is a need to switch to running the scoreboard on a different PC. The scoreboard will run uninterrupted on any PC while the USB Registration Key is plugged into it. It is your responsibility to safe guard the USB registration key as it cannot be replaced without repurchasing the scoreboard.

Custom Scoreboards/Modifications

You don't have a scoreboard that meets my needs, can you make a specific/custom scoreboard?
Odds are we can make any software scoreboard you need. Contact us about developing a new scoreboard to meet your needs. Please include as much detail as possible.

Can a new feature be added to this scoreboard?
Often a new feature can be added, sometimes there will be an additional cost. Contact us with as much information as possible.