Frequently Asked Questions

• When I try to start the program, I get a message saying "Could not find the main class. Program will exit". What is wrong?
This usually means that you are not running on the the proper version of the Java Runtime Engine (JRE).
You must have version Java Runtime Engine (JRE) 6 installed on your machine.
If you don't know what version of Java you are running, open a command prompt and type: java -version. This will tell you the version of the JRE you are running. If you don't have at least Java 1.6, the program will not run.
You can download the latest verson of the Java Runtime Engine (JRE) from the following web site: Java 6 download
• When I try to start the program, nothing happens. What do I do?
This usually means that you are not running on the the proper version of the Java Runtime Engine (JRE).
You must have version Java Runtime Engine (JRE) 6 installed on your machine.
If you don't know what version of Java you are running, open a command prompt and type: java -version. This will tell you the version of the JRE you are running. If you don't have at least Java 1.6, the program will not run.
You can download the latest verson of the Java Runtime Engine (JRE) from the following web site: Java 6 download
• When I try to start the program, the Operating System asks me to select which program I want to use to open the file with. What do I do?
This means that .jar files are not associated to the Java Runtime Engine. The easiest way to fix this is to download the latest Java Runtime Engine (JRE) and install it again. This will associate the appropriate files to java and will allow you to run the program without having to select a program from the list.
You can download the latest Java Runtime Engine (JRE) from here
• What are the system requirements for running Budget Ace?
Although the program may work even though it doesn't meet the requirements, please note that it is not supported and that there may be issues throughout the program.
• Windows XP or 2000
• 600 MHz Processor
• 128 MB RAM
• 1024x768 Screen Resolution
• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 ~ can be downloaded at: http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
• Adobe Acrobat Reader ~ can be downloaded at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
• I can't get my reports to show up on Windows Vista. Why?
Windows Vista can get a little picky with user rights. If you can't get the program to save and/or show the reports, you
can specify a different location for your reports to be saved to (a place that has full read and write access). This
is done by clicking on the Settings button on the main page, selecting the Reports tab, and then setting the file path
location.
• How do I perform a return in the system and have it go toward a specific category?
Many people wonder how to handle a return in Budget Ace. If you purchase something and place it into a cateogry, then return some items to the store, you will want to enter that return into Budget Ace. The best way to handle a partial return of a cashiered item is to cashier a negative amount toward that category in the cashiering. This way, the program will apply the return toward the catgory that you originally purchased the product toward. For example, let's say you purchase $20.00 of items from the hardware store and cashier it in your "Home Improvement" category. If you decide to return some of the items you will need to reflect that return in Budget Ace. If the return was for $5.00, you can cashier a negative $5.00 toward that category. Budget Ace will calculate the total amount to refelct the difference.
• When starting a new month, what order should I do things in?
  • Copy Previous month's paychecks (if desired).
  • Enter new/edit existing paychecks.
  • Copy previous month's categories (if desired).
  • Enter new/edit existing categories.
  • Any time after this, and during the month, you can import a bank statement by using the Import Data option. Then, set categories to the spendings in the detailed cashiering window.
• Does Budget Ace support bi-weekly budgets?
No. Budget Ace was based on a month by month theory.
I have tried different designs to use a bi-weekly budget system and it has done nothing more than complicate the budget process.
The purpose behind Budget Ace is to allow a person to simply create, maintain, and track a budget. I felt that I was making the process too compliated when moving to a bi-weekly system.
• What is the colored circle at the top-right corner of the main window for?
This circle is an update button. This update button is for informing you of updates that are available on the web. The button shows different colors depending on updates and connections to the Internet. The colors are as follows:
Green: The program is up to date and you have the latest version of the program.
Yellow: There is an update available on the web. Simply click the button to open the web page that has the download link on it.
Red: There is a critcal update available on the web. Simply click the button to open the web page that has the download link on it.
Blue: The program is currently trying to get update information from the web
Black: The program has either not connected to the Internet or your settings are set for you to manually check for updates by clicking on the button. If you want the program to check for updates automatically, you can set this preference in the settings window.