Installation Step-by-Step

BigTime gets installed on only one computer in your office, so you only need to follow these installation instructions one time. Then, all of the other computers in your office will connect to that BigTime system using their internet browser. This makes installing BigTime extremely easy.

Most of our customers simply insert the CD and click SETUP.EXE. The system will walk you through most of what you'll need to do. The entire installation typically takes about 30 minutes to complete, but there are one or two important items to remember as you walk through the setup:

1. A valid Serial Number and an Order ID are both required. Your serial number is printed on your BigTime CD, and your customer order ID number was emailed to you with your order confirmation. If you've downloaded a copy of BigTime from our FTP site, then your serial number was emailed as a part of the download instructions.
2. You specify an administrative user during the installation. The email address and user name you enter as your administrative contact will become your initial BigTime user. When you login to the system, you'll use that email address as your login and that contact's last name as your initial password.
3. SQL Server installations have special requirements. If you're installing the workgroup or enterprise version(s) of BigTime, then you have the option to install the database onto an existing SQL Server. To do that, you'll need to follow some special instructions to make sure that the server is ready for your BigTime database. Take a look at the SQL Setup section for more detailed information.

Once the system is installed, you're ready to connect it to your QuickBooks data file and import projects/staff into the system. If you aren't a QuickBooks user, then you can login to the system and create projects and staff members by hand. For more information about what steps to take once BigTime is installed, take a quick look at the end of the Concepts Guide!