Upgrade to Windows 10

[drb]

If I upgrade the computer we are using as our server to windows 10 from windows 7 will it cause a problem with crystal?

[erica]

Windows 10 is preferred so there won't be an issue with that operating system. Just make sure that all of your files are backed up before doing the upgrade!
If you need assistance with backing up the Crystal database just let us know by going to Support->Request Support at the top of Crystal.

[paremyd]

I know this is a month later, but we got a notice for Windows 10 update 1903. Anyone running Win 10 with that update and have any issues/concerns using Crystal?

[DVA - Jo]

We have a mix of Windows 7 and Windows 10 machines. We have had a few issues with the Windows 10 machines dropping the scanner in Crystal.

[KizerOpt]

Jun 2, 2019 10:04:57 GMT -6 paremyd said:

I know this is a month later, but we got a notice for Windows 10 update 1903. Anyone running Win 10 with that update and have any issues/concerns using Crystal?

Running the same on all our machines. No issues to speak of. Just the usual odd issues. Win 10 doing fine and our scanners (2 Scansnaps, different models, both old) are fine with the setup.

Karen

[drb]

we are having the same issues

[friscoeyeassociates]

It is hard to diagnose over the forum because we likely all have different network infrastructures. Scanner and printer communication issues can be caused by a wide variety of network related areas including: Whether the users are domain accounts on the network or local accounts, whether network discovery is turned on or off, firewall implementation, IP and DNS configs and many more. In my opinion it is most likely one of these issues causing the drop, and likely not Windows 10 or Crystal. That being said, it never hurts to reach out to Crystal's tech support if the issue persists and you can't trouble shoot on your own. Additionally, Windows will no longer be offering security patches or support for Windows 7 beginning January of 2020, so switching to Windows 10 should be a priority before that time.

[bob84]

I am upgrading my network of 5 computers from windows 7 to windows 10.  Twice I have attempted to replace the Windows 7 Client desktop computer that I use with a windows 10 desktop computer and failed to match the level of performance I have come to expect with Crystal PM running on my old windows 7 desktop. Both windows 10 desktops, one HP and one Dell, have the same issue: when I scroll through my medical records tab that is fully loaded with data, I cannot see what I am scrolling through-- it is grayed out. If I continue to scroll rapidly, Crystal freezes for 10-30 seconds and will not respond.  In contrast, when I scroll through my medical records tab using my old windows 7 computer, I can see where I am on the page and navigate efficiently; if I repeatedly scroll very rapidly I will get an occasional hesitation or freeze for less than 3 seconds.  This Windows 10 scrolling problem is less severe when the records tab is not fully populated and it is less severe when scrolling through a tab that has fewer data fields.  Has anyone else experienced this problem? Have you solved it? 

[friscoeyeassociates]

Similarly, this is going to be one of those things that is hard to diagnose on the forum. In this case and the one earlier I would strongly recommend having an IT professional assess the situation on site. It sounds like your issues are most likely hardware related, but again I can't know for sure with out being there. I can say that we have over 30 computers running Win 10 with Crystal, and zero delay or program crashes while in record or scrolling. Our record template is also extensive with some pages having hundreds of individual fields. If your computers are running Windows 7 then it is highly probable that they were purchased between 2009-2015, because those are the years Win 7 came installed on machines. These machines, especially if they are earlier in that Win 7 run say 09-13, are reaching their long term applicability threshold. In addition, if indeed your computers are networked, there could be other areas in the infrastructure causing speed issues including: Potential firewall/modem settings, network switches, server settings, are they thin or thick clients etc... An IT professional would be able to assess exactly what is causing the issue and can make recommendations about whether you should get new machines or if there are optimization options that would make your current machines more effective.

As an aside, I totally get dealing with IT professionals can be both costly and a pain because often its like a car mechanic in that you don't know exactly what is going on if you don't work on cars, but I have found that in general, much like a mechanic, going with the least expensive quote is generally not the best way to approach IT help. We found a team that is on the higher end in terms of per hour billing cost but they work with a number of other optometry/ophthalmology clients and they have a large operation with a number of talented technicians so no matter what there is always someone available to help us if needed. If you happen to be in the Dallas/Fort Worth area let me know and I can forward their info. If not, maybe reach out to some similarly sized practices in the area and see who they use. We found our group via networking with other docs in such a way.

[mjhervey]

Jul 31, 2019 13:05:40 GMT -6 friscoeyeassociates said:

Similarly, this is going to be one of those things that is hard to diagnose on the forum. In this case and the one earlier I would strongly recommend having an IT professional assess the situation on site. It sounds like your issues are most likely hardware related, but again I can't know for sure with out being there. I can say that we have over 30 computers running Win 10 with Crystal, and zero delay or program crashes while in record or scrolling. Our record template is also extensive with some pages having hundreds of individual fields. If your computers are running Windows 7 then it is highly probable that they were purchased between 2009-2015, because those are the years Win 7 came installed on machines. These machines, especially if they are earlier in that Win 7 run say 09-13, are reaching their long term applicability threshold. In addition, if indeed your computers are networked, there could be other areas in the infrastructure causing speed issues including: Potential firewall/modem settings, network switches, server settings, are they thin or thick clients etc... An IT professional would be able to assess exactly what is causing the issue and can make recommendations about whether you should get new machines or if there are optimization options that would make your current machines more effective.

As an aside, I totally get dealing with IT professionals can be both costly and a pain because often its like a car mechanic in that you don't know exactly what is going on if you don't work on cars, but I have found that in general, much like a mechanic, going with the least expensive quote is generally not the best way to approach IT help. We found a team that is on the higher end in terms of per hour billing cost but they work with a number of other optometry/ophthalmology clients and they have a large operation with a number of talented technicians so no matter what there is always someone available to help us if needed. If you happen to be in the Dallas/Fort Worth area let me know and I can forward their info. If not, maybe reach out to some similarly sized practices in the area and see who they use. We found our group via networking with other docs in such a way.

Did you upgrade your operating systems friscoeyeassociates or did you buy new computers. I have 2 new W10 computers and they perform fine. All the systems I upgraded (Fresh installed W10) have the above issues with hanging up and freezing in Crystal. We are working with our IT company but have not come up with the solution yet. Very frustrating!!

[friscoeyeassociates]

We have a mix of both new machines purchased W/ windows 10, and older machines that we upgraded in 2015 when Win 10 was released. We don't experience the same issues. The fact that some of your computers purchased brand new with Win 10 run smoothly while older upgraded machines run slowly leads me to believe the issue must be hardware related. If you go down to the windows menu on the lower left and search "System Summary" and go into the System Info application you can see a run down of the machines specs. I would compare your machines that are working well to the ones that are not and see if there are any obvious differences. I will attach a photo of mine below just for reference. I would also ask the IT professionals if they did a defragmentation on the drive. Additionally they should check that all drivers have been updated for the hardware including the graphics card. I guess if all that checks out, Is crystal the only program on the machines that runs slower? If so, what type of server equipment is being used? Do users run thin clients into the server to access crystal or is the site networked via a switch? Is there a firewall? VPN Tunnels can slow traffic sometimes, but you should experience it on all workstations. You can open Command Prompt and ping different IP's on the network to test speed and packet loss, maybe you can isolate the issue. I am really just throwing things out there but I feel like the IT people should be able to isolate the issue. They should be able to test the disks on those old machines and let you know if the drive is just getting too old and the read/write speed just can't keep up. Another aspect of our strategy that I havn't mentioned is that we don't allow staff complete access to the computer. The domain accounts they log in with have limited privileges which helps prevent users from installing things we don't want installed, and limits the accessibility of our network to malware etc...

[mjhervey]

Just a quick update. Some of our systems were old enough that #1 they needed more memory to run Windows 10, and #2 The processors we just not fast enough. Also important to note how Crystal connects to your server. We were using our server name in W7 and that was fine, with W10 you need to use the server IP or it hangs up. Hope this info helps others.

[pppham]

My server is running on Window 7 when I purchased Crystal PM and two workstations are running on Window 10. I have my Topcon autorefractor (KR-8000PA) integrated to Crystal PM through my server. Do anyone know if there will be any problem with Topcon autorefractor with Window 10 upgrade? If there is, any recommendations? Thanks all

[friscoeyeassociates]

Dec 6, 2019 13:45:11 GMT -6 pppham said:

My server is running on Window 7 when I purchased Crystal PM and two workstations are running on Window 10. I have my Topcon autorefractor (KR-8000PA) integrated to Crystal PM through my server. Do anyone know if there will be any problem with Topcon autorefractor with Window 10 upgrade? If there is, any recommendations? Thanks all

I don't have experience with that AR but I would imagine that as long as IP reservations do not change then it should function normally. Machines are integrated via the Machine Integration Utility within Crystal, and to my knowledge this data would not be altered with an OS upgrade. It still would not hurt to double check with Crystal support by shooting them a quick email, but I think you will be fine