Note: For questions relating to licensing Movie Magic Budgeting or Movie Magic Scheduling product, please click here for support.

This is the new rental licensing method for the Movie Magic software. This new licensing system allows the software to be easy unlicensed and re-licensed on your machines. Your purchase of Movie Magic should have included an order number. After connecting to the internet choose the "License" option. In the next screen enter your order number and choose "get license". After a few seconds you should receive a response that the software is now licensed, that’s it! If you do not have an internet connection you can select the phone option, which allows you to call a sales representative and get one verbally. Once licensed the software will continue to run until unlicensed or the subscription period ends.

Absolutely! Simply open up the Windows explorer or your "My Computer" icon. Locate the Elicense control and click it. This should display any licensed application you have. After connecting to the internet, right click on the application you want to unlicense and from the menu choose unlicense. This will unlicense this computer. You may now relicense another machine. If you do not have an internet connection you can select the phone option which allows you to call a sales agent and get unlicensed verbally.

You have to direct the program to your new ratebook. Click on Setup and select Preferences. Click on Open/Save. At the bottom of the window is a button that says Select Ratebook. Click on this, and it will allow you to find and choose your new ratebook.

You are probably dialing in from a LAN (local area network) from work that has a complex firewall installed. These firewalls can make communications like this difficult at times. Check the proxy button to see if your proxy settings are correct (your network admin can probably help). If you still have problems use the phone option for licensing from this machine.

No, Movie Magic Budgeting will only remove program files. It will even leave behind the Movie Magic Budgeting folder (MMB).

This happens because of an incompatibility between your machine and the copy protection. You will have to move the copy protection onto your machine manually. You should contact sales for an upgrade to Budgeting 5.6 or higher.

The command you will enter in DOS is:

scpbat i (floppy drive letter):(hard drive letter):xmmbx/v/e

Where it says you will enter the letter of your floppy drive, most likely a or b. Where it says you will enter the letter of the hard drive you are going to install the program to, most likely c or d. For these instructions we will assume that your floppy drive is a, and you are installing to the c drive.

If your drives are different, simply substitute your drive letters for a and c.

To install the copy protection manually in Windows 95/98:

1. Put Install Disk 1 into the floppy drive.
2. Go to your Start menu and click Shutdown.
3. Choose Restart the computer and click Yes/OK.
4. As it starts up you should see a message saying "Non–system disk or disk error". When you see this, take the disk out of the drive and hit the F8 key TWICE, quickly.
5. You will see the Windows 95/98 Startup Menu.
6. Choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only. This is different from regular Safe Mode and MS–DOS mode. If you are not sure how to get into this mode, please repeat the steps above again or refer to your Windows 95 help.
7. Once you are in Safe Mode Command Prompt Only, re–insert Install Disk 1.
8. At the C: prompt, type "A:".
9. Type in the SCPBAT command (which is above).
10. It should say, "Installing...". When it is finished it will say, "Completed". If you encounter any other errors, please continue with the following instructions and contact Technical Support.
11. Restart your machine by typing Win at the C: prompt or holding down Ctrl+Alt+Delete at the same time.
12. When your computer reboots, open the program again.
13. If it does not open, please contact Technical Support.

To bypass the files in Windows 3.1:

1. Quit out of Windows if you are in it.
2. Put the Scheduling disk in the drive.
3. Turn off the machine.
4. Turn it back on again. As it starts up you should see a message saying " Non–system disk or disk error". When you see this, take the disk out of the drive and hit the F5 key TWICE, quickly.
5. You now should see a message saying that your machine is bypassing your startup files. Eventually you will be at the C: prompt. If your machine goes into Windows instead, repeat steps 1–4. If you still go into Windows, please call Technical Support.
6. Once you have bypassed your startup files, follow the above steps again, typing in the SCPBAT command.
7. Restart your machine and try to open the program again.
If you still receive the error, please contact Technical Support.

Try clicking the Start menu and going to Programs. From there go to Movie Magic Budgeting and click Remove. If the Remove icon is not there or there is an error with your installation log please contact Technical Support.

This is an older version of Budgeting that used the dongle for protection. You should contact sales and upgrade to version 5.6 or higher. This message indicates the dongle was not activated.

This is an older version of Budgeting. You should contact sales and upgrade to version 5.6 or higher. If you receive this error it means there is a conflict with the copy protection and your computer. This problem primarily effects Toshiba computers, but has been known to occur on other systems as well. Currently we do not have a solution that remedies all machines.
We have found that the existence of a file called "dvdfast.vxd" on a system usually causes this problem. When we hide the file from the system, by renaming it, it seems to allow Movie Magic Budgeting 5.23 to run. However, this solution works only for computer systems that have the dvdfast.vxd file.
Another solution we have seen work is updating to the latest build of Windows 98.
Upgrading to version 5.6 of Budgeting will solve this problem.

Note: Please keep in mind that if you rename the file dvdfast.vxd to another name the hardware you are using may not perform optimally. In our findings this has not been the case, however if it does become a problem please rename the file back to dvdfast.vxd.

No. You can open files from the old versions in the new version, but the new program's files are too complex for the old versions to recognize.

No, for the same reasons listed above.

You don't have to export at all. All you have to do on either a Mac or a PC is save your budget normally. Send the budget file through e-mail or copy it to an IBM formatted disk. (Even if you're on a Mac you have to save the file on an IBM formatted disk for a PC to read it!) Then just copy the file onto the other machine as you normally would.

To go from Mac to PC:

1.Insert a PC–formatted disk in the Macintosh and copy the budget file to it. (If your Mac cannot read PC disks, contact Apple about obtaining a program called PC Exchange.)
2.Now insert the disk in the PC and copy the file to the Budgeting folder.
3.Open Movie Magic Budgeting.
4.Click on File, select Open.
5.Select All Files (Mac, Windows, Dos) and choose the budget.
6.Click Open.

To go from PC to Mac:

1.Copy the budget to a PC–formatted disk.
2.Now insert the disk in the Macintosh and copy the budget file into the Budgeting folder. (If your Mac cannot read PC disks, contact Apple about obtaining a program called PC Exchange.)
3.Open Movie Magic Budgeting.
4.Select All Files (Mac, Windows, Dos) and choose the budget.
5.Click on File, select Open.
6.Click Open.
NOTE: If you do not know how to copy files or open folders, please refer to your Windows Help.

The new program is more accurate, so totals might be slightly different. If they are DRASTICALLY different, you may need to contact Technical Support.

You can't open the Labor Guide by going to File and selecting Open. You should open it by going under Tools and selecting Rate Book, or by clicking on the ratebook icon on the toolbar.

To edit the Topsheet Header you must go into your Print window.

1.Go to File and click Print.
2.Click the Topsheet Header button, in the lower right corner.
3.The Topsheet Header Dialog Box will open. You can enter your information here.
4.When you are done click OK.

The Header line can be edited in the Print window. The Header dialog box uses text and substitution codes. Substitution codes represent specific details, such as page number, date, file name, etc. To reach the Header dialog box do the following:

1.Go to the File menu and click Print.
2.Click the Header button, in the lower right corner.

You can enter the following Substitution Codes:

^C – displays the date and time of the budget's creation.
^D -- displays the current date and time.
^F -- displays the name of the original form that was used.
^M -- displays the time last modified.
^N -- displays the page number.
^R -- displays the revision number.
^T -- displays the time.
^V -- displays the version of movie magic budgeting used to create this budget.
^| -- when placed after the text or code, aligns in the center.
^< -- when placed after the text or code, will right justify.
^> -- when placed after the text or code, will left justify.

When you have entered the right combination of text and substitution codes click OK.

Go to your Library menu and click Open. Navigate to where the library file is, click on it and click Open.

You must be in the Detail level in order to "Get" details.

At this time Nuts and Bolts will zap installs and is completely incompatible. Norton Utilities (Speed Disk) can be set so it doesn't interfere with the copy protection. Norton utilities for Windows 95 ver. 2.0 and 3.0 will not respect any of your system's file attributes for "Hidden", and "Read Only". This could result in lost installations! The following will help protect you against this problem. 2.0 Users:

1.From the Start Menu choose Programs / Norton Utilities / Speed Disk.
2.Click on the Properties pop–up menu and select Options.
3.Select the Customize Button, then click on the Unmovable Files tab.
4.Click on the open folder to the right of file text field to bring up the file requester.
5.Under Folders, Double click the folder with C:.
6.In the File Name field type in the filename(s) (from the list below) appropriate for the SSI software you own, then click OK.

xmmbx.hrd (Budgeting)
xmmbx.ekb (Budgeting)
mms.ekb (Scheduling)
mms.hrd (Scheduling)
xdprox.ekb (Dramatica)

After entering these filenames you MUST hit OK and choose SAVE from the "Options for Speed Disk" window to save these changes!

3.0 Users:

1.Open Speed Disk and choose "Properties" then "Options".
2.Choose "Customize".
3.Click the Tab marked "Unmovables".
4.Check the box marked "Hidden" at the bottom of the window under "Files with these attributes". This will ensure that Norton Speed Disk will handle your software correctly while optimizing. (Upgrading to Budgeting 5.6 or higher will correct this problem)

You cannot install on a network drive, but you can have a shared folder where budgets are kept. Future releases will enable multiple user log-ins.

To export to Microsoft Excel do the following:

1.Go to the File menu and click Export.
2.Choose either Comma Delimited or Tab Delimited Full. Which one you choose does not matter because Excel can read both types of files.
3.The Export dialog box will appear.
4.Select the folder and drive you would like to save the file in and click OK.

The information that exports will be the Category and Account totals as well as details. Formulas do not export. The information will also require some clean up.

Whenever you start a new budget, using a form, go to the File menu and click New. A dialog box will appear. Navigate to the Forms directory, which is usually in the Application folder and double–click on it. Select the form you prefer and click OK.

There is a minor but important difference.

Save As… will allow you to save the current budget under a different name or to an alternate destination. The original file will then be closed and the new file will be open. Save a Copy As… will allow you to save the current budget under a different name or to an alternate destination, allowing you to keep the original file open so you can continue working.
24) I cannot type anything in the Amount or Rate fields, how come?

Try turning on the numlock. Make sure the whole line isn't selected, or you won't be able to type anything.

You can change the currency in the Currency window.

1.Go to the Setup menu and click Currency.
2.Click the Add button.
3.Type "United Kingdom" in the Country column.
4.Enter "pound" in the Currency column.
5.Type the appropriate conversion rate in the Rate column.
6.Click the Format button and choose British from the Number Format menu.
7.Click OK.
8.(Optional) Type in a unique letter for the Key column.
9.Choose "United Kingdom" from the Host Country menu. Click Yes to readjust totals.

Setup a global called Can2US with a value of the correct conversion rate. Place this global in the "X" column or if the "X" column is already being used type "Rate*Can2US" into the Rate column. Subtotals will now be correct.

The columns can temporarily be adjusted. When you move your cursor between the column headings, double arrows appear. Use the cursor to shrink or expand the columns. This alteration does not print. In addition, you can resize the window, effectively making the columns smaller or larger .

You might be holding down the Alt key when you are switching from level to level. Also, the setting to open multiple windows could be enabled in the Preference window.

1.Under the Setup menu, click Preferences.
2.Click on the Open/Save tab.
3.Click the check box where it says "Use only ONE Window per Budget".
4.Click OK.

The short key is: CTRL + =.

Highlight the line by clicking on the small left margin, and press Delete on the keyboard OR go to the Edit menu and click Clear.

Subtotal is informational only and its amount will not get added to the Account total. It will total the details above it, but you cannot add information to the subtotal line. Summation adds the subtotals of all the lines before it, and the subtotal is put in the Rate column. It's amount does get added to the Account total. You can also edit the Amount and X fields unlike the Subtotal line.

In the Top Sheet view, click Edit, add Level Break or just type CTRL + B.

The program will always associate the first level break with "Total–Above –the– Line". There is no way to change this.

Go to the File menu and click Repaginate. This will repaginate everything.

To create a contractual charge do the following:

1.Start out at the Topsheet level. You cannot enter a Contractual Charge at any other level.
2.Go to the Edit menu and click Contractual Charge.
3.Name your Contractual Charge and enter any relevant information.
4.If you do not like where the program put the Contractual Charge, select the line by clicking on the thin left column. The line will then be highlighted. Cut and paste the Contractual Charge to the desired location. If you do not know how to cut and paste consult the Windows Help.

To edit a Contractual Charge double–click the thin left column beside it. That will bring up the Contractual Charge. You can now make changes.

You can view fringes by account in the preferences window.

1.Go to the Setup menu and click Preferences.
2.Click the Budget tab.
3.Under "Post Fringes by", click on the drop–down menu and choose Account.
4.Click OK.

You can apply fringes by going to the Tools menu and clicking "Show Apply Fringes" or hit the "Apply Fringes" button, at the top.

1.Go to the Detail level and highlight the Detail(s) you want to apply the fringe to.
2.In the Apply Fringe dialog box, select the fringe(s) you would like to apply to the detail.
3.Click either Range or Individual to apply a Fringe Cutoff to a single detail or many at once.
4.When you are done close the Apply Fringes dialog box.
38) How can I apply fringes to the entire category?

You cannot apply fringes to an entire category. Fringes can only be applied at the Detail level.

That is because the aggregate fringe is being calculated by dividing the total fringe contribution by the line total. To change the aggregate fringe so it is displaying the fringe sum, do the following:

1.Under the Setup menu, click Preferences.
2.Click the Budget tab.
3.Set "Aggregate Fringe % Calculation" to "Sum of Fringe %".
4.Click OK.

Flat rate fringes are based on the amount of the fringe multiplied by the unit. Percentage Fringes calculate the fringe amount based on a percentage of the detail subtotal.

It would only affect flat rate fringes. The flat rate fringe is multiplied by the units field (e.g. If you apply a flat rate fringe of $5/day to a person working a five day week, his fringe total for that week would be $25.)

Where it says "View by", click on the drop–down menu and select range.

Cutoff is applied to the total of a range not to each detail individually.

Such as the case of income tax for actors. You wouldn't calculate the cutoffs for a range of actors, because the tax is applied to individuals.

Globals cannot be rearranged in the global window. If there is a particular order you would like your globals to be in be sure to enter them originally in that order.

Yes, globals can calculate formulas based on other globals.

Go into the Setup menu and click Globals (CTRL + G). Click in the check box in the "D" column for that Global.

To edit the decimal place go into the globals window.

1.Go to the Setup menu and click on Globals.
2.In the "P" column, type a value corresponding to the number of decimal places you would like your globals to display.

To save your subgroups you can turn your budget into a form or save the Subgroups in a library file.

To save your subgroups in a form:

1.Go to the File menu and click Create Form.
2.Give your file a name and click Save.
3.When opening a new budget, use the form that you created, and the Subgroups will be there.

To save your Subgroups as a library:

1.Go to your Library menu and click New.
2.Name your library and click OK.
3.Go to your detail level and select a detail that contains the subgroups you would like to save. Ideally, you will want to apply all the subgroups to this detail so they will carry over to the new budget.
4.Make sure your detail line is highlighted, then go to your library and click the Store button.
5.The detail, along with Subgroups and fringes will then be in the library file.
6.When you create another budget you can transplant the detail into the new budget. To do this, go to the Detail level, bring up your library and click Get. If you do not want the detail, you can delete it and the Subgroups and Fringes will remain.

If your detail has nothing in the rate field and no subtotal the item will not print if you are printing the budget summary. Try printing the full budget and your details will print. However, if you would still like to print a summary, set your printing option to "Suppress Empty Accounts".

1.Go to the File menu and click Print.
2.Under Miscellaneous, change "Suppress Zero Total Accounts" to " Suppress Empty Accounts" or "Print All Accounts".
3.It will now print that detail.

To put a detail into a particular Subgroup select the detail and click the desired Subgroup in the Apply Subgroups window

1.Click the thin left column to select the detail you want to place in a Subgroup.
2.Go to the Tools menu and click Show Apply Subgroups.
3.Place the detail in a Subgroup by clicking the circle or square beside the specific Subgroup.
You have now Subgrouped your detail. When you are done simply close the Apply Subgroups dialog box.

Remove the subgroup itself.

You have to tell them to print in the Print window. Click on File and select Print. On the very bottom right of the screen is a box that says Original and variance columns. Click in the small box next to this and a check mark will appear. Now they will print.

The original and variance columns do not print correctly when printing a full budget. Instead, try printing a budget summary.

1.Go to your File menu and click Print (CTRL + P).
2.Under Reports to Print, click on the drop–down menu, beside "Budget", and choose Summary.
3.Click the Print button.

You will need to have the 5.2 version or higher. You can print your globals in the print screen or in the globals window.

To print from the Print window:

1.Go to the File menu and click Print.
2.Under Reports to Print, click on the Globals Table.
3.Click Print.

To print from the Globals window:

1.Go to the Setup menu and click Globals.
2.Click the Print button.

Uncheck Budget, but only check topsheet.

They are for printing only certain ranges of account numbers, but not all accounts.

Create a deferment subgroup and apply it to your deferment details only. Then, exclude all other subgroups and print the budget.

There are several options. Try to print smaller print jobs (10 pages at a time). Make sure you have the latest version. In addition, if you have lines of details that have the description field empty and you are printing while "Suppressing Zero Total Accounts" the program may crash or freeze. You can change the printing process to "Print All Accounts".

1.Go to the File menu and click Print.
2.Under Miscellaneous, choose "Print All Accounts". Do not choose "Suppress Empty Accounts" because it will cause the same problem.
3.You should now be able to print without running into errors.

As another option, you can go through your budget and put something in the description field. If you want the line to look blank: hit the spacebar once in the description field. It will look empty, but the computer will know something is there, and you will not have this problem.

Under the Setup menu click Currency. Choose a different currency as your Print Country.

In the Print window choose "Suppress Zero Total Accounts".

1.Go to the File menu and click Print.
2.Under Miscellaneous, change " Suppress Zero Total Accounts" to "Suppress Empty Accounts" or " Print All Accounts".
3.It will now print that detail.

You can exclude all other Subgroups except that one and only details in the subgroup you Include will print.

1.Go to the Setup menu and click Subgroups.
2.Where it says "Default status for all unmarked lines" click on the drop– down menu and choose Exclude.
3.In the Status column, mark "Exclude" for all Subgroups that you do not want to print. Make sure that the Subgroup you want to print is marked "Include".
4.Click the OK button.
5.After your budget recalculates, go to your File menu and click Print.
6.Print your budget and only lines that belong to the specified Subgroup will print.

To set up a magic key do the following:

1.On the Detail level, choose the detail that you want to make the Magic Key from. The detail must have the combination of Fringes and Subgroups that you will want to use repeatedly.
2.Click to the left of the detail so the whole line is highlighted.
3.Go to the Magic menu and click Define Key.
4.Click the Create New Magic Key from Selection button.
5.Type a letter in the Key column. This will represent your Magic Key.
6.Hit the Tab key.
7.Type a description for that Magic Key.
8.Adjust any Action, Fringe, or Subgroup settings as necessary.
9.Select Add or Set. If the Add is checked for the Magic Key, the Magic Key will attach all of it's fringes and subgroups on top of any pre–existing ones that a detail might have. If Set is chosen, the Magic Key will clear any fringes and subgroups that are applied to a detail and will only allocate the Magic Key's fringes and subgroups.

Create a blank detail line and then create a magic key from that line. Make sure it is on Set and not Add. When you apply the magic key to an existing fringed or subgrouped detail, it should clear it of any fringe or subgroup settings.