Troubleshooting 

Installation
Most users install the Trial Version first.  Then, they call us for the registration number, and perform an Update. Then, they install on their Workstations.

Crashes Immediately
If Open Dental crashes immediately upon startup, first make sure that both required dotNet versions are installed.

If instead, Open Dental crashes immediately after the splash screen and without any useful error message, then it may be that you have a very new computer that does not have the Arial font completely installed.  From the Control Panel, open Fonts, Arial.  Look for Arial or Arial Regular.  Not Black, Narrow, Italic, Bold or any other variation, just plain old Arial.  If it's not present, then install Download and run this file from Microsoft: EUupdate.exe.

Database not Present
So... you've installed Open Dental according to the directions and when you get to the Choose Database window and click OK, it says, "Unable to connect to any of the specified MySQL hosts".   You should probably just call us at this point and let us troubleshoot the problem for you over a highspeed internet connection.
Contact
But if you really want to try it yourself, here are some steps you can take.

1. Are you on a workstation instead of the server?  If Open Dental is already working fine on the server, and you are just trying to connect another workstation, then it's almost always a firewall issue, either hardware or software.  Make sure to check the Windows firewall as well as any possible firewall that is part of an antivirus program.  If you still can't connect from a workstation, then it might be a networking issue such as not being in the same workgroup.  If you did a non-standard installation and installed mysql yourself separately, then it might be a security issue such as improper use of mysql username and password.

2. Make sure you are on Windows XP or later..  The program will not install on Windows 98, Windows Me, or Windows 2000.  If you're using Linux, the concepts are the same, but the details will be different.

3. Is the MySQL service running?  Go to MyComputer and right click (that's the lesser-used button on your mouse). From the menu that comes up, select Manage. Then double click services and applications, then double click Services. Find MySQL in the alphabetical list. See if it's started or stopped.  If it's stopped, try to start it.  If the service won't start, suspect that an antivirus program is interfering.  Try to disable your antivirus software.  If you're using McAffee, you may even need to unintall McAffee.  If you can't even find the MySQL service in the list, then the MySQL server was not installed correctly. You should redo the installation, making sure to install all items.

4. Did you intall it properly?   Use the default settings.  When in the installer program, all the boxes along the left side should have been checked. Don't change any of the paths or do anything unusual.  Read each box as it comes up.  You might try reinstalling (you don't have to uninstall anything first), and going nice and slow so you understand what it's doing.

5. Are the database files in the right places?  Or is there any improper nesting?  Open C:\mysql\data\opendental\.  You should see about 200 files.  If the opendental folder is missing, or if you do not see the expected files, then they must have been moved.  Move them back.  You will have to stop the mysql service to move files.  Be very careful not to lose anything or make a mess.  Never delete anything; instead, rename by tacking on "old" or some numbers representing the date.  Remember that if you change the name of the opendental folder, that it must not have a space or any punctuation in the name.

6. See if the database is really running.  Open C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin\mysql.exe.  If you're using a different version of MySQL server, such as 4.1, then the path might be slightly different. A small black window should open and stay open.  If it opens and then goes away, then you need to go to step 3 to get the server running first.  If the window is open, type "use opendental" and press Enter. It should say something like "database changed". If so, then the opendental database is running successfully.

7. Are your database files accidentally set to read only?  If this is the case, then in the Choose Database window it will usually tell you, "Database is present but not accepting commands" instead of "database not present".  Go to C:\mysql\data\ and find the folder called opendental. Right click on this folder and select Properties. Find the box that says Read-only and click on it until it is completely blank. Then, click OK. When given the choice, apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files. Then try to run Open Dental.  If unsuccessful, restart your computer.  You might also try again, because it is sometimes difficult to complete this step perfectly.

8. As a last resort, you can try to install it on a different computer.

Graphics Card
This is a fairly rare error. In the Choose Database window, the user would click the OK button and that window would then disappear like it was supposed to without any error message.  Then, while the program itself was starting up, and before any of the modules show, the program would crash with an error message.  Looking closely at the detail text of the error message, the first few lines might look similar to this:
************** Exception Text ************** System.AccessViolationException: Attempted to read or write protected memory. This is often an indication that other memory is corrupt.
  at Tao.Platform.Windows.Wgl.wglMakeCurrent(IntPtr deviceContext, IntPtr renderingContext)
etc...
The key words to look for are "Tao.Platform.Windows". This indicates that it is a bug in the graphics card driver rather than our software. The graphics card involved will always be an ATI card, usually integrated.  The error is happening as our 3D tooth chart is attempting to load.  The best solution is to try to update the graphics card driver.  If you are already using the most current driver, then the only option will be to make a change to the database which will tell Open Dental to use a 2D tooth chart for this workstation.  It is usually best to let us make the change to the database for you using a remote connection.  But if you are a power user, it's OK to attempt it yourself.  To see the database and to make the change you will use any client program of your choice.  You can even use the User Query tool that's in Open Dental itself, but you will have to do it from a workstation that is already running Open Dental successfully.   You will need to know the name of the computer where you are having the problem.  Let's assume the name is "FRONTDESK".
Run this query:
SELECT * FROM computerpref
Look for a row in the resulting table that has FRONTDESK (for example) in the ComputerName column.  If you don't see such a row, run a query similar to:
INSERT INTO computerpref (ComputerName,GraphicsSimple) VALUES ('FRONTDESK',1)
Or, if you do see a row with FRONTDESK already, then run a query similar to:
UPDATE computerpref SET GraphicsSimple=1 WHERE ComputerName='FRONTDESK'
One more time, run
SELECT * FROM computerpref
to verify that the row looks correct.  Then, try again to restart Open Dental on the problem workstation.  See the Graphics page for information on how to try a different format. But beware that if the graphics driver is buggy, that it may crash while you are trying different graphics formats, and you would then need to go through the process above again.  It is probably better to try to update the graphics driver or to switch to a different graphics card.

Slowness
See Troubleshooting Slowness.

Text Getting Cut Off
The Windows display font size setting is too big, so now the button text and other text in OD does not fit inside the controls.  It typically looks like the bottom 1/3 of some rows is cut off.  Change your DPI back to 96, and then restart your computer if necessary.
Windows XP: Control Panel, Display Settings.
Windows Vista: Control panel, personalization, At the very left, there is a link to Adjust Font size Dpi. 
Windows 7: Control panel, personalize, Display, At the very left, there is a link to Set custom text size Dpi.  Use 100%

Other Problems While Using Open Dental

1. Run the Database Maintenance tool.

2. Make sure you are using the most current version by going to the Update window and checking for updates.   If a new build is available for your version, update.

3. Run the Database Maintenance tool again, since improvements are constantly being made to it.

4. Did you use our installer to install MySQL?  If not, see the MySQL Server Variables page.

5. Read the manual carefully so that you completely understand how the program is supposed to function. If you are using the most current version, and you think you found a bug, you can let us know about it. We generally only accept bug reports from users who are on a support plan.