IRIS Accountancy Suite - Crashing issues

If users are experiencing crashes using IRIS Accountancy suite we need to understand where and how the crashes are occurring so that we can tackle the issue with the appropriate steps as crashing can be caused by a variety of factors.

Identifying the cause of a crash

In order to best identify the cause of the crash to start troubleshooting we need to answer the following:

How is the IRIS Installation deployed?
Is it a standalone install on one machine?
Is it an application server with workstation installs on a local network?
Is it an application server with terminal servers running the Local Programs only client install?

If you are unsure of the install type or version installed you can confirm this in Control Panel | Programs and Features section of Windows.
Below are screenshot examples of the entries you might see.

Control Panel | Programs and Features entry for a Full Install of IAS

Control Panel | Programs and Features entry for a Local Program Files Only install of IAS

Control Panel | Programs and Features entry for a Workstation install of IAS

When IRIS experiences a crash do any dialog boxes appear?
Does the dialog box include the error that you can take a screenshot of?
Does it prompt to review the diagnostic logs?
Can you can then save a copy of these logs or copy and paste the contents into an email to support?
Is the crash happening to all clients?
If you repeat the same reproduction steps for more than one client do you get the same crash?
Is the crash occurring for different types of clients?

If a crash does affect one client, a group of related clients or only clients of the same type then the support team for the specific module the crash is experienced in should be consulted.

Is the crash happening to all users?
Do all users of IRIS get the crash when trying the same steps?
Do those experiencing a get, get the crash if they try another machine?
Do they get the crash if they try the full install on the application server?
Is it happening to all machines?
Do all workstations get the same crash when trying the same steps?
If so, does the application server crash when following the same reproductions steps as the workstations?
Does the crash occur on a machine if a different user profile, like an administrator profile, is used instead?

If a crash is replicable within IRIS across multiple clients then we need to look at whether it affects all machines and all methods of deploying IRIS.

If the full install of IRIS is crashing, whether standalone or an application server, then the crashing could be a problem with the installation of IRIS.
In these circumstances we would recommend that you restart the machine hosting the full IRIS Install and then either run a repair of IRIS or run an update to the next available version.

For example, if you are on version 20.2.0 and you are having these issues then updating to the latest version 20.3.0 will update your software and repair any broken/missing files
If you are on the latest version, for example 20.3.0, then rerunning the 20.3.0 installer will install the software again and will replace any broken/missing files.

If the full install of IRIS Accountancy Suite is fine, but the issue is experienced on machines with a Local Programs Only install, then the problem could be a lack of permissions or a problem with the deployment of the Local Programs Only install.

Firstly, please check the Properties | Security permissions of the IRIS folder on the terminal server to see if the Everyone group has Full Control.
If the Everyone group does not exist or does not have Full Control, please apply these settings as a troubleshooting measure.
If the permissions are correct, then a reinstall of the terminal server of IRIS may be required.

To reinstall a Local Programs Only install of IRIS please try the following steps

In Control Panel | Programs and features locate the IRIS Accountancy Suite (Local Programs Only) entry and uninstall it.
Rename the IRIS folder on the terminal server to IRIS.old. The default folder is C:\IRIS.
Navigate to the IRIS folder on the file server from the terminal server and run theADVLocalProgSetup.exe file and follow the installation screens
Click here for the installation guide.

If the full install of IRIS Accountancy Suite is fine, but the issue is experienced on a single machine with a workstation install, please try the following troubleshooting.

On the machine hold down the Windows key and press the R key

In the run prompt that opens type %LOCALAPPDATA% and click ok.
Locate the IRIS_Group_LTD folder, right click and rename this folder to IRIS_GROUP_LTD.old.
Once IRIS_Group_LTD is renamed try launching IRIS Accountancy Suite again and test to see if the crashing has been resolved

If it is still crashing, then you will need to check the usage pre-requisites are met, compare differences between an affected and unaffected workstation or you may need to do a reinstall of the workstation.

Usage Pre-requisites
Please ensure the workstation has C++ 2015 and C++ 2017 installed (both the x86 and x64 versions), that it has a minimum of .NET 4.7 and we also require that a workstation is connected via ethernet instead of wireless.
Comparing Workstations
To start, verify the Windows version of the affected workstations is the same as others by opening a Run prompt (Win + R ) and typing winver and clicking ok on the affected machine and an unaffected machine.
Confirm the affected workstations doesn’t have different software installed that might be conflicting, Anti-Virus can commonly intervene. Ensure you are using the same Anti-Virus application with the same security exclusions for the IRIS in place.
Re-installing the workstation
In Control Panel | Programs and Features locate the IRIS Accountancy Suite Workstation entry and uninstall it.
Once removed successfully you can install the workstation again following the steps here.
If a reinstall has not resolved, try using the affected user’s Windows profile on another machine.
If the issue can be replicated on other machines but only with a specific profile, you may need to investigate their Windows profile further, checking the permissions this user compared to an unaffected user for example.
If the full install of IRIS Accountancy Suite is fine, but the issue is affecting multiple workstations, and the above steps haven’t resolved the issue, then the problem could be environmental, the network connection for example.
You or your IT will need to check the following.
Anti-Virus – Make sure it has exclusions to the network folder of IRIS. If this doesn’t make any improvement, then try disabling your anti-virus temporarily and test to see if this works. We recommend that you consult your IT before actioning this step.
Windows Components – Make sure C++ and .NET versions meet our system requirements. Click here to see our system requirements page.
Windows Version – Make sure you are on a supported version of Windows for IRIS, furthermore, if you have had a windows update recently compare the windows version of a machine that is working to one that isn’t. To do this hold down the windows key and press R and type winver. If there is a difference you may need to roll back the update to see if this resolves the issue, however, we recommend that you contact your IT first before actioning this step.

Further Support

If you have gone through all the above and the issues are occurring, then please email technicalsupport@iris.co.uk with the following.

Answers from the identifying cause section,
Troubleshooting steps attempted and their results.