Appendix

About the CD

In This Appendix

System requirements

Using the CD with Windows, Linux, and Mac

What you’ll find on the CD

Troubleshooting

Documents make the world go ‘round. What? You say it’s money? Well, as a credit and collections professional, you need credit applications, invoices, aging sheets, demand letters, and many other documents to turn your accounts payable into money. The CD that accompanies this book is chock-full of the documents you need, ready for you to customize and integrate into your credit and billing systems.

System Requirements

Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements shown in the following list. If your computer doesn’t match up to most of these requirements, you may have problems using the software and files on the CD. For the latest and greatest information, please refer to the ReadMe file located at the root of the CD-ROM.

A PC running Microsoft Windows or Linux with kernel 2.4 or later

A Macintosh running Apple OS X or later

A CD-ROM drive

If you need more information on the basics, check out these books published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.: PCs For Dummies by Dan Gookin; Macs For Dummies by Edward C. Baig; iMacs For Dummies by Mark L. Chambers; and Windows XP For Dummies and Windows Vista For Dummies, both by Andy Rathbone.

Using the CD

To install the items from the CD to your hard drive, follow these steps.

1. Insert the CD into your computer’s CD-ROM drive.

The license agreement appears.

Note to Windows users: The interface won’t launch if you have autorun disabled. In that case, choose Start⇒Run. (For Windows Vista, choose Start⇒All Programs⇒Accessories⇒Run.) In the dialog box that appears, type D:Start.exe. (Replace D with the proper letter if your CD drive uses a different letter. If you don’t know the letter, see how your CD drive is listed under My Computer.) Click OK.

Note to Mac users: When the CD icon appears on your desktop, double-click the icon to open the CD, and then double-click the Start icon.

2. Read through the license agreement and then click the Accept button if you want to use the CD.

The CD interface appears. The interface allows you to browse the contents and install the programs with just a click of a button (or two).

What You’ll Find on the CD

The following sections provide a summary of the software and documents you’ll find on the CD. If you need help installing the items on the CD, refer to the installation instructions in the preceding section.

The CD’s main purpose is to give you access to the special files we’ve created for you. You can use these files as working templates. It’s best to open these files in the program in which they were created. However, in case you lack the needed programs, our publisher has arranged for some shareware options that may be helpful. The programs fall into one of the following categories:

Shareware programs are fully functional, free, trial versions of copyrighted programs. If you like particular programs, register with their authors for a nominal fee and receive licenses, enhanced versions, and technical support.

Freeware programs are free, copyrighted games, applications, and utilities. You can copy them to as many computers as you like — for free — but they offer no technical support.

GNU software is governed by its own license, which is included inside the folder of the GNU software. There are no restrictions on distribution of GNU software. See the GNU license at the root of the CD for more details.

Trial, demo, or evaluation versions of software are usually limited either by time or functionality (such as not letting you save a project after you create it).

Software

You’ll find the following software on your CD:

Adobe Reader: Adobe Reader is a freeware tool that allows you to view forms prepared in the Adobe Acrobat file format, such as PDFs.

Excel Viewer: Excel Viewer is a freeware program that allows you to view but not edit most Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Certain features of Microsoft Excel documents may not work as expected with Excel Viewer.

OpenOffice.org: OpenOffice.org is a free, multiplatform, office productivity suite. It’s similar to Microsoft Office or Lotus SmartSuite, but OpenOffice.org is absolutely free. It includes word-processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and drawing applications that enable you to create professional documents, newsletters, reports, and presentations. It supports most file formats of other office software, so you should be able to view and edit any files created with other office software.

Chapter files

The chapter files on the CD all fall into one of the following categories:

Word documents: You can work with these forms to fit your own needs.

Excel spreadsheets: Some of the book’s worksheets are in this format. Simply fill in the blanks, and you’re on your way.

Portable Document Format (PDF) files: Files formatted in a way that makes it easy to view and read the content.

The following list summarizes all the chapter files on the CD:

Form 3-1: Credit Application

Form 3-2: Balance Sheet

Form 3-3: Operating Statement

Form 3-4: Personal Guaranty

Form 3-5: Security Agreement

Form 3-6: Financing Statement

Form 3-7: Letter of Credit

Form 4-1: Aging Sheet

Form 4-2: Sample Invoice

Form 4-3: Credit Memo

Form 4-4: Debit Memo

Form 4-5: Change Order Form

Form 4-6: Statement of Account

Form 5-1: Promissory Note

Form 5-2: Post Office Verification

Form 6-1: FDCPA Demand Letter

Form 6-2: Truth-in-Lending Form

Form 7-1: First Demand for Business

Form 7-2: Initial FDCPA Language

Form 7-3: FDCPA Language for Subsequent Demands

Form 7-4: Second Demand for Business

Form 7-5: Final Demand Letter

Form 7-6: Acknowledge Payment and Follow-Up Letter

Form 10-1: Payment Agreement

Form 10-2: Amortization Schedule

Form 10-3: Reminder Letter

Form 13-1: Attorney Fee Agreement

Form 13-2: Remittance Form

Form 13-3: Claim Placement Form

Form 16-1: Complaint for Collection on Account

Form 16-2: Diagram of a Lawsuit

Form 16-3: Counterclaim Lawsuit

Form 16-4: Answer to Counterclaim/Complaint

Form 16-5: Dismissal of Complaint

Form 16-6: Default Judgment

Form 16-7: Summons

Form 16-8: Settlement Agreement

Form 16-9: Complaint for Services Rendered

Form 16-10: Complaint for Claim and Delivery

Form 16-11: Complaint for a Promissory Note

Form 16-12: Complaint on a Personal Guaranty

Form 16-13: Complaint on a Bad Check

Form 16-14: Proof of Service of Summons

Form 16-15: Petition for Alternate Service

Form 16-16: Order for Alternate Service

Form 16-17: Requests for Admissions

Form 16-18: Default Entry

Form 16-19: Jury Instructions

Form 16-20: Interrogatories

Form 16-21: Requests for Documents

Form 16-22: Notice of Deposition

Form 16-23: Motion to Renew a Judgment

Form 16-24: Motion to Correct a Mistake

Form 16-25: Proof of Service by Mail

Form 16-26: Order for Installment Payments

Form 16-27: Motion for Summary Judgment

Form 16-28: Complaint for Assigned Claim

Form 17-1: Small Claims Pamphlet

Form 18-1: Script for Court Examination 1

Form 18-2: Script for Court Examination 2

Form 18-3: Script for Court Examination 3

Form 19-1: Execution Writ

Form 19-2: Garnishment Writ

Form 19-3: Questions to Ask at a Creditor Exam

Form 19-4: Subpoena for a Creditor Exam

Form 19-5: Acceleration Clause

Form 19-6: Judgment Lien

Form 19-7: Motion to Appoint a Receiver

Form 19-8: Order Appointing a Receiver

Form 19-9: Satisfaction of Judgment

Form 20-1: Proof of Claim in Bankruptcy

Troubleshooting

We tried our best to compile programs that work on most computers with the minimum system requirements. Alas, your computer may differ, and some programs may not work properly for some reason.

The two likeliest problems are that you don’t have enough memory (RAM) for the programs you want to use, or that you have other programs running that are affecting the installation or running of a program. If you get an error message such as Not enough memory or Setup cannot continue, try one or more of the following suggestions, and then try using the software again:

Turn off any antivirus software running on your computer. Installation programs sometimes mimic virus activity and may make your computer incorrectly believe that it’s being infected by a virus.

Close all running programs. The more programs you have running, the less memory is available for other programs. Installation programs typically update files and programs, so if you keep other programs running, installation may not work properly.

Have your local computer store add more RAM to your computer. This is, admittedly, a drastic and somewhat expensive step. However, adding more memory can really help the speed of your computer and allow more programs to run at the same time.

Customer Care

If you have trouble with the CD-ROM, please call Wiley Product Technical Support at 877-762-2974. Outside the United States, call 317-572-3993. You can also contact Wiley Product Technical Support at http://support.wiley.com. Wiley Publishing will provide technical support only for installation and other general quality control items. For technical support on the applications themselves, consult the program’s vendor or author.

To place additional orders or to request information about other Wiley products, please call 877-762-2974.