FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Drumlin software mostly - some Javelin questions are also included below
MOST RECENT QUESTIONS: Please also see the online help facility, as this covers most questions you may have, plus theNEWSfacility and release notes for latest update information
- Question: When I try and download a drmz file using Safari on my Mac OSX computer I get all sorts of text over my screen instead of a file download; Answer: this appears to a problem with some versions of Safari on Mac OSX when downloading such files from a linux-based web server. Solutions: There are several solutions to this problem. Perhaps the simplest is to go to the Safari browser, Windows menu, and select the Downloads window. Then drag the download link to the downloads window and the file will download; another option is to hold the ALT or Option key down when the link is accessed, and this should result in the file being downloaded rather than displayed in the window; if the file is downloaded and displayed as a messy set of text on screen, when the file has apparently completely downloadedyou can go to the Safari File menu, Save As option, as save the file using Format: Page Source and Export As.. and then choose SAVE (but don't ask for a .txt extension to be added). The file should be saved OK and can be opened using Javelin; Ask your publisher provider to make the file available in a zip file and this will definitely work; Ask the publisher to host the file on a Windows server, with mime type set for DRMZ files, and again this will work OK
- Question: I get thin black or grey lines showing on PDFs when read with Javelin, but they are OK in Adobe reader; Answer: there may be two separate issues here: (i) check you are using the latest version of Javelin from our website - if not, please download the latest version as this may resolve the problem - if not, try running Javelin for Windows with the command line option -R6 and see if the problem goes away; (ii) if you create a PDF from an Office 2007 or Office 2010 file using Microsoft's Save as PDF function it will display black boxes around links on the Mac version of Javelin (pre OSX 10.7). This can be solved by creating the PDFs with Adobe Acrobat X, as this creates correctly formatted PDF files. If in doubt, open the file you generate on the Mac using the Mac Preview program, and if it works OK on this software it will work OK in Javelin for Mac
- Question: I get an Error 30 message when I try and print a document; Answer: please see Q7 below and/or use the new "Relaxed printing" flag in Drumlin, together with the latest releases of Javelin for Windows and Javelin for Mac OSX
- Question: I cannot authorize a drmx or drmz file from Javelin because it says it cannot access the internet ; Answer: please see Q4 below - this typically occurs if some form of corporate firewall or Proxy server is in place and does not recognise the Drumlin or Javelin program. It may require assistance from us in conjuction with your local IT support team to enable access
- Question: I need to have more than one user on my computer with access to a secure PDF document; Answer: Ask your publisher to provide you with a multiple usage code for that computer and document, or for multiple codes, and then select each user in turn and authorize the file for each one
- Question: When will an Android version appear? ; Answer: sometime in 2013 - we are committed to doing it soon!
- Question: My customer's computer has broken/they have lost their use of an authorization code ; Answer: issue them with a new code, or ask us for a code reset, specifying the code you need to be reset. If a customer contacts us for a reset we will not provide it without the publisher's agreement
- Question: My customers need to use the secure PDF on more than one computer ; Answer: provide the customer with multiple codes or ask us for multi-use codes - e.g. 3x usage. They must still set up Javelin (or drumlin) on each computer and authorize each one individually
- Question: My customer authorized a document and now it is asking them for an authorization code again ; Answer: Please see Q8 below
- Question: A link I have included in my PDF does not seem to work in Drumlin/Javelin ; Answer: make sure the link works when you try it using the Adobe reader. If it does, check that the link is not really a button (which is a form object) as we do not support form objects or form fields
Please send us your questions and this will help us deal with your query and augment this page. New queries tend to be added to the foot of this page, so please check further down if necessary. If your question relates to the Drumlin Reader/Publisher it may help us if you include a copy of your latest log file, which for most users can be found in your subdirectory: \Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\DrumlinSecurity\Drumlin\logs. Apple Mac users will find it in the logs subdirectory of the Program directory. This can be emailed to us automatically via the Help menu, About form, where a Send button is provided for this purpose. See also theInstallation Guide
All our software products have been checked to ensure they are virus free. Norton Antivirus users - if your antivirus software will not accept a download from us or deletes it/places it in quarantine, we are certain that this is a false positive. Please report this to Symantec as an error. To resolve this please either turn off the offending behaviour in Norton's software (Insight and/or SONAR) or recover the quarantined file from within Norton Antivirus, or use another antivirus product like AVG!
Drumlin PDF Reader/Publisher. Selected Questions and Answers are listed below:
Q1: Drumlin/Javelin has become my default PDF reader and changed the icons on my PC - how can I change this (e.g. to Acrobat Reader)? A: The Drumlin software does not set itself as the default PDF reader – this only happens if the user chooses to do this via Windows explorer. If you have chosen this option Drumlin will be used to open PDF files, and will change the icons. If you want to then read and print the PDFs with Drumlin that's fine; it is basically the same as per the Adobe reader. If you do not want to do this, all you need to do is go to the File Explorer, find any .pdf file, right click on it, select Open With, Choose Program... and when the list of programs is displayed, select the Adobe reader and make sure they click the option box on this form: "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file". Then press OK. In some instances the icon does not change, even though it should do (this is a Windows registry issue which we cannot control) but if this happens it generally is resolved after re-booting the PC. If this does not resolve the problem, email us and we will send you a .reg file to fix the problemQ2: I have an Apple Mac - can I install and use Drumlin? A: Yes, but you need to have a Mac with Windows support software installed and program startup link "Drumlin Reader (for Mac users)" enables Mac users to run Drumlin. This link simply runs the standard Drumlin program with the command line argument "-mac". For more details see ourApple MacUser's page. The Javelin reader is available as a native mode Mac OSX application (OSX 10.6 onwards)
Q3: I cannot see the file extension .drm or .drmx or .drmz for my files? A: Windows often hides the file extensions - use the Windows Fle manager and select the Tools menu, Folder options... View tab to specify the file types and extension information you would like to see always - this is also described in the Welcome document
Q4: When I try to install the reader I get a message "Proxy authentication required..."; or When I fill in all required fields of the registration screen and press the OK button, I get the error message: "The request failed with HTTP status 417: Expectation failed." A: The current software includes a File menu item, Proxy... to allow you to input the proxy server details. If this feature is not available please install the latest version of the kit, and retry. The Proxy facility is also accessible from the Registration form. The second example occurs on some proxies that don't support "100 continue" expectation. Please can you consult your system admin about this. The Javelin reader for Windows also has Proxy support - you may need to enable the menus for this via the Javelin Help menu, About form - tick the Extra menus box. This temporarily enables the extra items on the file menu for Proxy usage. If this still does not work, you can either use an alternative connection for the device (e.g. a WiFi or G3 connection that is offsite or does not use the onsite proxy server, or very briefly disable the proxy server whilst the authorization is carried out - this is only required for a few seconds and only at that point in time (assuming the document is not provided with date expiry etc)
Q5: I have authorized a DRMX file/DRMZ file but do not seem to have a document I can view/when I use the Authorization code provided to me I get the message "Authorization code already used"? A: When you authorize a document you must be online. It is probable that your authorization was successful but the document was not displayed in the Drumlin reader at that time. Check to see if you have the document
Q6: Can I search a document for a particular text string? A: yes - use the binoculars icon or the View menu, Find Text... option
Q7: When I try and print to a network printer or an 'air' printer I receive an error message (e.g. Error 30)/access denied. A: The Error -30 message means that the software cannot detect whether the printer in question is a real printer or a software entity that may or may not be a real printer (e.g. it might be an image or PDF print device). If this happens try printing to a conventional printer port and device, e.g. a standard network port or better still, a USB or LPT port. If printing is prevented (and not Error -30) then please check the document properties via the File menu, Properties item, DRM tab (Drumlin) or the Help menu, About form (Javelin). If the properties state that printing is permitted and you have not exceeded any print quota set and network printing is permitted, then it may be that the printer type or network addressing of the printer is not in standard form (e.g. //servername/printername). First, use another program (e.g. Word) to confirm that you can print other documents to the required printer. Then, if you can, send us an email describing your problem in detail (including the port used and the make and model of printer) and/or use the Help menu, About form to send us your log file automatically (Drumlin users). Javelin users do not have some of these additional checks available, but look at the Help menu, About form for basic information regarding viewing and printing
Q8: A document I have downloaded and authorized will no longer open. A: there are several possibilities: (i) the time period for use set by the document owner/publisher has expired; (ii) the number of times you are enabled to open and view the document has reached the limit set by the owner/publisher; (iii) you are trying to open a document that was not downloaded and authorised using your currently registered Drumlin reader, or which has been downloaded correctly but you have subsequently moved to another computer - documents can only be read on the machine for which they were authorised. If (i) or (ii) apply contact the owner/publisher to obtain a new authorization code. If (iii) applies then ensure the document is in the correct machine to which it was downloaded and authorized.(iv) a final possibility is that the file (a drmx file) has been republished since the version you have obtained was originally produced. In this situation you will need to download the latest version of the published drmx file and ask for your authorization code to be re-enabled, and all should be fine!
Q9: I would like to use some of the material from a document in a presentation or publication. Can I do this? A: You should contact the document owner/publisher for permission to use materials
Q10: Hyperlinks/web addresses are displayed in the document but no jumps occur when they are clicked. A: Hyperlinks (e.g. sections of text identified in a particular colour and underlining or full web addresses) may be displayed but are only processed if these have been included in the generated PDF. Hyperlinks that are invalid (e.g. the destination does not exist or they are incorrectly formatted) are ignored
Q11: Forms/buttons: The PDF I am viewing shows form fields but they do not seem to be active - is this correct? A: Yes, PDF forms are supported for display and printing purposes, but not for form filling
Q12: How do I update my Drumlin software? A: Use the Help menu, Update option when you have an online connection, and updating will take place automatically. This feature is not available for Vista users do to the way Vista's security model works. Vista users should simply download and install the latest kit from the Downloads page and install this over their existing installation - there settings and user registration details etc will be preserved)
Q13: My computer has crashed/died/lost its disk/changed since I installed a new service pack (e.g. SP3) - how do I get Drumlin running again and recover my authorised Drumlin ? A: Locally generated DRM files - simply re-download them from the source/publisher's web site. For DRMX files please send the following details to our support team: the email address you used to register your details; your Drumlin registration details (username); the list of documents (DRMX files) you wish to recover; the matching list of authorization codes supplied to you by the publisher(s) in question; an explanation of what has occured. You will need to install and register the latest version of the Drumlin reader. We will check with the source publishers, where appropriate, and if authorized we or they will provide new codes to you to unlock the relevant DRMX files. Drumlin installation - if this no longer works, uninstall Drumlin, delete the \DrumlinSecurity directory and subdirectories,and your
\DocumentsandSettings\username\Application Data\DrumlinSecurity\ directory and subdirectories
Then re-install a new kit from the web site and re-register, this time with a different username.
Q14: Can I publish files that are not PDF type? A: No, at present only PDFs are supported, and if you publish other file types, such as .drm or .doc, the resulting file will not be readable even if a publishing record is generated
Q15: I get an error message when I try and use the email function on the File menu or the email button in the "About" form. A: If you are using Microsoft Outlook as your default email client some customers may find they get a MAPI error reported when they try to send the log file. This is a known problem with some Outlook installations. The solutions to this problem are:
(i) close Outlook, reboot your PC and re-connect to the Internet, but do not re-start Outlook. Start Drumlin and use the Help menu, About item to send the log file. This should work! You can edit and send the message. Then re-start Outlook, press Send/recive to ensure the message is sent and continue as normal or
(ii) locate the Drumlin.log file and attach it to a standard email message. You should find the file in your
\DocumentsandSettings\username\Application Data\DrumlinSecurity\Drumlin\logs subdirectory or
(iii) temporarily use another Email client, such as Outlook Express, as your default email client, and then use the button on the Drumlin "About" form as before - this should work fine/does not have the Outlook problems experienced by some users
Q16: I have used the same file name for my sample (locally generated .drm) and fully secure (.drmx) files - will the sample files be over-written when the drmx is converted to a .drm? A: Yes, and even if you save the .drm file to another location on your computer the Drumlin software will only recognise the last version you generated, so the previous .drm (fully secured or evaluation/example) will no longer be readable
Q17: Can I copy sections of text in the document? A: Yes (in Drumlin, not in Javelin) if copying of text is permitted by the publisher (copying is always disabled in the Javelin PDF reader). In general, standard PDF files will be enabled for text copying
Q18: My virus scanner reports that there is a virus/trojan in the download kit - is this correct? A: No, the kit is virus.trojan free and is regularly checked against 30+ packages - however some packages can give so-called False Positives - Kapersky used to do this but have admitted that they were wrong and have updated their software/database to correct this. Please report any instance of such warnings to us and we will check with the provider
Q19: When I registered I was sent an email saying my account will expire in 5 years - what does this mean? A: This is simply a means of us checking your software is still up to date - your software will not expire and/or will automatically update its expiry date as long as you use Drumlin whilst connected to the Internet at some point
Q20: Can I register Drumlin on another computer with the same user details (name, ID etc) as on my original machine?/I have lost my registration details somehow! A: First part: No. If you wish to register Drumlin on a second PC, say a latop when you are travelling, it must be registered with its own user name and automatically assigned userID. Each PC registered is treated as completely separate as part of the security framework. Second part: If you accidentally delete your Drumlin.reg file, or somehow it gets overwritten, you will find that your software says it is unregistered - you can recover your user details simply by re-registering using exactly the same username and password as before - you will need to complete the other mandatory fields, but after that everything should be back as it was before. You can email our support desk if you really get stuck! You can recover your password via the User Login facility, assuming you know your username
Q21: I see an error message when I try to run the setup.exe program from the installation kit - what should I do? A: we suggest that you download and install the newest version of the installer suitable for your OS from:Microsoft's site
Q22: I have placed a DRMX or DRMZ file on my web server but the link to it does not work/will not prompt me to download or open the file A: The problem is caused by your web server host not recognising the file extensions. There are three options for resolving this issue: (i) ask your web server administrator to enable these extensions - Linux/Unix servers are generally OK (but are case sensitive so make sure you have specified the URL correctly with the case as per the filename) but Windows servers require a MIME type declaration of application/octet stream ; (ii) place the files on a separate file server that does not have these restrictions; or (iii) place the file(s) in a zip folder and link to this zip file rather than the DRMZ or DRMX file(s)
Q23: I have a message when I publish a new file that I have reached my limit A: Your paid for or free quota of files you can create has been reached - use the online Store page to order a service level increase. Likewise, if you do not receive any more 'free codes' when creating files, email us for assistance and we can increase your free code limit