1.  Installation / Setup :  After you download the Trial version of SafeHouse, just double click on the filename. The installation process will begin. It is fully automatic. Unless you wish to customize some part of the installation procedure, you do not have to change any parameters during the setup. After the successful installation of the files, an "icon" will appear on your desktop with the name SafeHouse. Start SafeHouse by double clicking on the icon. If you have purchased the licensed version of the program, enter your activation codes (Username and Password) where prompted at the startup screen. Once you enter your activation codes, you will never have to enter them again. The logon screen will no longer appear with the licensed version of the program.

** Please note: The most common request for support that we receive involves users who have forgotten that they started their SafeHouse program, and have put it into Stealth (invisible) mode. As a result, a support request will often read: "I am double clicking on my SafeHouse screen icon, in order to start the program, and nothing is happening". This problem is attributed to the fact that SafeHouse is already "running" in Stealth Mode and the user is attempting to start a second copy of the program. To resolve this issue, simply press your "Ctrl" plus "Shift" keys together, and then press your "F5" key. This key combination will cause the active SafeHouse control interface to appear.

2.  Help File: Once you have activated the program, you will find that most of the settings are self-explanatory. Nevertheless, there is a help file that you can access from within the program. It will explain the details of every setting and every program operation. The help file will appear each time that you start SafeHouse. Once you are familiar with how SafeHouse works, you can uncheck the box at the bottom of the help screen and it will no longer appear during the program start up.

3.  Secret E-Mail Reports:  If you decide that you want to receive secret e-mail reports containing a computer activity log, you can select a variety of methods from within SafeHouse to initiate e-mail transmittal. If you are not familiar with the proper settings for your current e-mail service, you may want to take a few minutes to sign-up for a free G-mail account from Google (http://mail.google.com). Google G-Mail works great with SafeHouse and it does not require any technical knowledge, beyond the information you normally need to log into your account. Important Note: If you intend to use the Email Reports feature of SafeHouse, you should thoroughly test this option using the trial copy of the our software before you purchase the licensed copy since we cannot provide software refunds. Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have blocked the "ports" utilized by email engines such as Outlook Express etc. and SafeHouse may also be affected by these blocked ports. These blocked ports can prevent you from connecting with Google Gmail and other services. Although alternate ports can be set in SafeHouse that will work with a variety of free mail service providers, you must be sure that you can properly configure this feature if it is important to you.

4.  Keystroke Capture: Most people find that summary audits of activities, such as capturing "websites visited" and "programs accessed", are sufficient to monitor the use of their computer. However, SafeHouse will allow you to literally capture every keystroke, and even snapshots of your computer screen if you choose to do so. All you have to do is check or uncheck the boxes concerning which features you wish to activate. SafeHouse is so easy to use, you can start capturing information with the press of just one button.

5. Stealth Mode: Once you have set up your preferences, such as your e-mail address and how much information you wish to capture, click on the Stealth button and then "minimize" (don't close) the Windows SafeHouse program screen. You can also activate the Stealth feature by selecting it from the navigation bar menu at the top of your screen. On certain occasions, you may have to press the Stealth button twice before it will automatically minimize and disappear into Stealth Mode. Once Stealth Mode is activated, SafeHouse will disappear from the bottom of your Windows screen where active programs are displayed. Refer to the SafeHouse help file for additional steps you should take in order to hide SafeHouse files, such as deleting the desktop icon and removing the program from the "Start" programs menu.

6. I Forgot My SafeHouse Password: Your SafeHouse program will optionally allow you to "require a password" in order to access the program. Since you will be hiding your SafeHouse files and folders, as noted in the Help file, you may not wish to use this additional security feature. However, if you do select this option and then subsequently forget the password, follow the instructions below:

1. Download the following ".zip" (compressed) file from our server.
    Forgot My Password File
2. "Unzip" the file."
3. Right Click on the unzipped ".reg" file.
4. Select "Merge" from the menu.
5. That's It ! Start your SafeHouse program. It will now start up in default mode, as though you had never set a password.

Please note: Quite often users believe they have forgotten their password but, in reality, simply erased it accidently while the "Require Password" option was still "checked". Therefore, before using the reset procedure, try clicking on the "O.K" box, without entering anything, when prompted for a password . If you simply erased your password, your SafeHouse program will start. Also, if you do not have an "Upzip" utility program, you can download the free program "7-zip" from the following website and follow their instructions to unzip the file: http://www.7-zip.org/. When the file is unzipped you will find a ".REG" file inside. Right click on the .REG file and select "Merge".

7. I Can't Run SafeHouse With The Vista O/S

Most users of Vista know that this operating system can cause frustration when you are trying to install new software and for a variety of other reasons. Microsoft has supposedly fixed many of the problematic conditions with their new Window 7 program.

Nevertheless, if you receive an "error 339, 429" message when trying to run SafeHouse with Vista, please read the following information:

This error indicates that a file is not correctly installed on your system. In some cases it may be correctly installed for all standard users but not for the "Administrator" account, and you may only see this error when selecting "Run as Administrator".

The built in Administrator account is not intended to be used as a user account. It is very secure and will not allow program components to be registered. Instead you should create an account with administrative rights, and use it instead of the built in Administrative account. This will help solve runtime error 339/429 on our software, and lots of other software that you may install in the future. If you do not want to create a standard user account (not recommended) you can follow the instructions below:

If the problem started suddenly then a reinstall may fix it. If not, follow the directions below to register each file that is producing the error. You generally will only have to repeat the instructions 3 or 4 times:

Click start
In the search box type "cmd" without the quotes
When CMD.exe appears above the search box right click it and select "Run As Administrator". This will open a command prompt with admin rights.
Repeat the following for each file that is causing this error, replacing [filename] with the actual name of the file that is causing problems:

-Type "regsvr32 [filename] /u" without the quotes
-You will receive a prompt saying the file has been unregistered. Click OK.
-Type "regsvr32 [filename]" (shortcut: press your UP ARROW and delete /u)
-You will receive a prompt saying the file has been successfully registered.

Run the program again. If you receive additional 339/429 errors repeat the steps above for those files. You may have to do this 3 or 4 times.

SafeHouse is primarily intended to help you monitor how your computer is being used by your children. As a parent, you are responsible to keep them safe and to protect them from online predators and pornography. However, since SafeHouse has such extensive computer monitoring capabilities, including the ability to capture usernames and passwords, it can obviously be used to protect your interests in a variety of other legal situations. SafeHouse is also ideal for use by cyber crime investigators to audit, and detect, the illegal or unauthorized use of computers.