General Questions

• How do I know if I was supplied with a pirate version of the PICO2000 software?
• What are the system requirements for PICO2000 1.9 ORS?
• Is the PICO2000 1.9 ORS software available in any other languages?
• The System Information window shows that the software is "version: ORS 1.0.0" but the website says "PICO2000 1.9 ORS", why the difference?
• I am from a country that PayPal does not cover, can I purchase the software in another way?
• Where can I find instructions or a user manual for the PICO2000® 1.9 ORS software?
• Can I get free a License Key if I report an illegal distributor?

Registration and License Keys

• I purchased a License Key but have not received it yet?
• I have a License Key but cannot register the software.
• My system is a stand-alone unit, can I register the software without connecting to the Internet?
• When my system is restarted, PICO2000 asks me for my License Key again.
• Can I still register the software after the Trial period ends?
• I purchased the wrong License Key, what can I do?

Remote Monitoring

• How do I view camera remotely across the Internet?
• Can I view cameras remotely through a web page?
• I can view my cameras remotely but cannot Playback.

Problems running the software

• Why is my CPU performance is always at 100% when the PICO2000® software is running?
• My system crashes after the software is running for a certain amount of time.
• I see an "Element Not Found" error when using Playback.
• I get an error "Failed to initialize UCC" or "Security key not found" when I try to start the software.
• I am having problems logging into the software. I see the error message “Incorrect Password” even though I have not setup any password.
• The display is showing black and white images even though I have color cameras.
• How do I configure PICO2000 so that it will start automatically when Windows starts?

How do I know if I was supplied with a pirate version of the PICO2000 software?

There is a pirate version of the PICO2000® software in the market being distributed mainly through auction sites such as eBay with third party capture cards.

The PICO2000® 1.9 ORS software offered here was created as a legitimate alternative to the pirate software and will work with all UCC4 types capture cards using the Conexant bt878 capture chips.

The pirate software is based on obsolete 1.8 and 1.7 versions of the original PICO2000® that was developed for Windows 95 and 98 operating systems. The PICO2000® 1.9 ORS is an updated version of the original 1.8 developed for the latest Windows operating systems.

How to recognize the pirate PICO2000® software.

If you can start the software, click on the "Utility" button on the main screen, then "System Information". If the software version shows PICO2000® 1.8 or before then it is pirate software. The original 1.7 and 1.8 versions have not bee legally distributed since 2000.

Many copies of the illegal software are in Chinese by default. If you start the software and see ?????? on all the buttons then it is the pirate software. Similarily, if you had to install an "English Pack" update then, again, it is illegal software. Original PICO20000 softwares are in English by default.

The easiest way to verify authenticity is by the seller. If you are unsure about the seller, contact us with their details and we can verify whether they are authorized distributors or not.

What can I do if I have the illegal software?

Please report the seller to us or to the auction site that hosted the sale.

You may consider requesting a refund for the software from the seller.

The PICO2000® software offered here will work with the capture cards generally distributed with the pirate software.

Are the capture cards also illegally distritbuted?

No, Center Link International does not consider the hardware capture cards illegal as we have no copyright claim on their design.

What are the system requirements for PICO2000 1.9 ORS?

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/2000 Professional and Home editions, 1.8 GHz CPU, 256 RAM

Further details available here.

Is the PICO2000 1.9 ORS software available in any other languages?

No, the PICO2000 1.9 ORS software is only available in English.

The System Information windows shows that the software is "version: ORS 1.0.0" but the website says "PICO2000 1.9 ORS", why the difference?

"PICO2000 1.9 ORS" can be considered as the complete name of this software, this is version 1.0.0 of the software, you will see this in System Information under Utilities. "1.9" was used in the name to distinguish it from the pirate version 1.8 on the market.

I am from a country that PayPal does not support, can I purchase the software in another way?

Unfortunately we can only accept payment through PayPal at this time. We recommend consulting your local financial institution for assistance in processing a payment through PayPal.

Where can I find instructions or a user manual for the PICO2000® 1.9 ORS software?

Installation instructions for the server software are available here.

Once the software is installed and running, hit F1 to open the user manual. Please note, parts of the user manual relating to network setup of Windows 98 are out of date.

The manual for the Remote Module application is included in the download package with the Remote Module installer.

Can I get free a License Key if I report an illegal distributor?

Unfortunately we cannot offer free replacements for pirate software distributed by other sellers. Our software is priced to provide the most economical alternative for a legitimate replacement for the pirate systems. We suggest contacting eBay, PayPal, your credit card company or any other third parties involved in the purchase of the illegal software to try to get a refund on at least the software portion of the selling price.

I purchased a License Key but have not received it yet?

After purchasing the License Key through PayPal an automated email is sent when PayPal notifies our server that payment has been confirmed. This is usually very quick but please allow up to 24 hours for delivery some times.

I have a License Key but cannot register the software.

There are a number of situations where this can arise, depending on the error message received:

"Online registration authentication failure. Your registration cannot proceed.

This generic error message is usually followed by an error code. If you receive this error then contact us directly with details of the code received and your system setup.

My system is a stand-alone unit, can I register the software without connecting to the Internet?

It is not possible to register the software without an Internet connection. The PC must be connected in order to obtain a registration number from our server. Once the software is registered, the PC can then be used off-line as long as the network device stays in the PC. The network device is used as part of the PC identification process during registration and so, if the network device is removed, the PC will no longer be recognized. If the PC is only going to be connected to the Internet temporarily for registration it is recommend that an on-board or PCI network device be used for this purpose and remain in the PC after registration.

When my system is restarted, PICO2000 asks me for my License Key again.

The only reason the PICO2000 1.9 ORS will ask for your License Key again is if it no longer recognizes your PC. There are a number of ways in which this can happen:

1. The PC hardware has been changed since the original registration or Windows has been reinstalled. In these cases, contact us with the details.
2. A different Windows user account is being used to run the software than was used to install the software. The same Windows administrator user account should be used for both installation and to run the software.
3. If PC has an external network device, such as a USB modem, or if the network device is not always enabled, then it is possible that when the software starts up it does not recognized the PC because the network device is not active or, in the case of a USB modem, communication with the device had not yet been established and so the software will ask for the License Key again. At this point, the network device would again be active (in order to connect to the registration server) and so the key is accepted once again. If the problem is caused due to a delay in communication with the external device then do not start the software until this device has been enabled.

Can I still register the software after the Trial period ends?

Yes, when the trial period ends, the software will still start and prompt you for a License Key and so you can register the Trial version at any time.

I purchased the wrong License Key, what can I do?

If you have installed the 8 or 16 camera version of the software and mistakenly purchased the 4 camera License Key simply let us know. We can provide a refund on any License Key that has not been used and you may then purchase the appropriate License Key

How do I view camera remotely across the Internet?

To view cameras, playback recorded video, or receive Alarm Alert message remotely you will need to download and install our Remote Module application. This application is free and can be installed on as many remote PCs as needed. A user manual is included in the download describing how to setup remote functions.

Can I view cameras remotely through a web page?

Browser based remote viewing is not available. If you are looking for this or any other features not included please let us know exactly what your requirements are and we will refer you to a quality vendor.

I can view my cameras remotely but cannot Playback.

Setting up Remote Playback is a little more complicated that Remote Viewing. Refer to the Help Manual provided with the Remote Module application download for full details. The main points are setting up Microsoft IIS server to allow access to the recorded video files on the hard drive and making sure the Playback TCP ports 10327 and 10328 are not blocked by any firewall application.

Why is my CPU performance is always at 100% when the PICO2000® software is running?

100% CPU usage is normal for the PICO2000® software as it is designed to use any additional resources that are currently not being used by other applications. Usually, when applications are not using the CPU, Windows will run the "System Idle Process". For example you will see the CPU usage at 4-5% but if you look under the Processes tab in Task Manager then you will see normal applications using 4-5% and the System Idle Process using 95-96%. Because the System Idle Process does not do anything it is not counted in CPU usage statistics. PICO2000® is designed to run "on idle". This means that instead of running the System Idle Process when the CPU is not busy, we ask Windows to run the PICO2000® application instead to give maximum performance. When other applications start and ask for resources, PICO2000® will not take a higher priority and will allow Windows to allocate resources as necessary.

My system crashes after the software is running for a certain amount of time.

The PICO2000 software has been extensively tested over a number of years and when run on a stable platform, should have no problems running for weeks at a time and so if you are experiencing system crashes you should first focus on the operating system and the PC hardware.

Shut down the PICO2000 application and make sure your Windows operating system is completely up to date. It is also a good idea to run antivirus software on the system to make sure there is no malicious code causing the problem.

A surveillance system such as this usually runs nonstop most of the time and so if there are any defects in the PC hardware they will be exposed by this long-term usage. Windows diagnostic tools can check the health of your RAM and hard drives and the internal temperatures of essential components. You should also make sure all power supply is up to the specification of the PC and that all cameras are professionally wired and grounded.

I see an "Element Not Found" error when using Playback.

The Playback application uses resources from Windows Media Player. Shutting down the PICO2000 software and installing any updates for Window Media Player should resolve this problem.

I get an error "Failed to initialize UCC" or "Security key not found" when I try to start the software.

This error appears when the software cannot communicate with the capture card. If a shortcut to the DSR has been placed in the Windows Startup folder then please see instructions below. Otherwise, the cause may be software or hardware related. Try the following in order until the problem stops:

1. Shut down the PC and check to make sure the capture card is securely seated in the PCI slot. Stabilizer screws should be used to keep the capture card in place.
2. Connecting cameras to the card can also slightly dislodge it so test first without cameras attached and, when they are attached, make sure they are not putting undue pressure on the capture card.
3. Check the camera wiring and make sure it is delivering a strong signal.
4. Test the capture card in a different PCI slot
5. If more than one capture card is available, test each individually to make see whether one of the capture cards is damaged.

If the problem is software related then it is most likely caused by a conflict with files or drivers from an older version of the software. The PICO2000 software should be reinstalled on as clean a system as possible. The simplest way to achieve this is to reinstall Windows and then the PICO2000 software. If this is not possible, try the following:

Completely Uninstall and Reinstall PICO2000

1. Use Add/Remove Programs in the control panel to uninstall the PICO2000 software.
2. Under C:\Program Files\ delete the folder "Digital Surveillance Recorder"
3. Click Start -> Run and enter 'regedit'. This will open the registry editor. Many system settings are stored in here so be extremely careful when making changes. Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ and the first item under there should look like {8B773B8D.......}, delete this item.
4. Also delete the following if they exist:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Univision Canada Limited

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\{8B773B8D...}

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Univision Canada Limited

5. If the problem is caused by a conflicting driver from another surveillance software previously installed on the PC then we recommend downloading btinstaller.exe from http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/btwincap/btwdmdrvinstaller5.3.8.zip?download. This is a third party application which we find very useful for removing old capture card drivers from the system. Please note this application was not developed by Center Link International or it's suppliers and we have no control over it's development or release.
6. Run the btinstaller.exe application, it will provide two options - to uninstall all drivers or to install their open source driver. First choose the uninstall option. When it completes, reboot the PC.
7. You may wish to run the application again, this time choosing to install their drivers. Installing a third party driver like this one will not affect the PICO2000 application as our software uses it's own proprietary driver to access the capture cards, the above procedure is just to remove the old conflicting driver and replace it with the third party version so that Windows will not complain about a hardware device with no drivers attached in the conventional way. The user may choose instead to disable the devices, this will also work.
8. Reboot again once the drivers have been installed or the devices disabled, and finally install the PICO2000 application on this clean system.

I am having problems logging into the software. I see the error message "Incorrect Password" even though I have not setup any password.

When the PICO2000 is first installed, you should be able to log in with the default username SUPER and no password. If this is not working then first make sure you are running the PICO2000 software as the same Windows administrator user as was used to install the software. If this does not solve it then the most likely cause is a setting left over from another version of the software. Follow the instructions in the previous question for completely uninstalling and reinstalling the PICO2000 software.

The display is showing black and white images even though I have color cameras.

First make sure that any inputs which do not have a camera physically attached is disabled. Click Utility on the main screen and the Camera Setting. Uncheck the Active box next to any inputs that are not in use. If you are still seeing black and white images then the problem is most likely hardware related. The PICO2000 displays and records whatever images come from the capture card. The software itself treats black and white and colour cameras the same. Make sure the cameras are working correctly by connecting them to an external monitor to see what the picture is like. If the cameras are sending clear picture to the TV monitor then the problem may be due to a faulty capture card.

How do I configure PICO2000 so that it will start automatically when Windows starts?

Normally, to have an application start when Windows starts, a shortcut to the application can be placed in the Windows Startup folder. However, this may cause problems with the PICO2000 because the Windows desktop may not have completely loaded before it launches the PICO2000 and so communication with the capture cards may not be established in time. This can cause error messages such as "Failed to initialize UCC" and "PICO kernel error". The solution is to put another application in the startup menu that will wait for a certain amount of time before telling the PICO2000 application to start:

1. Download PICOStarter.exe and save it to the folder "C:\Program Files\Digital Surveillance Recorder\PICO2000\"
2. Use explorer to open this folder and find the downloaded file. Right click on PICOStarter.exe and select "Create Shortcut"
3. Copy the new shortcut file to "C:\Documents and Settings\[Your Windows User Name] \Start Menu\Programs\Startup\"
4. Reboot the PC and when the desktop loads, you should see a dialog pop up which will count down 30 seconds before starting the PICO2000 application.