This article describes how to register, download, install, and start Now X. The registration site and welcome screens provide step-by-step assistance with accessing the software and importing existing data the first time Now X is used.
System Requirements
Now X for Mac is designed to work with Mac OS version 10.4 (Tiger) or later. Please make sure you have the most recent updates for your operating system by running the "Software Update..." command found under the Apple menu.
The recommended configuration for Now X is an Intel-based computer with 2GB of RAM. Now X will run on a G4 processor or later, but the software is optimized to take advantage of the Intel architecture, so an Intel Core 2 Duo or better processor is recommended.
Registration
Before you can download and install Now X, you will need to register with Now Software for a Now X account and password. Please keep your user name and password for this account in a safe place, as it will be needed whenever you need to make changes to your Now X account, and when you install Now X on your computer.
Note: The Now X account is different from any other accounts you may have with Now Software, including your forum account or customer center account on www.nowsoftware.com. You must create a new Now X account to use Now X, even if you have these other accounts already set up with Now Software.
To register, please go to http://registration.nowsoftware.com, where you'll see a page similar to this:
Registration screen at registration.nowsoftware.com. Click on the "Register" button to start the registration process.
Step 1 - Registration Form:
Once you click the Register button, you will be presented with a series of screens that allow you to set up a Now X account. There are four steps necessary to complete the registration process for Now X. The first step, entering your registration information, looks like this:
Step 1) Registration form for Now X. Fields with the red asterisk are required.
Fields that are required have a red asterisk. A valid email address is required so that we can complete the authentication process and have a valid email address associated with this account. Registering with Now Software means that you will get occasional marketing messages from Now Software regarding the Now X product. Your privacy is very important to us, and the contact information will never be sold or shared with any third party.
Note how your progress through the registration process is captured on the panel on the right part of the screen. When your data entry is complete, click the "Submit Registration" button. A few things can stop the process, including: If the chosen user name or email address is already in our system; if the passwords do not match; or if any of the required are blank. If this happens, text describing the error will prompt you to make a correction. Simply make the necessary change and resubmit for registration.
Step 2 - Email Confirmation:
After successfully completing Step 1, the following screen will appear:
Step 2) Email confirmation. Check your email account for a message from Now Software.
Shortly you will receive an email to the account you supplied in the registration form with the subject line "Your Now X Account" from the account " This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ". If you do not receive this email within 15 minutes (it usually processes within a few seconds), check your spam filter or any spam settings. Customers using Comcast or Earthlink have reported issues with the email going through those companies' filters. If you are unable to locate the email, go to register.nowsoftware.com and click on the "Having trouble registering?" link.
Step 3 - Account Activation:
The email you receive from Now Software has a customized link to proceed to Step 3 of the registration process. Click on the link (or cut & paste into a browser) in order to go to that step. Don't share this link or email with anyone, as it is customized specifically for the account being registered.
Step 3) Registration Activation. After clicking the link in the confirmation email, enter your account name or email address, and password.
Step 4 - Terms of Service:
The final step of the registration process is to accept the Terms of Service. Please review the text in the dialog, click on the acceptance box, and finally click on the "Activate Registration" button at the bottom of the screen.
Step 4) Terms of Service screen. Click the check box, then the Activate Registration button in order to complete the process.
That's it! Congratulations - you are a registered user of Now X!
Download
After you have created an account with Now Software, the next step is to download the software. Simply log into your account on the site and click "Download Installer" on the right hand panel. You'll then see the latest version of Now X. Click on the link to start the download process.
Example Download Screen. Click on the download link for your operating system in the main panel to begin the process.
Once the download is complete, the installer will launch. Proceed through the next section to install the software on your system.
Mac Installation
Now X installs its software on the Macintosh using the standard methods for that operating system. Please follow the prompts on the screens presented to you.
Welcome Screens
The installer places the Now X application inside a "Now X" directory in your Applications folder. To launch the Now X application, simply double-click the Now X icon in the Finder. You can also drag the Now X icon to your dock for quicker access.
When the application launches for the first time, you will be prompted for your Now X user account and password. This is the account information you created when you purchased, registered, or created an account to download the trial version. If you've forgotten this information, please visit http://register.nowsoftware.com for more information.
After you've entered your registration information, you will be presented with a first run wizard that will ask you questions about how you want to configure Now X. The first screen you will see looks like this:
Welcome Screen for a first time installation.
Click on "Next" when you're done with this screen. The next two screens help you get started with Now X by asking if you want to import your Now Up-to-Date & Contact information, and if you want to sync contacts and or calendar information with sync services.
The screen that asks you if you want to import your Now Up-to-Date & Contact information depends on whether you use Now Up-to-Date & Contact. Now X looks for the preference files for Now Up-to-Date and Contact to simplify the import process. If your Now Up-to-Date or Now Contact files are located, the following screen will be displayed.
Now Up-to-Date & Contact users will see this screen. Now X uses the NUDC preferences file to facilitate importing that data.
This screen will not appear if no Now Up-to-Date & Contact information is not found.
If there are Now Up-to-Date & Contact files, they will appear as they do in the example screen shot. The path to the actual ".nct" and ".nud" files is printed in the dialog box. If those are not the files you want to import, or if you would rather not import any files at this time, uncheck the boxes. This import step can be done at any later time after the welcome process. If import is selected, the import process will begin after all the welcome screens are complete. For more details on how importing works, either after the Welcome screens or later, please refer to the article on Importing.
The next screen of the welcome process establishes whether or not the Mac OS X account where Now X is being installed should Sync to Sync Services. Syncing shares calendar, contact, and task data with other applications, such as AddressBook and iCal. Enabling these settings will allow your contacts, calendars, and tasks in Sync Services to Sync with Now X. Any changes you make to that information in Now X will then be synced out to any other applications that use Sync Services. This service is a great way to get contact and event data into devices such as PDAs and cell phones.
Now X synchronizes calendar and contact data with Apple's Sync Services. This screen sets the Sync settings for this Now X account.
This screen sets whether Sync is enabled for this Now X account. If you would prefer not to Sync, uncheck the appropriate check box(es). Now Up-to-Date X syncs calendars and tasks. Now Contact X syncs contacts. Setting the Sync option can be done at any time when using Now X. If you choose to not Sync at this time, you can always turn that option on later. To do so, simply open the Preferences menu option under the "Now X" Menu, and select the "Sync" panel.
Note that before syncing the first time, Now X will back up the contents of iCal and AddressBook into an archive. The Now X Sync process will change the calendar and contact data in Sync Services, and therefore in iCal and AddressBook. If the changes made are not as intended, you can always turn off the Sync option in Now X, and revert to these archives from within iCal and AddressBook to restore the data to its previous state.
At any time during the Welcome screens, you can use the "Previous" button to go back and change settings. On the final screen, "Done" will go ahead and implement any of the options you selected during the Welcome process. At this time, Now Up-to-Date & Contact imports will occur if you selected that option. The Sync settings will also be in place at this time.
This Welcome process is also used whenever you completely clear the Now X database. For more information, see the article on Database Preferences.
