Trouble-shooting for photo books

Making a photo book is a complex process. The most frequent issue is having multiple dotphoto accounts with the same email address. Easiest solution: add a new email address to the account you are trying to use. 

Open a new browser before logging into dotphotobooks.com again.

Here are solutions to occasional book-making problems:

Session initializes to 50% and then displays "Database error on the server"

If this happens when placing an order, you have probably used your email address in the past with another dotphoto account. The solution is to change your current email address in dotphoto permanently, or, if you do not have another email address, change your email address temporarily to something unique such as your dotphoto user name plus dotphoto.com.  For instance: susansmith45@dotphoto.com  You can reset your email address after you place your order. If you use the dotphoto extension, we will forward information related to your book order.

Sign in with your email address instead of your dotphoto user name.

When dotphoto asks for a User Name, use your unique email address instead.

Error 1004 - a conflict between multiple dotphoto accounts 

If you get an "error 1004", click here for the solution.

Your software may be out of date.  Re-install. 

Things on the Internet change, and we respond by updating the software. If you are using the downloaded software on your computer, our book software usually automatically updates, but it might not... You can see the current version in your software under Options | Information. When in doubt, download and re-install the latest software here:  http://www.dotphotobook.com/design-software.html

Free up your computer resources

Your Windows computer may be overtaxed. For instance, if you have a large book project and your system has 1.1GB RAM free space out of a possible 3.5 RAM, try re-starting the computer and close all unnecessary programs running in the background while placing the order.  In the dotphoto book software, set your Image cache to at least 128 MB in Options / System / Image cache. The amount of image cache available is on the extreme right of the sliding bar; that number will change depending on what is actually available in your computer.

Send  us your Run log.

If you get a server error, a problem when placing an order, or any other unsolvable problem, please turn on your log, run the process again, and send us the run.log file as an email attachment to booksupport@dotphoto.com.  To turn on your log, choose Options  | Service, check the box next to Generate debug outputs for support, then the OK button. You will find the run.log file in the directory that you you have set up two lines above the OK button at the bottom of the page.