General Troubleshooting - Focus POS Application

Focus Not Running

1. Focus normally starts up on its own when Windows loads after reboot. If it's not currently running, double tap the Focus icon on the workstation desktop.

Focus Not Launching

1. The Focus Application may already be running in the background. If you are able to see Focus minimized in the taskbar you can tap on it to bring it full screen.
2. Reboot the workstation to close any instances of Focus currently running and relaunch cleanly.
3. If Focus still does not launch after reboot, try double tapping the icon.
4. After double tapping the icon once, if Focus still does not load, contact the Focus POS California Helpdesk Team for assistance.

Primary Path Cannot Be Found Message

This message is shown when the workstation cannot see the main FOCUS station (file server).

1. If this message is on all stations:
1. Double check that the FOCUS station (station 1) is turned on and connected to the POS network.
2. Reboot the FOCUS station (station 1).
2. If this message is only on one workstation:
1. Make sure the station has a network connection. You can try reseating the network cable to make sure the cable is not loose.
2. Reboot the station showing the message.
3. If the message is still showing there is something impeding the workstation’s network connectivity. You can call the Focus POS California Helpdesk Team for further troubleshooting assistance.
3. If this message is only on multiple but not all workstations:
   1. You can try reseating the network cable to make sure the cable is not loose.
   2. If these devices all connect to the same switch, reboot the switch by leaving it unplugged for 30 seconds.
1. Make sure the stations have a network connection.
2. Reboot the stations showing the message.
3. If the message is still showing there is something impeding the workstations’ network connectivity. You can call the Focus POS California Helpdesk Team for further troubleshooting assistance.

Backup Path Cannot Be Found Message

This message is shown when the BACKUP station is not seen on the POS network or the FOCUS File structure is not properly configured on the BACKUP station.

To get the stations to fully load Focus before continuing to troubleshoot. Tap the ‘Ok’ button to close the pop-up. It will present the message a second time, tap the ‘Ok’ button again and the message will go away.

This error message is indicating that the station cannot see the CHECK folder on the BACKUP station (\\backup\c\focus\check). Before proceeding, open Windows Explorer, in the address bar type:
\\backup\c\focus

If you are presented with the FOCUS folder structure, then communication to your BACKUP station is good. Now look for a CHECK folder. If a folder is not found, create a Folder using the standard Windows functions to create a folder.

If you are not presented with a FOCUS folder structure, and instead presented with an error perhaps indicating a communication or network problem, you'll need to troubleshoot that error before proceeding. 

Red Bar Across the Bottom

The red bar indicator on the bottom of the screen indicates the system is not able to see the BACKUP station (station 2) or backup data from FOCUS (station 1).

1. Check to make sure the BACKUP station (station 2) is turned on and connected to the POS network.
2. Reboot the BACKUP station (station 2).

Green Bar Across the Bottom

The green bar indicator on the bottom of the screen indicates the system is not able to see the credit station.

1. Check to make sure the BACKUP station (station 2) or the credit station is turned on and connected to the POS network.
2. Reboot the BACKUP station (station 2) or credit station.

Credit Cards Not Processing (Traditional Swipe)

Credit Station

1. One station on your POS network controls credit card processing. This usually is your FOCUS station (station 1) or BACKUP station (station 2). If this station is off or does not have network connectivity, processing responsibilities will need to be moved to a different station.
2. Relaunch the Focus Application on the credit station.
3. Reboot the credit station.

Internet

1. Your Focus system relies on the internet to process credit card transactions. If the internet is down you will not be able to authorize credit cards, however, you may go into Offline Mode if you are using traditional swipe.
   1. Login to Focus Order Entry as a Manager or Owner.
   2. Navigate to your Functions screen.
   3. From the Credit Card column select the ‘Offline’ button.
   4. The credit card status window will pop up. Select the ‘Offline’ button from the options on the right.
   5. You will be prompted with the following warning, “Credit card authorization will STOP. Go offline?”. To continue going Offline select the ‘Yes’ button.
   6. The credit card status window will update to show the status as Offline.
   7. Once the internet is restored you may go back to this same area and select the ‘Online’ button.
1. If your system is not set for Auto-Offline, use the following steps to place credit cards into Offline Mode.
2. If your internet is up however still unable to process there could be issues with your ISP or modem. It only takes one dropped packet of data to cause a transaction to decline.
1. Reboot your internet modem or follow troubleshooting instructions from your ISP.

NOTE: If you are using EMV/Chip Cards you CANNOT use the Offline Mode in Focus. If your processor supports offline mode it will activate automatically.

Business Day Did Not Close / Roll Over

The business day is set to close at a specific time every day automatically. If this is not occurring there could be several reasons why.

1. The FOCUS or BACKUP stations are being turned off overnight.
2. Power loss to the FOCUS or BACKUP stations overnight.
3. The Focus application not launching after rebooting on FOCUS or BACKUP.

If you have not started your business day, you can manually close day using the following steps.

1. Enter Focus Setup.
2. From the top menu select ‘Close Day’.
3. Select ‘Close Day’ from the menu drop down.
4. From the Close Day window, select the ‘Close Day’ button.
5. You will be prompted to confirm the business date you are closing.
6. Press the ‘Close Day’ button to Close Day.

Credit Card Batch Did Not Settle

The credit card batch is set to close at a specific time every day automatically. If this is not occurring there could be several reasons why.

1. The FOCUS or BACKUP stations are being turned off overnight.
2. Power loss to the FOCUS or BACKUP stations overnight.
3. The Focus application not launching after rebooting on FOCUS or BACKUP.

If you have already started business for the day, you should wait and let the batch settle on its own or contact the Focus POS California Helpdesk Team to make sure it settles normally.

If you have NOT started business for the day, use the following steps to manually settle the credit card batch.

1. Login as a Manager or Owner into Focus Order Entry.
2. Navigate to your Functions screen.
3. From the Credit Card column select the ‘Batch’ button.
4. The batch window will pop up so you can review the current batch.
5. Select the ‘Settle’ button to settle the batch. While batching a yellow box will display on the screen that says “Batching….”. During this time new credit cards will not be authorized.
6. Once complete a box will pop confirming if the batch settled successfully or not.
7. If the batch DID NOT settle, contact the Focus POS Helpdesk Team for assistance.

NOTE: Most EMV/Chip Card processing systems are set to batch automatically, so you will not need to batch through Focus.