WINDOWS SETTINGS

Windows users please note!  Computers running Microsoft’s Windows may produce incorrect answers to some spreadsheet program calculations and also to calculations produced by programs such as WinTax etc.  This is due to a Microsoft error in copies of WINDOWS distributed to South Africa.  If you experience these problems with spreadsheets or with WinTax, BackTax, SoftFin or FinTaxPlus, then you need to change your computer’s settings.  Microsoft seem to be under the impression that we, in SA, use the same format for the date and for numbers as they use in the USA while we, in SA, actually follow the British format.  In the USA, the character used as decimal symbol is also different when using the American system compared to the British system.  America shows the number seven-and-a-half as “seven comma five” while we show it as “seven point five” so we advise you to change your Region setting from English South Africa to English United Kingdom if you are using Windows 10 or 11.  The reasons why you should change the REGION settings for countries such as South Africa are explained on Microsoft’s Support web site.  The web site also tells how to change this setting.  The easiest way to change the settings is as follows:-

1. Use the SEARCH field on the task bar at the bottom of your desktop screen to find the Control Panel.
2. Load the Control Panel App and select the REGION setting from the list of your computer’s Settings that may be altered.
3. Use the drop-down menu to choose the Format as English United Kingdom and click Apply.
4. Alternatively, you can select the Additional settings and change the Decimal symbol from a comma to a full-stop and Apply.
5. The Additional settings option also allows you to change the currency symbol to a R (for Rands).
6. Click on Apply then click on OK.

Once the new setting has been applied then all your software should operate correctly.  WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW!