Frequently Asked Questions - Software

Question 1:  I purchased Balancing the Sword, and have the two volumes and the CD.  I am unsure where to find the 12-digit product code to register the CD.  It has been a couple of weeks since I received it and very possibly threw away any "registration information," not realizing it was necessary.  I appreciate any help that you can give me.
Answer:  The CD is now obsolete (See FAQ 7).  You only need the 12-character product code.  The product code for the Balancing the Sword study package is found inside the back cover of volume one (the red book) or is found on the back of the CD.  The product code looks like this:  QKSQ-KBL3-2N1Q.  (Vision Forum staff applied product codes for books sold through VF.  They applied the registration number on the paper CD holder or to the inside of the front cover of volume one.)

Question 2:  Is there anyway to get a reading plan that goes through the Bible chronologically?
Answer:  In on-line BTS Reading Planner, you can re-sequence the books.  On Screen 11, you can adjust the sequence of the books by selecting a book and clicking the Move Up or Move Down buttons.  It takes seconds.  There is no perfect way to chronologically arrange the books because most biblical books overlap. However, I will give a rough arrangement that should prove helpful.  (See page 263 in volume one for a time line of the prophets.)  You may wish to purchase The Reese Chronological Bible by Edward Reese if you are interested in a more finely spliced harmony of the books. Reese interlaced even single verses as he strove for accuracy.  I would not recommend that one read Reese's chronological Bible until he or she has read through each book as a whole at least three times. I say this because Reese's compilation hinders the new reader in attaining a sense of continuity within a single book.

Question 3:  Does the software work on a MAC?  Do you have a MAC version?
Answer:  YES!  The on-line version can be used by MAC and Linux owners.  The new software operates through your browser from this website.  Click here to login.  We support Microsoft's Windows Internet Explorer, Apple's Safari, Mozilla's Firefox, Google's Chrome, and Opera.  (The previous CD-based version of this software did not support non-Windows systems, but we have fully replaced the CD-base software with our new on-line version.)

Question 4:  We have bought 5 sets of Balancing the Sword. . . .  Do we need to register all 5 sets?  We have already registered one set of books and printed out a schedule for the whole family, is it necessary to register all 5 product codes?
Answer:  No.  Registration unlocks the full abilities of the software and allows you to receive notification of critical updates.  Each person can have a separate user profile, or your family can share one profile.  If you have five separate profiles, each person can manage his or her own reading plans.  You may want to give the software away to friends.  A friend will only need the product code.  Or, assuming God prospers Balancing the Sword for years to come, your children can register at a later date when they have their own computers.  You can access your reading plans from any Internet-connected computer in the world.

Question 5:  A friend gave me page one of your Bible reading plan.  Can I download the entire plan (two pages?) from your website?
Answer:  We offer a FREE 2006 Bible reading schedule that starts on January 1st and covers the entire year.  If you own the software, you can produce as many customized schedules as you wish.  Customized schedules can start on Feb. 28th instead of Jan. 1st.  The software comes with the books or you can buy the software separately.  Click here to purchase the software or books.  Click here to see a sample of the books.

Question 6:  We are wondering if you have an alternate way of organizing and scheduling the reading so that we could do some OT and some NT each day?  Or, do we need to  make two separate schedules? 
Answer:  Yes.  The Walkthrough in the software will ask if you want to have one, two, or three reading sessions per day.  You could specify two sessions and have session one for OT and session two for NT.  Another alternative would be to print two reading schedules that span the same length of time.  The first reading schedule may include the OT only with Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday as the reading days.  The second schedule may be dedicated to reading the NT only with Tuesday and Thursday as the reading days.  (This omits Sunday.)  The problem with this approach is the broken continuity.  A brief review of the questions answered in the previous few days will offer a wonderful refresher.

Question 7:  I borrowed the Balancing the Sword CD from a friend.  It says on the CD that it was okay to share it, but I am not able to use the software.  Can you help me?  My friend has not used the CD herself but has used the books.  Do I need to have them register the software first?
Answer:  The CD is no longer supported.  All users are required to use the upgraded and more accurate on-line version.  But, because there are thousands of the CDs still in circulation, let me tell you what was on the old CD.  There were two many elements on the CD:  the (now obsolete) locally installed version of the Reading Planner software and the multimedia presentation.  The CD also included a 15-page sample set of the books and other elements.  The software is licensed for one registered user.  We encourage owners of the books to share the old CD because the CD allows pastors and friends to learn more about Balancing the Sword through the 6-minute presentation and the sample set.  A license for the software can be purchased for a nominal price.  The on-line version of the software is available.  Each owner of a license to the older CD-based software version received a FREE upgrade to the newer on-line version.

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