The World’s Premiere Home Inspection Software
User's Manual
Note*
- The term “Desktop PC” can refer to any Desktop, Laptop, or Tablet PC running
Microsoft Windows Software.
Chapter 1- Introduction
Welcome!
Features
System Requirements
Chapter 2- Installing Mr. Inspector
Installing Mr. Inspector
Installing a Mr. Inspector Upgrade
Uninstalling Mr. Inspector
Chapter 3- Things you should know
The Stylus
The Pre-Inspection Agreement
Satisfaction Certification
The Cover Page
The Summary Page
Check Boxes
Text Boxes
Text Entry
Remarks Buttons
Summary Comment Buttons
Drop Down Menus
Chapter 4- Inspection Categories
General
Inspection Categories
Recommendations
Inserting Pictures
Transferring
Pictures to your Desktop PC
Inserting a picture onto the cover
page
Chapter 6- Generating The Report
The Preferences Panel
Creating a new report
Opening a saved report
Generating an HTML report
Transferring an HTML report to your Desktop PC
Saving the report
Printing the report using infrared
Setting up Bluetooth
Printing a report using Bluetooth
E-mailing the report
Archiving your inspection reports
Chapter 7- Miscellaneous
Suggestions
Support
Your Comments/ Suggestions
Credits
Welcome!
Congratulations on purchasing the most innovative
home inspection reporting software
available. You have just started on a path to higher profitability in the home inspection business. Your new
Mr. Inspector RS 5.0 software
allows you to move more freely during the inspection process which will save you countless hours per
week and give you the ability to do
more inspections. It also provides you with a professional type-written inspection report making you look
better to your clients and other professionals
in the real estate industry. No more expensive carbon paper checklists or time consuming laptop/
desktop software. No more Palm devices
that must be connected to another computer before you can print. All you need now to generate fast, cost effective,
professional reports is ink and
paper.
·
·
Pocket PC running
Windows CE (PocketPC 2002 or 2003, or Windows Mobile Software) infrared port
and/or Bluetooth.
·
·
HP DeskJet Portable
printer with infrared port and/or bluetooth.
·
·
Optional digital camera
with SD memory card capable of producing 640x480 images.
·
·
For installation: Desktop
or laptop running Windows 98 or later OS.
Installing Mr. Inspector for the first time
Installing a Mr. Inspector
Upgrade
1. Connect
your handheld device to your PC. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for this.
Uninstalling Mr. Inspector
You do not need to uninstall
the old version of the software to upgrade to the new version of it. However,
if you need to remove the software for any reason…..
1. On
your handheld device, open “Settings” from the Start Button, select the “System” tab at the bottom of the screen,
and then click “Remove Programs”.
2. Select
“Mr. Inspector” and click “Remove”.
3. There
are some font files that must be removed separately. To locate these files, tap on Start, then programs, then
file explorer. Using the gray area near
the top of the screen, navigate to “My Device”. From the menu below “My Device”, select Windows, Then
Fonts. Tap and hold on each of these
files until a menu pops up with an option to delete. Select delete and confirm. If you do not tap and hold
correctly, you may accidentally open the
file. That’s OK. Just close it and try again.
The stylus is the pen shaped object that you will use
to manipulate the Mr. Inspector RS
5.0 report system. Touching the screen with the stylus allows you to activate text boxes & check boxes, scroll up
and down through the category panels,
access drop down menus & toolbars, and type
into the on-screen keyboard.
The
Pre-Inspection Agreement
Some
states require that a pre-inspection agreement & description be signed by the client before the
inspection can begin. Your software includes
an industry standard pre-inspection agreement that can be printed separately.
To print the Pre-Inspection Agreement,
It is recommended that you print the
Pre-Inspection Agreement from your install
disk on your desktop PC, And then have copies made of this document. This will save you big money on ink.
The Satisfaction Certification
A Satisfaction
Certification is another legal document in which you can have your client testify that they
are 100% satisfied with the inspection you have
conducted.
To print the Satisfaction Certification,
It is recommended that you print the
Satisfaction Certification from your install
disk on your desktop PC, And then have copies made of this document. This will save you big money on ink.
The Mr. Inspector RS 5.0 report system automatically
generates a cover page for you
using information you enter into the preferences and general information sections. The cover page
includes such information as the name
of your company, your client’s name & address and the date of the inspection. You can also place a
picture of your client’s house or your company
logo on the cover page. Most inspectors choose to place a front side picture of the client’s home on the
cover page. Refer to chapter 5, “Using
Pictures”, to learn how to insert and/or change a cover image.
A special feature of the Mr. Inspector RS 5.0 report system is the automatically generated summary. Use the summary comments button at the bottom of each category panel to compose a brief summary of the category including any recommendations for further evaluation or remediation. Using the drop down menus within these buttons will help make this process even faster. There are also check boxes inside all remarks panels that will allow you to place any comments you make immediately onto the summary page. When you print your report, a categorized summary page will appear at the end of the report and will include all text entered into the summary comment buttons.
To print the Summary Page
Separately,
With a report opened and completed, select the file menu at
the bottom left corner of the Mr.
Inspector screen. Then choose “Print Summary”. For more information about printing, refer to chapter 6,
“Generating the Report”.
Check Boxes
The check boxes are used to describe certain
characteristics of items in the
inspection process. You can check as many boxes to describe an item as you like. It is recommended, for
accuracy, that you check ALL boxes that
apply to the item being inspected. To activate a checkbox, simply tap it with your stylus.
Text boxes in some areas of the report system will
allow you to enter a descriptive
statement about an item being inspected. There will also be times when you need to enter a description
not already covered by check boxes.
To set your cursor and begin typing, simply tap the textbox with your stylus.
Some
text boxes contain a prompting word such as "Other:" or
"Location:". To use these
text boxes, tap the box with your stylus to clear it, then begin typing.
Your handheld pc’s operating system, Windows Pocket PC 2002 or 2003, or Windows Mobile comes with an on-screen keyboard for text entry. To activate the on screen keyboard select the small keyboard icon at the bottom right section of the Mr. Inspector interface. This is what you will be using to enter text into the Mr. Inspector category panels. All of the functions included with the on-screen keyboard are compatible with the Mr. Inspector software. These functions include the on screen keyboard and an optional handwriting recognizer. To activate the handwriting recognizer, simply select the small upward pointing arrow at the very bottom right corner of the Mr. Inspector interface. You can then select the keyboard, block recognizer, letter recognizer, or transcriber from a pop up menu. The transcriber is the one you should choose for most handwriting recognition. Feel free to experiment with all of them though. After some practice, you should become familiar with the quality of handwriting the computer is expecting from you. You don’t have to be perfect, but remember, it’s just a computer.
If you are
fairly familiar with your own handwriting, you can help the computer to recognize your writing a bit
more easily. This is a somewhat tedious
process but it only has to be done once. First select the previously mentioned arrow to access the transcriber.
Once the transcriber is selected, a
toolbar will appear at the bottom of your screen. Select the lower case “a”(the fourth icon from
the left, not the second one). A screen will
appear that allows you to tell the computer which style of lettering that you most often use. This has to be done
for each letter of the alphabet. The
letter styles are displayed at the top of the screen. Each letter style can be categorized as used “often”,
“rarely”, or “never”.
Remarks buttons are included for most items
inspected. It is suggested that
you use the remarks buttons to enter a description of a concern, remedy, or even a positive aspect for an
item inspected. Many suggested terms
and commonly used phrases are included in drop down menus contained within the remarks buttons.
The summary comment buttons are located at the bottom
of each category panel. They
contain a special function that allows you to build your report summary page as you inspect. It is recommended that
you use the buttons to summarize each
category. Each summary comment button contains
a drop down menu with consultation recommendations from a variety of trades specific to the real
estate industry. You can add as many comments
to these menus as you need, using the Add Remark function.
Drop down menus are included in many areas of the
report system. To select a
descriptive item or comment from a drop down menu, tap the adjoining arrow, then tap the item.
You can select as many descriptive items
from the drop down menu as you need.
Drop
down menus contained within the "Remarks" buttons allow you to add, save, and delete your own
remarks. To add a remark to a drop down menu,
type the remark in the adjoining text box and tap the "Add Remark" button with your stylus. The remark will
automatically be saved. You can add as
many as you need. You can also delete any items you create using the delete remark button.
The General category contains information such as
names, addresses, dates and
times, weather conditions and inspector(s) names. Before you can print the report, you will at least have
to have a client’s name filled in under
this category.
The inspection categories are located at the top
right corner of the user interface
and can each be opened with a tap from your stylus. Categories include: General, Grounds, Exterior
Surfaces, Roof, Chimney, Foundation, HVAC,
Deck/ Patio, Crawlspace/ Unfinished Basement, Structure, Interior, Safety List, Kitchen, Appliances,
Bathrooms, Plumbing, Garage/ Carport, Electrical,
Finished Basement, Exterior Doors, Windows, Energy Conservation, Attic, Heating System, Fireplace, Health, and
Readings & Measurements
Each
category contains items used to describe the home you are inspecting. Some categories may not apply
to a particular home. If you do not
wish for a particular category to print, do not open the category. Remember when inspecting to check ALL boxes
that apply to each line item within a
category.
This is the panel where you will enter important
readings and measurements taken as you
complete your home inspections. It contains such
information as Water Pressure, Delta-T test results, etc.
Recommendations
The recommended camera for use with Mr. Inspector is any Mega Pixel digital camera capable of producing 640x480 resolution
pictures. If your camera cannot
produce this size picture, it is not compatible. The Camera must also have an SD memory card slot . Please
refer to your camera’s users
manual for instructions on operating your camera.
Inserting pictures into the Mr. Inspector report
system is easy. You must first
make sure that your camera is saving pictures to the SD memory card and not the camera’s own internal memory.
It is also recommended that you
carry 2 memory cards for your digital camera. One for high quality resolution photos of your friends and
family, and one for photos to be used with
Mr. Inspector only. I you attempt to insert images into the Mr. Inspector system from a card that has
any images larger than 640x480, it will
not work. Refer to your camera's user guide for instructions on changing picture quality.
* Special Note* - It is best to wait until you have entered all data into Mr. Inspector and the report is otherwise complete before inserting pictures into Mr. Inspector. This will save the trouble of switching the memory card in and out and back and forth over and over.
Inserting Pictures
For each category in the Mr. Inspector report system,
there are a given number of
line items (items to be inspected). You can enter up to 2 pictures to illustrate each item.
This allows for nearly 800 possible photographs
in a report system. Most inspections will only produce a need for between 10 and 60 pictures. This is
important to consider for printing speed.
If your report has 800 pictures attached to it, it may take an undesirable amount of time to print.
When you are ready to insert pictures, follow
these simple steps.
* Special Note *- to delete an image from an inspection report in case of accident or other reasons, tap the green camera button associated with the particular line item, then select the "add/del" button. You will be asked to confirm removal of the picture. Select yes. Then select OK to be taken back to the main panel.
Transferring
Pictures to your Desktop PC
You will need to
have your pocket pc connected to a desktop or laptop pc. Create a new file for Home Inspection
Pictures somewhere on your desktop / laptop pc. When you are connected,
you will have to access the Microsoft
ActiveSync user interface by opening it from the start menu or by right clicking on the round green button at
the bottom right corner of your
computer screen. It may appear on its own when you plug your iPAQ into your computer. If the button is gray
instead of green you are not connected.
Review the connection process in the user guide for your pocket pc.
To transfer pictures to your desktop
pc, it is advised that you first create a folder
somewhere on your desktop pc labeled “Home Inspection Pictures”.(Or something like that). Then inside that folder,
create another one with the same
name as the report you created. Making sure that your iPAQ is connected to your desktop pc, open the Microsoft
ActiveSync window by double
clicking the little green circle at the bottom right corner of your desktop pc screen. Once you have
the ActiveSync window up, select
“Explore”. The first screen that appears
will be the “Mobile Device” folder.
You are now looking at your pocket pc through you desktop computer. You will then need to select the
icon that looks like a pocket pc. It
will be labeled “my pocket pc”, or “my windows mobile-based device”. Then select SD Card. Choose DCIM and then the file containing your
home inspection pictures (example, 100K4230)
All you have to do now is copy
and paste the pictures of a particular house inside this folder to the corresponding folder on your
desktop PC.
Inserting
a picture onto the cover page
To insert a photograph
onto the cover page of the report system, select “Edit” from the bottom left corner of the Mr. Inspector
interface. Then select “edit
preferences”. Tap on the box that says “cover image”. From here it is the same process as entering
a picture anywhere else. Once you have
selected the picture, You will see the image filename in the textbox to the right of the cover image button.
Now select “Edit”, then select “Save
Preferences”.
* Special Note * - To change from
one cover image to the next. (when going
from one home inspection to the next), you first have to delete the text in the box to the right of the
cover image button. To do this, select “Edit”,
then “Edit Preferences”. Tap and drag the stylus across the text in the box to the right of the cover image button
to highlight the text. Then access
the on-screen keyboard using the icon at the bottom right of the screen and tap the backspace button.
Deselect the on-screen keyboard and
check to see that all the text is gone. If it is not all gone, repeat the process until it is. Then you can
enter another picture for your next inspection.
Chapter
6- Generating the Report
When you open Mr. Inspector for the first time, you will
be presented with a screen asking
you to fill in your inspector information. You will at least need to fill in your Name and Company name
in this panel for them to appear on the
report. No other information on this panel will be included in the report except the cover image
which will be explained in chapter 6,
“Using Pictures”. Once you have entered your inspector
information, select the edit menu from
the bottom left corner of the screen and then select
“save preferences”.
You will not be able to
enter data into Mr. Inspector until you open a report. To create a new report,
click File, then New/Open. Type a new report
name in the top text box and click
“Create”. Most inspectors choose to use
their clients’ last name as a name for the report. You may now complete a new home inspection report.
Please
Note: Once you have generated a report, please exit Mr. Inspector before starting a new report.
Opening a Saved
Report
To open a saved report,
click File, then New/Open. Select the report you wish to open in the lower drop-down menu and click “Open”.
When you have completed a home inspection report and you are ready to archive it on your desktop pc or email the report to a colleague or client, you will need to generate an HTML version of it. This HTML version is the file that will be transferred. To do this, select the FILE menu and select generate HTML report. You can view the HTML version if you wish. The file is now generated and is located in the "my documents" section of your pocket pc. Please note that if you wish to email the report to someone, any pictures in the report will not be included in this HTML version and will have to be emailed separately. If you are proficient with software such as Microsoft FrontPage, Macromedia DreamWeaver, or any other HTML editing software, you can open the report, once transferred to your desktop pc,(see next section for instructions) and insert the pictures using one of these HTML editors. This way, you will not have to email the pictures separately.
Please Note: Once you have generated
a report, please exit Mr. Inspector
before starting a new report.
Transferring
an HTML Report to your Desktop PC
You will need to have your pocket pc connected to a desktop
or laptop pc. Create a new file for
home inspection reports somewhere on your desktop / laptop pc. When you are connected, you will have to access
the Microsoft ActiveSync user
interface by opening it from the start menu or by
right clicking on the round green button at the bottom right corner of your computer screen. It may appear
on its own when you plug your iPAQ into
your computer. If the button is gray instead of green you are not connected. Review the connection process in
the user guide for your pocket pc.
To transfer an HTML version of your report to your desktop pc, it is advised that you first create a folder somewhere on your desktop pc labeled “My Home Inspections”.(Or something like that). Making sure that your iPAQ is connected to your desktop pc, open the Microsoft ActiveSync window by double clicking the little green circle at the bottom right corner of your desktop pc screen. Once you have the ActiveSync window up, select “Explore”. The first screen that appears will be the “Mobile Device” folder. You are now looking at your pocket pc through you desktop computer. Your generated HTML reports should be visible on this screen. They will have the file names you assigned them when you first opened the report in Mr. Inspector. All you have to do now is copy and paste the HTML file from your “Mobile Device” window to your “My Inspection Reports” folder on your desktop PC.
Saving the Report
The Mr. Inspector software automatically saves every report you create.
It also saves any information in
the report as soon as it is entered. No manual
saving is necessary. This applies only to the report while you are working with your Pocket PC. Any editing
you do to the report on your desktop
computer will have to be saved manually.
Printing the Report using
Infrared
To print the
full report using infrared, after you’ve finished the report,
Setting up Bluetooth
Before
Setting up bluetooth, you should know that there is only one advantage to using it over using infrared.
That advantage is the distance your
pocket pc can be from the printer while transferring data and printing. With infrared, you must be within a few
feet and pointing the pocket pc’s infrared
port directly at the printer’s infrared port. (Kind of like your TV’s remote control.) If the infrared
connection is broken (such as by someone stepping
between the iPAQ and the printer), the data transfer will be interrupted and printing will stop. With
bluetooth, you can be up to 60 feet from
the printer, pointing the iPAQ in no particular direction, and the connection will work. There is no
discernable difference in data transfer speed
between bluetooth and infrared. (Unless you are using a pocket pc that was made before 2003.)
BlueTooth
is an optional data transfer system that will allow you to print your reports from further distances
than the infrared method. You will need a
bluetooth printer card for the back of your printer. You can order one from Hewlett Packard at a relatively
low cost. Do not purchase a bluetooth card
from any other manufacturer. It will not
work. The HP Bluetooth printer card
fits right in the back of your printer and if you purchased the HP DeskJet 450WBT, you already have it.
You
will need to establish an initial connection between your iPAQ and your HP portable printer. This is a
one time process that should only have to
be repeated if your iPAQ somehow gets reset to factory settings. There are two ways that can happen. 1, you allow the battery to run all the
way down(takes about 5 or 6
days). 2, You perform a “hard reset”
which is an intentional return to
factory settings.
To
establish an initial connection between your iPAQ and your HP portable printer, select start, then
settings, then system. Look for the Bluetooth
icon and tap on it. With some newer units, the bluetooth icon may be found in the “connections”
area right next to “system”. Once you have
tapped on bluetooth, the “bluetooth general” page should come up. Under “bluetooth status”, select “turn
on”. You will then need to tap where it
says “bluetooth manager”. The “bluetooth my shortcuts” page should appear. From this page, select new
at the bottom left corner. Then tap “connect”.
The “bluetooth connection wizard” screen will appear. You will now need to have your printer powered up
with the bluetooth card plugged in
all the way. Once that is done, select “Explore a bluetooth device”.
Printing a Report Using Bluetooth
To print the full report using Bluetooth,
after you’ve finished the report,
1.
1. Select FILE, then select Print Full
Report.
2.
2. Select all pages or choose which page to start from.
3.
3. Make sure your printer settings are correct (they
should be – Printer: HP PCL, Port: Bluetooth HP iPAQ, Color/Mono: 4 Color CMYK, Paper Size: Letter, Paper Width: 8.5”, Height: 11”, Orientation:
Portrait) note: these settings should stay the same after you set them
up the first time.
4.
4. Select “More Settings” and make sure the COM Speed is set at 19200. Then select
OK at the top right of this screen. When the main printer settings window
appears again, select “Start Printing”
5.
5. Your pocket pc will seek out your portable printer and a
screen will appear that says, “select a bluetooth device”. When it finds your
printer, an icon will appear on the screen that looks like a printer. Tap on
this icon and printing will begin.
6.
6. In the event of a paper jam or other
event that may have halted printing in the middle of a report, you can select
the page to start printing from after choosing “print full report” and repeat
the rest of the process.
E-mailing the Report
To E-mail the report, Insert the HTML file as an attachment in your E-mail. If you did not add the pictures to the report in an HTML editor, Send the pictures in a zip file attachment in a separate email.
* Special Note*- It
is not possible to email the version of the report that prints on site. It is only possible to email the HTML
version of the report. This version
will not contain pictures unless you manually enter them into the document using an HTML editor on
your desktop pc. Page borders and
check boxes will not appear on this version. Information selected from checkboxes will appear. All information,
including the summary page, is included
in the HTML version.
Archiving your
inspection reports
You can archive all information from
your inspection reports by transferring
their main file to your desktop pc. If you need to, you can transfer the main file back onto
your pocket pc and print it again. You’ll need
to put the pictures back onto the memory card as well.
To archive a main report file,
You will need to have your pocket pc connected to a desktop
or laptop pc. Create a new file for
home inspection main files somewhere on your desktop
/ laptop pc. When you are connected, you will have to access the Microsoft ActiveSync user interface by
opening it from the start menu or by
right clicking on the round green button at the bottom right corner of your computer screen. It may appear
on its own when you plug your iPAQ into
your computer. If the button is gray instead of green you are not connected. Review the connection process in
the user guide for your pocket pc.
To archive a main file of a report
to your desktop pc, open the Microsoft ActiveSync
window by double clicking the little green circle at the bottom right corner of your desktop pc screen. Once
you have the ActiveSync window
up, select “Explore”. The first screen that appears will be the “Mobile Device” folder. You are now looking
at your pocket pc through you desktop
computer. You will then need to select the icon that looks like a pocket pc. It will be labeled “my pocket pc”, or “my windows mobile- based
device”. You will then need to select Program
Files, then Mr Inspector. Inside this folder you will
find the Main files for all of the home inspections
you have conducted. You can simply copy and paste these files into the desktop folder you have created for them.
Once you have pasted these
into the desktop pc folder, you can then delete off of the pocket pc right there from your desktop pc.
This will save room for more inspections
on your iPAQ. The iPAQ will hold about 30-40 reports before it begins to slow down a little.
Practice with your Mr. Inspector RS 5.0 report system before you use it on an actual fee paid home inspection. You can use your own house, a friend’s house, or a relative’s house as a practice ground. Familiarize yourself with all procedures necessary to produce a complete inspection report, such as the sample report provided.
Be
sure to keep a backup report system, such as a carbon paper checklist, in case you are in the middle of an
inspection and something goes wrong, such as your
battery running out. If your battery goes completely dead, you may lose all information stored on your pocket pc.
Batteries for these units are capable of lasting
about 6 hours before they need re-charging. It is recommended that you take steps to conserve your battery such as
turning the unit off when you are not entering
data. Re-charging usually takes 30 minutes to an hour. Many types of battery back-ups are available in stores
and can add several hours of running time.
FMG Southern Services provides telephone and
in-office support from 9am to 5pm
EST. For telephone support or to set up an appointment, please call 770- 645-2882. If for any reason you have trouble
with your Mr. Inspector RS 5.0 report
system and are unable to contact support, send an e-mail to myles7073@hotmail.com
with a full description of the problem and we will answer within 24 hours. Be sure to put the word
“troubleshooting” in the subject line of the e- mail.
We are confident that Mr. Inspector RS 5.0 is the
best report system available today,
however, if you have a suggestion or a comment regarding ways we might improve Mr. Inspector for you, please
send an e-mail to myles7073@hotmail.com.
Be sure to include the word
“suggestion” in the subject line of the e-mail. All suggestions will be considered for implementation in future
releases of Mr. Inspector RS
series software.
“Mr.
Inspector” RS 5.0 Photo Edition