Sage Pastel Accounting not opening and there is no error

When trying to open Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting it may not open and you will receive no error. Sometimes it gets stuck on "Starting Sage Pastel Accounting" or "Initialising System... 19% Complete" as shown below.

When Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting starts up, the following things are checked, started and loaded. It is important to have these in mind when troubleshooting issue with Pastel not opening and there’s no error i.e. it’s just hanging.

1. Pastel checks if the Pastel software instance is opened already
2. Checks Regional settings and Language installed
3. Checks version and modules that are registered
4. Expiry date for registration and Pervasive licenses
5. Checks the auto Reg files. 
6. Activates modules
7. Checks the images and documents used in the program (c:\PastelX\Custom\Images\XPImages)
8. Populates the last 4 companies that were opened, the DIROPEN.DAT file kicks in if it is activated
9. Checks the hard disk free space
10. Checks the auto update
11. Sets the Pastel menu.
12. Checks the build
13. Loads icons
14. Sets the Navigator/Explorer
15. Checks the default printer driver
16. Loads the different buttons e.g. File, Open etc
17. Sage Pay menus (new windows under ‘Edit...Customers...Accounts’ and ‘Setup...Company Parameters’)
18. Loads Literals (words for the buttons)
19. Starts the Sage Connected Services if it is not started.

With this in mind, you need to check the following. 

 CAUTION: You need to click on each of the following solutions to expand text with more details.  

 TIP: After applying each solution, test to see if the problem has been resolved. If the issue is resolved, then they will be no further troubleshooting is required. 

1. Regional Settings and Language Installed

   Ensure the machine has the correct regional settings set correctly. Refer to article Regional Settings for Sage 50c Pastel Accounting for steps on how to set the correct regional settings for Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting. Whilst you are on regional settings, ensure the language is not Chinese or Portuguese under Administrative tab as shown below.
   
   

2. Uninstall and reinstall Pervasive

   The issue could be with Pervasive not installed correctly. You can uninstall and reinstall Pervasive. You need to remove Pervasive completely and reinstall. Refer to article How do I Uninstall and Reinstall Pervasive Version 10 if needed.

3. Check Printer Drivers

   The error occurs if  Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting cannot recognise the printer installed. Even though you can print from other programs the printer drivers might not be compatible with Pastel. Please re-install your printer because it appears that it has not been installed properly. Once you have re-installed the printer, access Pastel again, and check if the same problem persists but it should be solved now.
   
   If the problem persists, create a dummy printer and set that printer as your default printer… once you are able to open Pastel and the company, go into File… Printer / Fonts Setup and change the default printer to the actual printer you are using.

   The print drivers might be corrupt and need to be uninstalled and reinstalled. Please ask your IT consultant to assist with this. If you are using Windows with 64 bit, please ensure that the print drivers that you are using are compatible with 64 bit.

4. Hard Disk Free Space

   Ensure machine has enough hard disk free space. To check the total disk space left on your Windows 11 device, select File Explorer  from the taskbar, and then select This PC on the left. The available space on your drive will appear under Devices and drives.

   CAUTION: This solution needs advanced Operating System knowledge. Consult your system administrator for help. Sage isn't liable for issues caused by improper changes to the Windows Registry. Always back up your data before applying advanced solutions.
   

   Click here for more details.

5. Permission Issue
    CAUTION: This solution requires advanced knowledge of Windows security and network settings. Sage isn't responsible for any issues that arise from changes to these settings. Ensure you back up all system and application databases necessary for a complete restoration. It's advisable to contact a certified consultant or your system administrator for assistance.
   

   Ensure that the user has administrator rights when they try to access Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting.

   You can also try running Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting as administrator as per steps below.

   • Ensure User Account Control is turned off. Refer to article if needed.
   • Open the Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting installation folder e.g. Pastel19
   • Look for the Partner.exe application file, right-click on the file and select Properties.
   • Click on the tab Compatibility and click on the option Run this program as an administrator as below. If required you can click on Change settings for all users button and change this for all user that use this machine. 

   

   
   

6. Turn off User Account Control

   We recommend that you turn off User Account Control, disable anti-virus and disable firewall. Please note that some of the features for Sage Pastel Accounting do not function properly if the User Account Control is on. Refer to article How do I turn off User Account Control, if needed.

7. Missing Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting files

   The error can also occur if there are missing files that Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting needs to run. To resolve this you need to run a repair on Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting . Click here for steps on how to run a repair on Sage 50cloud Pastel Accounting.

8. Disabling Anti-Virus and Disabling Firewall

   Please note that you need to contact your IT Technician or Network Administrator before disabling anti-virus and disabling firewall. You can enable anti-virus software and firewall after the installation.

   If you do not want to disable firewall, you can try adding the ports for Pervasive. Refer to Article How to add the Pervasive database and ports to the Windows firewall, if needed.

9. Windows is not up to date

   The error can also occur if Windows is not up to date. Please ensure that your machine is using the latest Windows Updates. 

   Please ensure that Windows Updates are up to date.  To check for Windows updates, follow these steps:

   1. Open Windows Update by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Windows Update, and then, in the list of results, click Windows Update.
   2. In the left pane, click Check for updates, and then wait while Windows looks for the latest updates for your computer.
   3. If any updates are found, download the latest Windows Updates and install.
   4. The machine will need to be restarted for the changes to take effect. 

    NOTE: If you experience issues installing or downloading Windows Updates, please contact your IT Consultant. 

Please also refer to article Prerequisites of Sage 50c installation to ensure your machine has the Prerequisites of Sage 50c installation.