# Troubleshooting
This guide covers the most common issues with ePanicButton and how to resolve them.
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## Installation Issues
### Installation fails or stops partway through
1. Right-click the installer and choose **Run as Administrator** — do not double-click
2. Approve any UAC (User Account Control) prompts
3. Confirm **.NET Framework 4.7 or higher** is installed on the workstation
4. Verify **PowerShell is enabled** on the machine (required for installation scripts)
5. Temporarily disable antivirus during installation, then re-enable it and add exceptions afterward (see Antivirus section below)
### Program was installed but user does not appear in portal
- Allow 1–2 minutes for the portal to sync after a fresh install
- Confirm the correct **Registration ID** was entered during installation
- Refresh the Users tab in the portal
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## Program Won't Open or Crashes
1. Right-click the ePanicButton shortcut and choose **Run as Administrator**
2. Restart the workstation and try again
3. Check that no other user is already logged in on the same workstation — only one login is allowed per machine at a time
4. Review the Windows **Event Viewer** for error codes and forward them to support
---
## Buttons Not Sending Alerts
1. Confirm the button is set to **Active** in the portal (Buttons tab)
2. Confirm the button has at least one **receiver** configured (Buttons tab → Receivers icon)
3. Check that the workstation is **connected**
4. Restart the ePanicButton client on the sender's workstation
5. Check if a **delay setting** is configured — if set to 5 or 10 seconds, the user may have cancelled the alert
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## Desktop Alerts Not Being Received
1. Confirm the receiving workstation has ePanicButton installed and **running**
2. Confirm the receiver is added to the button's receiver list with **Desktop Alert** enabled
3. Check antivirus and Windows Defender to ensure ePanicButton is not being blocked
---
## Email or SMS Alerts Delayed
This is usually caused by spam filtering at the email provider or mobile carrier level.
- Delays of 1–5 minutes are normal for email and SMS
- Ask recipients to whitelist alerts from ePanicButton in their email client
- If delays are consistently more than 10 minutes, contact support
---
## Antivirus or Windows Defender Blocking the Program
Add exceptions for the following in your antivirus software:
- The ePanicButton folder in `C:\Program Files(x86)\
- The ePanicButton folder in `C:\ProgramData\ePanicButton\
- All `.exe` files within both of those folders: ePanicClient.exe, ePanicButtonReceiver.exe and updater.exe
**For Windows Defender specifically:**
1. Open Windows Security → Virus & Threat Protection
2. Go to **Manage Settings** → **Exclusions**
3. Click **Add an Exclusion** → Folder
4. Add both folders listed above
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## File Permission Issues
If the program launches but fails to save settings or sync:
1. Right-click `C:\ProgramData\ePanicButton` → Properties → Security
2. Give the current user (or "Everyone") **Full Control** permissions
3. Repeat for any other ePanicButton folders under `C:\Program Files`
4. Restart the program
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## Log Files
If you need to report an issue to support, log files are located at:
```
C:\ProgramData\ePanicButton\Logging\
```
Attach the most recent log file when contacting support — it helps diagnose issues faster.
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## Still Need Help?
support@epanicbutton.com |