Question
I am having some issues with:
- My Sidebar not working as expected; or
- Accessing new HotDoc features due to my software being out of date
I've been told to restart the HotDoc services on my computer to fix this. How do I do this?
Solution
The HotDoc services run on your computer or server and connect HotDoc to your Practice Management System (PMS). Restarting these services is an easy step that can resolve common Sidebar issues and help ensure your software is up to date.
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Please note, if your clinic uses Best Practice as your Practice Management System, these steps are no longer relevant after the switch to Halo Connect. If you are experiencing connection issues, please see: Why does HotDoc show a Best Practice connection error? (No PMS) |
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In this article |
When to restart the HotDoc services
Restarting the HotDoc services can resolve different issues depending on where they are restarted.
| If you’re experiencing… | Restart services on… |
|---|---|
| Sidebar is blank or white | The affected computer |
| Sidebar is unresponsive | The affected computer |
| Sidebar shows “No PMS” | The affected computer |
| Sidebar shows “Login unavailable (HotDoc Service not started)” | The affected computer |
| Missing features or recent updates | Your clinic’s server |
If restarting the services on the affected computer doesn’t resolve the issue, try restarting them on your clinic’s server as well. |
Example of a service error you may encounter
Before you start
| You will need administrator access on the device to complete these steps. If you don't have this level of access, please contact your Practice Manager or your IT provider. |
How to restart the HotDoc services
To restart the services, please follow these steps:
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If you are logged into the Sidebar, firstly log out by clicking on the Logout button, then close the Sidebar by selecting the X in the top right corner. If not logged in, then just close the Sidebar.
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On your Windows taskbar, next to the Start button (this may look slightly different depending on the Windows version you are running) type in 'Services' in the search field.
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Open up the 'Services' App.
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Scroll down and locate:
- The HotDoc Manager service
- The HotDoc Updater service
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For each service:
- Right-click the service
- Select Restart
- If Restart is not available, click Start instead
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If the Start or Restart options are greyed out, your user account may not have administrator access to manage services. To resolve this, log in with an administrator account (if you have access), or contact your IT provider for assistance. |
- Reopen the Sidebar and try logging in again.
If you’ve followed the steps above and are still experiencing issues with your Sidebar, please contact HotDoc Support and provide details of the issue so our Support Team can assist you further. |
FAQs
Should I restart the services on the computer experiencing the issue or the main server?
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It depends on the issue you’re experiencing.
- If the Sidebar is not working (e.g. blank, unresponsive, showing errors), restart the services on the computer with the issue.
- If your practice is missing features or updates, restart the services on your clinic’s server.
If you’re unsure, start with the computer experiencing the issue.
Why is the Start/Restart button greyed out?
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This usually means your user account does not have administrator access to manage services on the computer.
To proceed, log in with an administrator account (if someone at the clinic has access), or contact your IT provider for assistance.
How do I get access to the clinic server?
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Access to the clinic server is typically managed by your IT provider.
If you don’t already have access, you’ll need to:
- Log in using server credentials (if provided), or
- Contact your IT support team to complete the steps on your behalf
What to expect after restarting
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After restarting the services:
- The service status should show as Running
- HotDoc should reconnect to your Practice Management System (PMS) within a few minutes
- The Sidebar should load normally and any errors should clear
If the issue continues
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If you’re still experiencing issues:
- Confirm the services were restarted on the correct computer (or server)
- Try restarting the computer
- Contact your IT provider if you’re unable to complete the steps
If the issue persists, please contact HotDoc Support for further assistance; our team will be happy to help.