Support
BenchNotes is made by one person. Write to me directly.
What to include
It saves a round trip if your first email has these in it.
- What you were doing when it went wrong, in your own words.
- What you expected to happen, and what happened instead.
- Your version of Windows — 10 or 11.
- If it is about a video: what you filmed on, and the file's name and size.
- If it is about your licence: the email address you bought with. Do not send your licence key unless I ask for it.
Never send me a season file or game video to look at unless I have asked. They contain your players' names, and I would rather not have them.
Things that come up often
Windows says the installer is not safe
Expected, and not a problem. Click More info, then Run anyway, and check that the publisher is Brian Astl. Windows warns about any new program until it has seen enough people install it. There is more about this on the download section of the home page.
I bought a licence and have not had a key
Keys are sent by hand, so there is a gap between paying and getting one — usually a few hours, occasionally overnight if you bought late. If a day has gone by, write to me and I will sort it out.
I have a new laptop
A licence covers three computers. If all three are used and you need to move to a new one, email me and I will free up a spot. There is no charge for this.
My video will not play
Some cameras and phones record in a format Windows cannot play back directly. BenchNotes will notice and offer to make a converted copy, leaving your original file alone. If it does not offer, or the conversion fails, tell me what you filmed on.
My free month ran out
Everything you tagged is still there and still readable. You can open your seasons, read every statistic and map, watch your video and export your clips and spreadsheets. Only tagging new plays stops until you buy a licence.
Something is wrong with a statistic
Worth telling me, with the game and the number you expected. Some of them look wrong and are not — plus/minus leaves out power-play goals, for example, because that is the official rule. The Help section inside the app explains the ones that catch people out.