Help » oDesk Team Application » Windows
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The oDesk Team application is our time tracking tool for hourly assignments. It is the cornerstone of our payment guarantee - the oDesk Team application records your activity level and logs snapshots of your work. These are uploaded to your work diary for you and your buyer to review. And since we've automated the time-tracking and billing processes, you never have to file a time sheet or send an invoice! (Learn more about what the oDesk Team app does and does not record.)
You must log all working time on hourly assignments with the oDesk Team application to qualify for our payment guarantee.
This video will guide you through the installation procedure and help you select which of the oDesk tools you'll need to install.
oDesk Team is the core application that enables providers to log and record time, screenshots and work memos. The records are automatically uploaded to a convenient work diary with a filmstrip-like view of all work activity that can be browsed by both buyers and providers.
Providers should log all their time working on hourly assignments with the oDesk Team application to qualify for the oDesk payment guarantee. Logging time is optional on fixed-price assignments.
The Screensnap tool allows any oDesk user to very quickly capture, annotate and upload desktop image captures and share them with colleagues. This can be useful for communicating requirements or bugs with a remote team.
All users are welcome to use the Screensnap tool to foster effective communication - no active assignment required.
The MiniCam tool allows you to see a streaming video from your own webcam as a window or in your system tray.
We encourage users with webcams to enable them in the oDesk Team application, but it is always optional.
If you have an error installing the oDesk Pack (including the most common "...not valid win32 app..." error), the problem is most likely that your connection was interrupted before the download process was complete. In these and other rare error cases, please take the following steps to resolve the issue:
- Remove all previously downloaded oDesk files. This includes uninstalling any current version of the oDesk Pack and deleting any installation files.
- Restart your computer, log in as a System Administrator and download the file again. We strongly recommend downloading with Firefox.
- When you download the file, don't choose "run" or "open". Choose "save" and save it somewhere easily accessible (ie. Desktop or My Documents). Then double-click on the file to run the installation.
If you still receive an error, try steps 1-3 again, but this time...
- Download from a different browser (downloading using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer resolves nearly all installation errors).
- Download using a different internet connection or service provider, if one is available.
- Clear your temporary files first. To do this, go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. Choose your C drive (or whichever drive the files are on) and click OK. Make sure the following items are checked (if they appear in your list): Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files and Temporary Files. Click OK.
- At a different time of day when your internet service provider may have less traffic.
Please contact Customer Support if you are unable to resolve your installation with the help of this troubleshooting guide. Be sure to include your operating system, browser and internet connection details. Provide the exact error message you are receiving, a detailed description of what you did before you received the error message, what you've tried so far to resolve the error and a screenshot of the error message (if possible).
...not valid win32 app...
This is the result of a downloading and installation issue. Please follow our installation troubleshooting guide. Downloading using the Firefox browser while logged in as a system administrator will nearly always resolve the issue.
0X80040154, Fatal Error running oDesk Preferences
- Make sure you have Administrator permissions.
- Try to manually register 'atl.dll'. Click 'Start' > choose 'Run' > type 'regsvr32 atl.dll' > click OK.
SSL Certification Expired
This error message is most often seen when the user's time and date settings on their computer are incorrect. Please check these settings and submit a private help request with oDesk support if you experience any further issues.
Vista Firewall Incompatibility
Some users running Vista have problems with their system firewall blocking the oDesk application. If this happens, grant an exception to oDesk Team in the firewall settings. It may also be necessary to right click on the oDesk icon and choose "Run as Administrator" in order to log in.
The oDesk Team client is able to provide detailed information that is helpful in troubleshooting. In order to log the steps go to Preferences, Log tab, choose 'Detailed' logging and select do not append to the existing log file. The log information will be stored at: C:\Documents and Settings\Local Settings\Application Data\oDesk Click on the 'Start' button. Information about the event will be captured during login. Once this is completed, contact Customer Support and attach the file to the ticket.
