Every till bills through the store server on the store PC. When a till cannot reach it, it says so plainly and keeps your work; it never sells on its own. This guide lists the messages you may see and what to check, in the order that usually finds the cause fastest.
The messages
| Where | Message |
|---|---|
| Starting BooksPOS | "No store server answered at …. On the store PC, check that BooksPOS StoreHost is running." with Try again, Connect to another store PC and, on a PC where the store server is installed, Use this PC's store server |
| Signing in | "The store server is not answering. Check that the store PC is on." |
| While working | The top bar turns red: Store server offline, and "The store server is not answering. Your work on this screen is kept. Check the store PC and the network cable." |
| Completing a bill | "The store server did not confirm this bill. Press Retry: it resends the same bill and cannot charge twice." |
| Connecting a new till | "No store server answered at …. Check the address, and that tills on other PCs are allowed on the store PC." |
| After the owner removed the till | "This PC is not paired with the store server, or its pairing was withdrawn. Ask the owner for a new code on the store PC." |
First: keep the bill safe
- Do not type the bill again on another till while this one shows Retry. When the store PC is back, Retry sends exactly the same bill; if it had been saved, you get it back with its number. Typing it again would make a second sale.
- The bill in progress is kept on the till's disk, even if BooksPOS is closed.
- While the store PC is away, bill on the store PC itself if the customer cannot wait: it works without the network.
What to check
- Is the store PC on and awake? A store PC that went to sleep stops answering. Set Windows' power options so it never sleeps while the shop is open.
- Is the store server running on the store PC? Installed with the installer, it runs as the Windows service BooksPOS StoreHost, starts with Windows and restarts itself after a failure; opening BooksPOS on the store PC also asks Windows to start it. On a store PC set up without the installer, BooksPOS starts the store server itself, so someone has to be signed in with BooksPOS open.
- Can the store PC bill? If the store PC's own BooksPOS works, the store server is fine and the problem is the network.
- Is the till on the same network? Check the cable or Wi-Fi on both PCs. A till on a guest Wi-Fi or a different router cannot see the store PC.
- Did the store PC's address change? The till connects to the address typed when it was paired, for example 192.168.1.10. Many routers give a PC a new address after a restart. On the store PC, Staff & counters › Tills on other PCs shows its current address ("Allowed. On the till PC, connect to …"). If it changed, pair the till again with a new code, and ask whoever looks after your router to give the store PC a fixed address.
- Are tills still allowed? The same line on the store PC must say Allowed. "Not allowed yet" means the store server's shop-network listener is off.
- Windows Firewall. The store PC must accept connections on port 47512 on the private network. If the network was marked Public in Windows, the private rule does not apply: change it to Private. The installer adds the rule when Extra tills on the shop network will connect to this PC is ticked; run it again on the store PC to tick it.
- Was the till removed? If the owner removed it (or it was paired to a store PC that was replaced), make a new code on the store PC and connect again.
When BooksPOS is starting
The start screen never waits without end. Each check of the store server takes a few seconds at most. On the store PC, if the store server is still starting (the first start after an update also updates the database, after a backup), the screen counts the seconds for up to a minute: "Starting the store server on this PC (…)… 12 s". After that it says which address failed and offers the buttons above.
If BooksPOS on the store PC was left pointing at another address on the same PC (for example after testing) and nothing answers there, it goes back to this PC's own store server by itself and remembers it. Use this PC's store server does the same by hand. A till paired with a store PC on the network is never moved by itself: its address changes only when someone pairs it again.
If the counter this PC billed as has been closed on the store PC, or belongs to a store server it no longer uses, BooksPOS bills as the store's first counter, as a new till does, and says so after sign-in: "This PC's counter is not open on the store server any more, so it bills as …". Choose the right counter under Settings › Receipt printer on this PC.
When the till shows the connect screen
If a till opens on Connect to the store PC instead of the sign-in screen, its pairing is gone or was withdrawn. Make a new code on the store PC with Staff & counters › Add a till and connect again. Back returns to the start screen; Use the store server on this PC is only for a PC that is itself a store PC.
Connect to the store PC. A till whose pairing was withdrawn asks for a new code from the owner. Screenshot of the current build (28 Sep 2026), synthetic demo data.
Sending details to support
On the till, Settings › Receipt printer on this PC › Export diagnostics for support saves a zip with versions, health and counts. "Diagnostics saved. They hold no customer names, amounts, passwords or keys." Open a support ticket in the owner portal with the time the problem started, and tell the team you have the diagnostics file: the portal takes pictures, PDFs and text files, not zip files, so the team will tell you how to send it. If BooksPOS showed Something went wrong, quote the reference it showed: Crash reports and how to turn them off explains what that report holds.
Common questions
Why can the till not just sell on its own until the store PC is back?
Because two PCs selling the same stock separately could both sell the last copy and give out the same bill number. The store PC is the only one that writes the shop's records.
The internet is down. Is that why the till stopped?
No. Tills do not need the internet. Look at the store PC and the shop network.
Why can the till not connect every morning until we restart it?
The store PC is probably started after the till, or gets a new address each morning. Start the store PC first, and give it a fixed address on the router.
Can I bill on the store PC while the till is down?
Yes. The store PC always works, with or without the network and the internet.
Related guides
Last updated 28 September 2026. Still stuck? Contact us.