Any pointers for using Eform for Form 1

[punkinhead]

I'm trying to use Eforms and it's got to be the most frustrating thing I've ever tried. Error messages at every step and the save button apparently doesn't work. And if I get all the way through and click "pay" I get a meaningless error message and can't go any further. I've read all the bulletins that get sent by the ATF after registration and they're not very helpful. Has anyone written a lessons learned on how to actually get a form filed using this abortion of a system?

[Bendersquint]

I'm trying to use Eforms and it's got to be the most frustrating thing I've ever tried. Error messages at every step and the save button apparently doesn't work. And if I get all the way through and click "pay" I get a meaningless error message and can't go any further. I've read all the bulletins that get sent by the ATF after registration and they're not very helpful. Has anyone written a lessons learned on how to actually get a form filed using this abortion of a system?

Until the system is up and functional again a lesson on how to use it is pointless.

I haven't been able to get it running for more than 10 minutes at a time in awhile now.

[punkinhead]

Last night was the first time I've tried using the website. I didn't realize it wasn't functioning as designed by a government agency. You'd think they put a message up saying it wasn't.

[Capt. Link.]

Former yo-mama care programers wrote that and you paid for them!

[whispershot]

I haven't been able to get it running for more than 10 minutes at a time in awhile now.

Can someone post the date of their last successful e-file? If anyone's had a recent e-file go through, what browser and browser version were you using?

BTW, here is another thread with some more e-file info. viewtopic.php?f=10&t=121944

[66427vette]

3 to 4 weeks ago. Everything done on safari.

[Scared_of_zombies]

The farthest I got was to get to entering the manufacturer info for a home made suppressor. Enter "Form 1 registration" for the manufacturer. I've spent ten hours off and on trying to fill out the form, but haven't made it past the third step.

I have been using Mozilla Firefox, because IE doesn't work at all. Lately you cant even log in.

[KML]

I got 3 in Saturday the 8th using Chrome. That was the last time I've tried.

I had a hard time getting in for about a week and on a whim I started clearing my cookies, cache and temp files before each log-in and it's worked pretty well.

I still had a problem with the "auto populate" fields not filling in when I select something but found that clicking "next" to go to the next page and then "back" updates them.

[KML]

I just finished another for an SBR. It took about 35 minutes and I got kicked out after paying when I hit "sign and submit". Closed the browser and reopened it, logged in and the draft was there. Selected it and it completed automatically. I got the confirmation email as I was logging out.

This time I opened chrome in an "incognito" window. All that does is open it with no extensions and doesn't save any cache files (like "private" in IE) so you don't have to go manually clear everything every time. Seemed to work ok but the site was slower than the last time I submitted one. Also, as long as the little "I'm thinking" circle is going roundy roundy let it think, don't click on other things to try to speed it up. It can take 2 minutes or more for it to process and be ready for the next thing.

Hope it helps...

[punkinhead]

I finally managed to complete 2 forms last night, although it was still painfully slow and filled with errors and restarts. One thing worth knowing is on the screen where you input the model/caliber/serial number. Go ahead and select "silencer" and fill in caliber and S/N. Don't click the button indicating your model doesn't exist. Hit the back button. Go forward to that screen again then click the button saying a description isn't available (can't remember the exact wording) and you'll have a chance to make up a model name.

Some other hints:
* Don't click any button until the page has fully loaded - even if the page is mostly rendered and it's taking forever. Go have a cup of coffee and come back. If you click early it'll likely give an error.
* Under manufacturer put in "FMI" then click verify if you're making your own suppressor
* When (not if) the site bombs out you might want to close the browser, restart, and clear cache & cookies before logging in again. I couldn't tell if this really helped or not but Google turned up some folks who seemed to think so.
* I don't know if it helps to attach any supporting documentation for your new model (like a drawing). I didn't. There's a warning in yellow that a new model might delay approval and supporting documentation will help, but I haven't drawn up plans yet.

[whispershot]

THANKS punkinhead! That info is great! I'm trying this morning hoping that the time of day may have something to do with success. So far I can't even get logged in though. I found this notice from ATF:

System Maintenance

To address ongoing system issues, such as slowness or access limitations, daily restarts of the eForms servers will be conducted at the following times (all times are Eastern) until further notice:

4:00 am – 5:00 am
9:00 am – 10:00 am
NOON – 1:00 pm
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Restarts will take approximately one hour to complete during which time eForms will not be available. This is only a temporary measure until a more permanent solution is implemented.

Thanks again for the info punkinhead! Your Googlefu skills are superior to mine.

UPDATE: I finally got an eform 1 submitted. I was using Google Chrome ver 33.0.1750.152 on a Mac. I tried FireFox and Safari, but Chrome seemed to work best for me. Also, the system seemed to work faster right after one of the scheduled "restarts" above. As both KML and punkinhead say above, the main thing is not to get in a hurry; wait for the "thinking cursor" to go away before you click on the next item/button.

[Elkins45]

I got one through tonight, but it took three hours and a lot of refreshes and do overs.

I hear that they are going to be upgrading their server next week to a Pentium!

[Slow Hand]

I was finally able to get one through this past Sunday morning. I've tried several times before with no luck. It went slick as can be using Google Chrome. I got another email Monday letting me know if was underway after my trust being aproved as a manufacturer.