Frequently asked questions

What laboratory owners ask and our answers

These are the questions laboratory owners ask before they choose their software. Each answer says what the program does today.

Trial and running it

Is Clarus LIS free?

No. It is sold as a perpetual licence per computer, at a published price. But you try it before you pay: a 14-day free trial with every feature, on the same edition you buy. When the trial ends the program becomes read-only until you activate the licence on the same installation, and your data stays as it is. Moving the licence and the laboratory website need an activated copy.

What does the program need to run?

A computer running 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11. The database is included in the installer, so there is nothing else to install, and daily work needs no internet.

Why does the program not run on Windows 7?

Because Clarus LIS is built on a modern technology stack that Windows 7 cannot run, and because patient data should not be kept on a system that Microsoft no longer protects. Each of these reasons is enough on its own:

  • Windows 7 support has ended for good: Microsoft ended its extended support on 14 January 2020, and its last paid security updates (ESU) on 10 January 2023. Every vulnerability found in it since then stays open, with no fix.
  • The engine: Clarus LIS runs on the Python 3.14 engine embedded in its installer, and under Python’s official policy Python 3.14 runs only on Windows 10 and newer. The last Python that ran on Windows 7 was 3.8, and it is no longer updated either.
  • The database: The program keeps your laboratory records in PostgreSQL 18, the enterprise database engine that guarantees the integrity of every save (ACID), and it officially requires Windows 10 or later.
  • Screens and PDF reports: The program’s screens and its PDF export run on the Chromium engine of Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, and the last version of either for Windows 7 was 109, whose security updates stopped early in 2023.
  • Branch linking and access from outside: The modern linking tools that connect branches and let the manager reach the laboratory from outside, among them Tailscale, a private network encrypted with the WireGuard protocol, run only on Windows 10 and later. On Windows 7 a laboratory would lose the strongest and safest ways to link.
  • Encryption and protection: The program encrypts the connection between the laboratory’s computers with a certificate of its own through OpenSSL 3 and TLS 1.3, checks every update by its digital signature, and protects access from outside with two-step verification. None of these layers protects anything on an operating system that is no longer patched.
  • If we supported Windows 7: We would have to go back to old versions of every one of these components, which no longer receive security updates, and take away the program’s strongest features. That is why the installer refuses any system older than Windows 10, and runs on 64-bit Windows only.

The fix is simple: any computer with 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 runs the program with every feature, and if you are buying a new computer, choose Windows 11.

Reports, tests and support

Does the report print with my laboratory's letterhead, and can I export it as PDF?

Yes. The program prints the whole report itself, with your laboratory's logo, name, contact details and address in the header, so no pre-printed paper is needed. A laboratory administrator can change the report title, logo, colours and layout at any time. Reports download as PDF files and end with three signature places, for the lab technician, the clinical pathologist and an authorised signatory, each with an uploaded signature or a blank line to sign by hand.

Can I add my own tests and edit the reference ranges?

Yes. The program ships with a catalogue of 1,300 tests, 202 of which are enabled at installation; the laboratory enables whichever of the rest it wants. For 112 tests in the catalogue the reference range changes with sex or age. A laboratory administrator or manager adds new tests from the catalogue screen or from a CSV file, and edits each test's reference range by sex and age, with critical limits. Every change to a reference range is saved as a new version that waits for approval.

How do I learn the program, and how do I reach you?

A user manual is built into the program in Arabic and English; it works without internet and prints on paper. For support and questions, message us on WhatsApp.

Your data and the internet

What happens to my data if the computer fails?

The program takes a backup automatically every day, verifies every copy, and warns you if backups stop. Because a copy on the same disk does not survive that disk failing, you name a second disk or a USB drive and every new backup is copied to it automatically; the program tells you when that drive is not attached. From the backup screen you can run a real restore test: the copy is restored into a separate database and its counts are compared with what was saved, without touching your data.

Can I bring my previous program's data into Clarus?

If your previous program is the one our migration page names, you bring its data across yourself, from inside the program: Clarus reads its database (Access .mdb or SQL Server) directly, with no Access or SQL Server installed, and shows you the counts of what it found before it writes anything: patients, visits, requested tests and their results, your test catalogue with its names, reference ranges and priced packages. From any other program, our team brings your data across for you from CSV or Excel (.xlsx) files.

Does it work without internet, and when does it need it?

All daily work runs on your laboratory's own computer without internet. The internet is used for optional services, among them: activating the licence (a phone can be used instead), updates, publishing your laboratory website and patients reading their report by QR code, and sending WhatsApp, SMS and email messages.

As your laboratory grows

Can I link my laboratory's computers and branches?

Yes. You link your laboratory's computers and branches so they all work as one laboratory: through your own routes with no fee from us, or through Clarus Link, a paid service. Each computer carries its own licence.

Can I manage my laboratory from outside it?

Yes. You manage your laboratory from anywhere.

Does it issue Egyptian e-receipts and e-invoices?

The program prepares them on your computer today: you map each test to its tax service code, and each document is checked before it goes into a local queue. It will send them straight to the Egyptian Tax Authority.

Licence, users and buying

Can I move my licence to a new computer?

Yes. On the old computer you press "Move this licence to another computer" in the program; it gives you a code you read to us, and we release your same serial for the new computer, with its original term. What moves is an activated licence, not a trial copy.

How many users can work on it?

There is no limit on user accounts: several people work on the licensed computer, each with their own account and role. Other computers in your laboratory, each with its own licence, link to it at no extra fee.

How do I buy it?

Message us on WhatsApp. After the purchase we send you the licence serial number; you activate it on the same installation, online or by phone, and your data stays as it is. The price is on the pricing page.

Are updates free?

Yes, for the life of the licence. The program checks for updates by itself whenever it is online, and you download and install one in two clicks, with a rollback copy. You can also check by hand under Administration, then Advanced, then License & Updates.

Still have a question?

Message us on WhatsApp, or download the program and try it for 14 days with every feature.

WhatsApp Send the download link to your computer