Call a controlled hold
Tell the auctioneer the clerk workstation is unavailable. Hold the active lot unless a separate approved clerk can continue without guessing.
REFERENCE 05CLERKING CONTINUITY
Clerking Computer Failure During a Live Auction
Use this field runbook when the clerk’s computer or clerking application stops working, or the clerk workstation loses access while lots are still being sold.
Protect the last confirmed sale result first. Then identify whether the fault is the workstation, application, network, primary data host or only a peripheral, and switch to a tested backup method without creating a second version of the sale record.
BUILT FORSmall auction housesAuctioneersClerksSimulcast operatorsTechnical leads
FIRST 60 SECONDS
Protect the sale state before troubleshooting the computer.
In the first minute, establish what has failed and where the sale record stopped. Do not let the next lot make the last confirmed result uncertain.
HOLD → MARK → ISOLATE → CUT OVER
Mark the last confirmed result
Write down the last completed lot, hammer price, bidder number and exact point at which the screen or application stopped responding.
Do not keep typing blindly
If the screen is frozen, input may still be buffered or reaching another system. Stop entry until you know whether keystrokes are being accepted.
Check from one known-good device
Use another authorized workstation or platform status view to learn whether the problem is local or shared. Do not reboot every device at once.
Choose how new results will be recorded
Move to a warm spare, approved secondary workstation or temporary manual log only after the auctioneer knows how new results will be captured.
Mark where the interruption starts
Record the first lot affected by the failure. Every result from that point until normal clerking resumes must be reconciled before invoicing.
FAST TRIAGE
Match the symptom to the safest first action.
Use this table before restarting, swapping or recreating anything. It keeps a local device problem from turning into a larger record-keeping problem.
| Condition | Likely scope | Preferred operational action | Do not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop powered off; other stations see current data | Local workstation | Move the clerk to the tested spare and confirm the last completed lot before new entry. | Spend the live-sale window repairing the failed laptop. |
| Application frozen; OS and network healthy | Application/session | Protect the last visible state, check whether the result committed elsewhere, then use the supported application recovery path. | Keep clicking Save or entering lots blindly. |
| Several workstations lose the same auction data | Shared host/data path | Hold the sale, protect the primary data set and follow the approved host/server recovery procedure. | Create separate local copies on multiple machines. |
| Local clerking works; remote platform unreachable | Internet/cloud path | Use the internet-outage runbook and determine whether the sale can continue without remote bidding. | Assume local clerking proves remote bidders are still represented. |
| Monitor, keyboard or dock fails | Peripheral | Substitute the failed peripheral while leaving the known-good computer and data session intact when possible. | Reboot the whole workstation before checking the replaceable component. |
| No electronic backup is ready | Continuity gap | Use a controlled hold or a pre-approved manual log with a clear first and last affected lot. | Continue from memory and reconstruct results after the sale. |
WHAT ACTUALLY FAILED?
A dead clerk screen can represent five different failures.
Classify the fault before choosing a recovery action. The safest response for a dead laptop is not the same as the response for lost cloud access or a failed monitor.
The computer lost power, crashed or will not boot.
The local machine is unavailable. Do not spend the live sale troubleshooting one dead computer if a tested spare can reach the current sale data.
The computer works but the clerking application is frozen or closed.
Preserve the last visible state and determine whether another session still sees current data. Use the software’s supported restart, reconnect or alternate-station procedure.
Several workstations cannot reach the auction data.
A primary workstation, local server, database service or shared data location may be unavailable. Treat this as a shared-system outage rather than swapping one laptop after another.
The local computer is healthy but the hosted or simulcast path is unreachable.
Separate local sale capture from internet-dependent bidding and services. If remote bidding is affected, use the internet outage runbook.
The computer works but the display, keyboard, mouse, dock or power adapter failed.
Substitute the failed peripheral before restarting the whole workstation. A dark monitor or dead USB device is not proof that the auction data is lost.
OPERATING PRINCIPLE
Recover the clerk role, not the failed computer.
The goal is not to make one laptop work again. The goal is to keep one accurate sequence of lot, hammer price, winning bidder, quantity and sale status while the auctioneer continues or pauses the sale.
A spare workstation is useful only if it can open the correct auction, reach the live sale data, accept the clerk’s credentials and pass completed results to the next stage. If the failed computer was also the primary data host, simply moving the keyboard to another laptop may not restore the sale.
Protect the last confirmed lot
Know the last completed result before any restart, reconnect, failover or manual entry begins.
Identify the system of record
Know whether the live sale record is local, on a primary workstation, on a server or hosted remotely.
Move clerking to one backup station
Choose one person and one station as the active clerk. Do not let two clerks enter results at the same time.
Reconcile every affected lot
Record the first and last affected lots so every result captured during recovery can be checked once normal operation returns.
Published August 9, 2026 · Prepared by Jasper Auction’s small volunteer community
FAILURE PATTERNS
Match the fix to what actually failed.
A quick symptom check helps distinguish a local device fault from a larger auction-system failure.
Computer may still be running.
Check power indicators, external display state, dock and cable before forcing power off. If another display is available, substitute it first.
Application may be stalled while the operating system remains healthy.
Stop keystrokes, note the lot on screen and confirm whether a second authorized station sees the same result before terminating the application.
The spare may be healthy but unable to reach the correct live auction.
Check network, credentials, data location and workstation role. Do not create a fresh auction file merely to keep entering results.
This is probably not one clerk computer.
Check the shared data host, switch, router, cloud service and power path. Move into the appropriate system-outage procedure rather than cycling individual PCs.
CONTINUITY MODES
Choose the safest way to keep one sale record.
The best fallback is a warm spare that has already completed a real clerk handoff test. A manual log is only a temporary bridge; it should never become a second sale record.
Warm spare workstation
Preferred when the data source remains healthy. The spare should already have the required software or browser profile, credentials, network path and power adapter.
Approved secondary workstation
Use when the auction platform supports multiple workstations and the secondary can assume the clerking role without duplicating or detaching the active data set.
Manual continuity log
Use only for a short, controlled period when the auctioneer accepts the risk and the clerk can record every required field clearly. Reconcile before invoice, settlement or release.
Controlled sale hold
Use when no reliable record path exists, the last confirmed lot is uncertain, remote bidders cannot be represented safely or the backup operator cannot keep pace.
SMALL-TEAM CONTROL
One person can wear several hats, but the handoff needs one owner.
Assign who decides whether the auction continues, who records results during the gap and who verifies the reconciled data afterward.
| Role | Immediate responsibility | Key evidence | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auctioneer | Hold or pace the sale so the clerk does not lose the sequence. | Last acknowledged lot, bidder and hammer amount. | Decides whether the sale continues under the approved fallback. |
| Clerk | Stop uncertain input, mark the last confirmed result and move to the designated entry method. | Clerking screen, notes, sequence and last saved result. | Records results; does not invent a new system-of-record path. |
| Technical lead / manager | Classify the fault and prepare the spare or supported recovery path. | Power, network, host, application and workstation state. | Authorizes the move to backup and the return to normal operation. |
| Simulcast operator | Confirm whether remote bidding and online lot state remain synchronized. | Platform event state, active lot and remote bid history. | Requests a hold when remote bidders cannot be represented safely. |
| Cashier / settlement | Keep affected results out of invoice, payment, settlement and release until reconciliation is complete. | Invoice state and list of affected lots. | Blocks checkout and settlement until the affected lots are reconciled. |
RECOVERY RUNBOOK
Restore clerking in this order.
Do not chase the fastest reboot. Use the quickest route back to one accurate sale record that the team can verify.
- 01
Hold the active lot and identify the handoff point
State the lot number aloud and record the last completed lot, hammer price and winning bidder. If the current lot has not been declared sold, keep it open or restart it only under the auctioneer’s direction.
- 02
Freeze uncertain input
Stop typing into a frozen or partially responsive application. Do not click repeatedly, force multiple saves or ask another clerk to re-enter the same lot until you know whether the original session committed the result.
- 03
Classify local versus shared failure
Check one independent authorized station or status view. If only the clerk workstation is affected, prepare the spare. If multiple stations lost the same service, troubleshoot the shared host, network, platform or power path.
- 04
Protect the live sale data
Do not overwrite, restore or create a replacement data set while the location of the current sale record is uncertain. If the failed workstation also hosted the primary auction data, follow the software vendor’s documented promotion or restore procedure.
- 05
Move clerking to the tested backup
Open the correct auction on the warm spare or approved secondary workstation. Confirm user permissions, network access, current auction, ring and the last completed result before entering anything new.
- 06
Test one result before speeding back up
Enter or verify one controlled result and confirm that checkout or the next stage can see it. If that handoff fails, the spare is not ready for live use.
- 07
Use a temporary manual log only when necessary
If electronic clerking cannot be restored quickly and the auctioneer approves continuation, record each lot in sequence with lot number, hammer price, bidder number, quantity, pass/unsold state and clerk initials. Mark the start time and first affected lot.
- 08
Keep the failed workstation out of the live path
Troubleshoot or reboot it away from the active clerk function. Do not allow it to reconnect and begin writing records again until the technical lead has confirmed which station is the active clerk.
- 09
Mark the end of the interruption
Record the last lot handled under the fallback method and the exact time normal clerking resumed. Reconcile every affected result against the auctioneer’s sequence, manual log and available platform history.
- 10
Release checkout and settlement only after reconciliation
Verify bidder, hammer amount, quantity and lot status for every affected lot, then confirm invoices and settlement totals. Keep the incident record with the sale file and turn the failure into a pre-sale test for the next event.
MANUAL BRIDGE
If you must clerk manually, make the gap easy to reconcile.
A paper or offline log is useful only when the team can identify exactly where it began, preserve the order of lots and capture enough information to recreate the main electronic sale record once the primary path returns.
Do not treat the bridge log as a license to accelerate the sale. Slow the pace until the clerk can record each result clearly and the auctioneer can confirm bidder and hammer amount.
Lot and sequence
Record each lot exactly as sold, including suffixes, grouped lots, choice or pass-out structure where used.
Hammer and buyer
Write the hammer price and bidder number clearly. Repeat the values back when the pace or acoustics create uncertainty.
Sale disposition
Mark sold, pass, no-sale, withdrawn or other operational status rather than leaving a blank row for staff to interpret later.
Start and stop boundary
Record the first affected lot, handoff time, last manually captured lot and the time electronic clerking resumed.
Printable clerking continuity log
Keep a copy at the clerk position or download the plain-text version for the backup station.
CLERKING COMPUTER FAILURE — CONTINUITY LOG SALE / RING: ______________________________________________ DATE: ___________________ TIMEZONE: _____________________ FAILURE TIME: ___________ FIRST AFFECTED LOT: __________ LAST CONFIRMED ELECTRONIC LOT: _____________________________ ACTIVE CLERK: _____________________________________________ AUCTIONEER / AUTHORIZER: __________________________________ FAILURE TYPE: [ ] Workstation / power [ ] Clerking application [ ] Primary data host / server [ ] Network / cloud access [ ] Display / keyboard / peripheral [ ] Unknown CONTINUITY MODE: [ ] Warm spare workstation [ ] Approved secondary workstation [ ] Manual log [ ] Sale held LOT | HAMMER | BIDDER | QTY / STATUS | CLERK NOTE ____|________|________|______________|_____________________ ____|________|________|______________|_____________________ ____|________|________|______________|_____________________ ____|________|________|______________|_____________________ ____|________|________|______________|_____________________ ____|________|________|______________|_____________________ NORMAL CLERKING RESUMED AT: ________________________________ LAST FALLBACK LOT: ________________________________________ RECONCILED BY: ____________________________________________ INVOICES / SETTLEMENT RELEASED BY: _________________________ INCIDENT NOTES: ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
RECONCILIATION
A working spare does not mean the incident is over.
The incident is closed only after the affected lots agree across clerking, checkout, invoicing and settlement records.
| Check | Compare | Pass condition | If it fails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot sequence | Electronic log, fallback log and auctioneer sequence | Every affected lot appears once with the correct disposition. | Hold invoices for the affected lots and rebuild the sequence first. |
| Buyer and hammer | Clerk log, bid source and available platform history | Winning bidder and price match the accepted result. | Use the wrong bidder correction runbook or other authorized sale-record procedure. |
| Duplicate records | Old workstation/session and new active workstation | No lot was entered twice because both paths became live. | Preserve the audit trail and correct only through the supported edit workflow. |
| Invoice handoff | Clerking results against checkout/invoice state | Every affected result reaches the correct buyer invoice once. | Block payment and release until the sale record is corrected. |
| Settlement | Seller totals, fees, tax and buyer totals | Final totals reflect the reconciled clerking record. | Keep the incident open and isolate the affected lots from closeout. |
PRE-SALE PREVENTION
Test the clerk handoff, not just the spare laptop.
A spare is not a real backup until the team has successfully handed clerking over to it during a test.
Prepare the whole clerk role.
Keep the spare updated with the required software or browser profile, charger, network lead, display adapter and input devices. Confirm the right credentials before sale day.
Know where the live auction data lives.
Document whether the clerk depends on a local primary workstation, shared server, hosted service or synchronized device so staff know what must survive a workstation failure.
Keep a current backup off the primary workstation.
Use the platform’s supported backup method and keep the recovery copy on a different device or location from the computer most likely to fail.
Force one failure before bidders arrive.
Disconnect or shut down the primary clerk workstation, move to the backup, confirm the last lot, enter a test result and verify that checkout receives it correctly.
CONTINUITY APPROACHES
How auction clerking systems handle continuity.
Different systems reduce different failure risks. The point is not to rank products, but to identify which recovery path your own setup can support before sale day.
| System | Continuity approach | What it helps with |
|---|---|---|
| Auction Flex | Documents a secondary-to-primary workstation recovery path and an automatic clerking backup feature that can save auction data to a secondary computer or external drive. | A prepared secondary workstation plus a recent backup provides a documented path away from a failed primary workstation. |
| Wavebid | Provides a Windows Offline Mode for clerking over a local server/client network without a constant internet connection, and can generate printed or blank clerking sheets. | Local clerking can continue when internet access is unreliable, while paper sheets provide a separate manual record path. |
| AuctionMethod ClerkBid | Uses an offline-ready progressive web app model with event data stored locally on the device and optional cloud backup. | Clerking can continue through an internet outage when the local device and application remain available. |
| HammerTrack Pro | Runs locally on Windows, keeps the live-auction database on a host PC, supports a paired cashier workstation over the private local network and includes database-backup access. | Core auction operations are less dependent on the public internet, while built-in backup access provides a local data-protection path. |
OPERATING QUESTIONS
Common questions when the clerking workstation goes down.
The buttons and menus differ by platform, but the same basic checks apply.
- Q1
Should the auctioneer keep selling if the clerking computer fails?
Only if the team has an approved continuity method that can capture each lot, hammer price, buyer number, quantity and special condition without ambiguity. If the last confirmed sale state is uncertain or the backup clerk cannot keep pace, hold the sale until a reliable recording path is restored.
- Q2
Should the clerk restart the computer immediately?
Not until the active lot and the last confirmed clerking record are protected. First determine whether the failure is the computer, the clerking application, the network, the primary data host or only a display or input device. An unnecessary restart can remove useful evidence and prolong recovery.
- Q3
Can a spare laptop simply replace the failed clerk computer?
Only if it is already authorized and tested for the same auction role. Confirm software access, data location, user permissions, network path, power, display and any attached devices before using it to enter new results.
- Q4
Can the clerk continue on paper?
A short manual continuity log can be used when the auction’s procedures allow it and the clerk can capture every required field clearly. Number each entry in sequence, record the exact handoff point and reconcile every manual result into the system before invoices, settlement or release.
- Q5
What if the clerking software is frozen but the computer still works?
Treat it as an application-state problem first. Preserve the last visible lot and result, check whether other workstations or platform services are still live, and use the application’s supported recovery or alternate workstation path before rebooting the entire station.
- Q6
What if the clerking computer lost internet during a simulcast auction?
Separate the local clerking function from the remote bidding path. If the local software still records safely but online bidding is unavailable, use the internet-outage procedure and do not continue a simulcast lot unless the auctioneer can account for remote bidders under the sale’s approved fallback process.
- Q7
How should results entered during the failure be reconciled?
Mark the first and last affected lots. Compare the manual or backup record with the auctioneer’s sequence, platform history and clerk notes, then enter or correct each result once and verify the invoice and settlement totals.
- Q8
What should be tested before the next auction?
Test a real clerk handoff: take the primary workstation out of service, move to the spare, open the correct auction, confirm the last completed lot, enter a test result, verify that checkout sees it and document the time required. A spare that has never completed this handoff is not a proven backup.
FIELD RULE
Do not make the failed computer the center of the incident.
Protect the last confirmed lot, keep one master sale record, move the clerk role to a proven backup path and reconcile every affected lot before invoices are released or property moves. The safest way to recover quickly is the one the team has already tested.