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Sail POS: A terminal is down — troubleshoot it and keep serving from another station

Summary. When a single POS terminal stops responding, staff can simply keep working from any other terminal — Sail doesn't tie a server to one station. Use these checks to get the down terminal back online.

Applies to. Sail POS — all current versions.

Before you start

  • Know which terminal is down
  • If it's a bartender, host, or to-go station with its own cash drawer, know whether another terminal with a working drawer is available

What's happening

A single POS terminal has stopped responding, is frozen, or won't boot — other terminals are unaffected.

Can you keep serving? (triage)

  • Staff can simply log into any other working terminal — no transfer or reassignment needed, this is normal floating between stations.
  • Exception: the down terminal is a bartender/host/to-go station with its own cash drawer, and no other terminal has a working drawer — reassigning a drawer requires Backoffice setup, not a quick in-service fix. Skip to "When you must call."
  • Otherwise: not an emergency. Continue below to get the down terminal working again.

Keep-serving steps

  1. Affected staff simply log into another working terminal and continue as normal.

Get the terminal back online — by symptom

Nothing on screen, no lights, terminal seems completely dead

  1. Check that the power cable is firmly plugged in at both the terminal and the outlet.
  2. If it's plugged into a surge protector or UPS (battery backup), confirm that unit is powered on and hasn't tripped or run out of battery.
  3. Try a different, known-working outlet if one's nearby.

Screen is black, but you can hear or see the machine is running (fan noise, indicator lights on)

  1. This can point to a display issue rather than the whole unit being down. Flag for support — don't attempt to open or repair the screen yourself.

Powered on, but won't finish starting up / never reaches the Sail login screen

  1. Do a full restart: power the terminal off completely, wait about 10 seconds, then power it back on.
  2. If it still won't boot into Windows/Sail after that — this typically needs a technician. Call support.

Black screen with a repeated beeping sound

  1. Don't attempt further troubleshooting. Note how many beeps you hear (e.g., three beeps) — it helps support diagnose the problem faster — and call support.

Touchscreen isn't responding to taps

  1. If a spare USB mouse is available, plug it in — you can keep using the terminal with the mouse while waiting on support.
  2. If the screen doesn't respond at all, even with a mouse connected, call support.

Card reader (swipe/MSR) won't read cards

  1. Unplug and firmly reconnect the card reader's cable, then restart the terminal.
  2. If it still won't read cards, use a different terminal for card payments in the meantime and call support.

Verify it worked

  • Terminal boots normally, Sail launches to the login screen, and a test order/payment goes through.

When you must call

  • All stations down (emergency)
  • A drawer-required station is down and no other terminal has a working drawer
  • Any symptom above flagged as needing support

Restore

  • N/A — getting the terminal back online (above) is the restore step for this one.
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