Matrix user forums

See http://www.matrixmultimedia.com/mmforum ... f=2&t=8782.

I just received my HP299. After uninstalling the trial version I ran FlowcodeV4.exe per the instructions. Received an installation aborted message. If I hadn't asked in the referenced link about this I wouldn't be angry, but I did and I am. How do I fix this?

MY ERROR
http://www.matrixmultimedia.com/support ... f=22&t=594 is my error, but following the directions there did not help. As mentioned in the referenced link my machine is Windows 7 - 64 bit, Home Premium, SP1.

Not to mention my other problem with the LCD clock demo!

edit: To see the steps I followed to resolve this click here http://www.matrixmultimedia.com/mmforum ... 795#p26814

When you install flowcode in windows 7, its best to do it as administrator.
It may not install correctly as a normal user.
Right click on the exe / properties / compatability / check run as administrator /ok
The double click to install

Note Ive found right clicking and selecting run as admin from the dialog menu does not always set full admin properities in the same way as above.

Also you may need to turn off your firewall /security package while you install, then turn it back on.

The above are true for most major software packages though.

As I said, it works fine on my (and lots more members on here as well) system running
Windows 7 Pro X64 SP1
I also have Flowcode 4 dsPIC running as well

What error message are you seeing.

I posted the error. That is how I ran the install. I've spent nearly $1000 US on Matrix products so far, and it hasn't been very enjoyable.

I am contacting the place I bought these products from to see how long I have to send them back for a full refund. That is how long I am going to mess with this.

Something? (Flowcode v4.2.3.58) installed using

flowcodev4 /quiet /le c:\log.txt

I received this

Dear Dewayne xxxxxx,
Thank you for registering Flowcode V4 for PIC, Professional Licence.
Your username and registration code are:
username: Dewayne xxxxxx
code: 7 groups of 6 characters separated by -
To enter your registration details, launch Flowcode V4 for PIC and enter the above details in the 'help..register' window.
If using Flowcode V4.5 or later, copy the above two lines into the "activation code" box and click the "apply" button of the "register" window.

IMPORTANT NOTE (Flowcode V4.3 and earlier):
If you are running Windows Vista or Windows 7 then you need to be an Administrator to enter the registration details. Click the Windows Start button and find the entry for the program; right-click the entry and choose 'Run as administrator'. After the registration details have been accepted you can then run normally.

I added the bold to indicate that I have read it several times and have had no luck with the activation key. I am guessing that something needed to happen during install that didn't because of the Mickey Mouse way I installed it.


Have I mentioned how unhappy this makes me.

On a positive note, the demo clock has set a new record for running without crashing. 7+ hours!

I have until the 27th of August to return the products, but I may get stuck with my 'Professional' version of Flowcode. The people at http://microcontrollershop.com/ where I purchased the equipment and software said to contact Steve Tandy directly, and even supplied his email address. This was the response to that email:


Hello,

I am out of the office until Monday September 5th.

Regards,
Steve.

Steve Tandy
Matrix Multimedia Ltd.


Install log file

=== Logging started: 8/18/2011 16:34:56 ===
Action 16:34:56: INSTALL.
Action start 16:34:56: INSTALL.
Action 16:34:56: LaunchConditions. Evaluating launch conditions...
Action start 16:34:56: LaunchConditions.
Action ended 16:34:56: LaunchConditions. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: WiseSetProfilesFolder.
Action start 16:34:56: WiseSetProfilesFolder.
Action ended 16:34:56: WiseSetProfilesFolder. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: Setup_Dialog.
Action start 16:34:56: Setup_Dialog.
Info 2898. For MS_Sans_Serif_80 textstyle, the system created a 'MS Sans Serif' font, in 1 character set, of 13 pixels height.
Info 2898. For Arial10 textstyle, the system created a 'Arial' font, in 1 character set, of 16 pixels height.
Info 2898. For Arial14 textstyle, the system created a 'Arial' font, in 1 character set, of 22 pixels height.
Action 16:34:56: Setup_Dialog. Dialog created
Action ended 16:34:56: Setup_Dialog. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: FindRelatedProducts. Searching for related applications
Action start 16:34:56: FindRelatedProducts.
Action ended 16:34:56: FindRelatedProducts. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: AppSearch. Searching for installed applications...
Action start 16:34:56: AppSearch.
AppSearch: Property: INSTALLDIR
Signature: AppReg
Action ended 16:34:56: AppSearch. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: ValidateProductID.
Action start 16:34:56: ValidateProductID.
Action ended 16:34:56: ValidateProductID. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: CostInitialize. Computing space requirements...
Action start 16:34:56: CostInitialize.
Action ended 16:34:56: CostInitialize. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: FileCost. Computing space requirements...
Action start 16:34:56: FileCost.
Action ended 16:34:56: FileCost. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: IsolateComponents.
Action start 16:34:56: IsolateComponents.
Action ended 16:34:56: IsolateComponents. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: CostFinalize. Computing space requirements...
Action start 16:34:56: CostFinalize.
Action ended 16:34:56: CostFinalize. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: MigrateFeatureStates. Migrating feature states from related applications
Action start 16:34:56: MigrateFeatureStates.
Action ended 16:34:56: MigrateFeatureStates. Return value 0.
Action 16:34:56: SetWizardProperty1.
Action start 16:34:56: SetWizardProperty1.
Action ended 16:34:56: SetWizardProperty1. Return value 1.
Action 16:34:56: Welcome_Dialog.
Action start 16:34:56: Welcome_Dialog.
Action 16:34:56: Welcome_Dialog. Dialog created
Action 16:34:59: WiseNextDlg.
Action start 16:34:59: WiseNextDlg.
Action ended 16:34:59: WiseNextDlg. Return value 3.
DEBUG: Error 2896: Executing action WiseNextDlg failed.
Internal Error 2896. WiseNextDlg
Action ended 16:34:59: Welcome_Dialog. Return value 3.
Action 16:34:59: Fatal_Error.
Action start 16:34:59: Fatal_Error.
Action 16:34:59: Fatal_Error. Dialog created
Action ended 16:35:01: Fatal_Error. Return value 2.
Action ended 16:35:01: INSTALL. Return value 3.

Hello,

Unfortunately Steve went on holiday yesterday, I will try and help you solve your problem and if it is unsolvable we can arrange for a refund.

This problem has been known to occur with some other customers as well, however registering the dll solves the issue in most cases, there must be something in your setup that is causing the installer some issues.

We did have one customer with a similar problem, he used Method #3 as listed on this site:

http://csi-windows.com/blog/all/27-csi- ... -windows-7

I will PM you seperately with a link to the FlowcodeV4.msi file which you can download and try.

DavidA wrote:Hello,

Unfortunately Steve went on holiday yesterday, I will try and help you solve your problem and if it is unsolvable we can arrange for a refund.

This problem has been known to occur with some other customers as well, however registering the dll solves the issue in most cases, there must be something in your setup that is causing the installer some issues.

We did have one customer with a similar problem, he used Method #3 as listed on this site:

http://csi-windows.com/blog/all/27-csi- ... -windows-7

I will PM you seperately with a link to the FlowcodeV4.msi file which you can download and try.

The only odd thing about my setup is that I am running Windows 7 (64 bit) Home version. From what I can tell the other posters were running Windows Professional.

I followed the steps here http://www.matrixmultimedia.com/support ... f=22&t=594 to the letter. It did not fix my problem though it may have contributed to the eventual outcome, so it should be done.

The MSI files were on the CD that I received, in a folder named MSI. Of the 10-20 times I installed the product several of them were using msiexec. The problem with using msiexec is that the program does not show up as an installed program and it did not appear to fix the problem.

So here is how I resolved this problem:

• Created a new folder (FCInst) on my desktop. (In hindsight I wish I had created it in the root of my C drive).
  Copied the contents of the CD to that folder.
  Open FCInst folder.
  Select the FlowcodeV4.exe Icon
  Right Click and Create shortcut
  Right Click again and select properties
  Click Compatibility tab and check Run as an Administrator
  Click OK
  Rename the shortcut FlowcodeV4
  Select the shortcut
  Right click and select Properties
  On the target line I added " /qr /l* c:\log.txt" without the quotes
  Click OK
  Created log.txt in the root of my C drive. This file could be anywhere so long as the path in the target line modification points to it.
  Start the DOS command prompt as Administrator
  Navigate to the folder FCInst. In my case cd c:\users\username\desktop\fcinst
  At the command prompt enter FlowcodeV4.lnk
  Answer the ok to run as admin questions yes
  At that point it installed.

Needless to say, but once installed and registered (see below) I had similar problems with the upgrade. The same approach worked for it(can I get an Amen!)

So that was the first part of my problem. The second part had to do with the keys. Per the instructions I ran Flowcode the first time as Administrator, every first time. On one of the installs I must have done the registration partly right because I received an email with another long number. I am certain I was using the wrong number in the wrong place in a couple of tries. So I'll take part of the blame for that, but a couple of suggestions:

First
Change the label in the CD box to say License Code and in the software when you want THAT code refer to it as License Code. What the actual names are isn't important, so long as they are CONSISTENT, and can't be confused with the registration code. For us old people a larger font size would also help

Second
Here is my registration email (names and numbers changed)

Dear Dewayne the Pain,
Thank you for registering Flowcode V4 for PIC, Professional Licence.
Your username and registration code are:
username: Dewayne Pain
code: 123456-123456-123456-123456-123456-123456-123456
To enter your registration details, launch Flowcode V4 for PIC and enter the above details in the 'help..register' window.
If using Flowcode V4.5 or later, copy the above two lines into the "activation code" box and click the "apply" button of the "register" window.
IMPORTANT NOTE (Flowcode V4.3 and earlier):
If you are running Windows Vista or Windows 7 then you need to be an Administrator to enter the registration details. Click the Windows Start button and find the entry for the program; right-click the entry and choose 'Run as administrator'. After the registration details have been accepted you can then run normally.
...

In the email the 'registration code' is referred to as registration code, code, activation code. I don't recall what nomenclature was used by the Help / Register. Again, give this code a name, and use that name everywhere it is needed.

The bottom line is that in a previous thread I asked if I was going to have a problem installing the purchased version because of the problems I had installing the free version. The answer was no I would not have those problems. The real answer should have been maybe, and Matrix is aware of the install problems.

How many people like me have installed the free version, encountered the problems I did, and just didn't pursue it further? If I were Matrix, knowing this problem exists for some users, I'd be fixing it. In my case I don't know C so my choices are limited and I really wanted this to work. Yesterday I explored in detail what my options were.

If the folks at Matrix want to make happy, email me.

I am going to change the first post to point here.

Todays project is figuring out how to use the FlowKit.

Glad to here you finally got FC installed and registered.

I find it will remember your details, so if you have to uninstall (arrrg)(which I tend to do when upgrading to the latest version) and reload it, to update for instance, you wont have to re-register or anything.
Im sure you will find it has been worth the effort, it really is a great piece of software.

I can personally only speak for my experience with installing, and I never had any problems with any of the versions I have used.
PCs can have such differnet configurations between different users, due to hardware differances, software and even down to a rogue driver file or DLL file, all can effect things.It also makes it hard to cover all eventualities. Apple have gone down this route, but they have stuff locked down so the user has little freedom of choice.

You will find loads of example flowcharts/tutorials on the forums covering everything from basics to advanced topics.
Make use of the forums, you will find plenty of people (both Matrix staff and customers) willing to give help and advice)