Toolkit 1.12.0 and Windows 7 64-bit : Workaround

[UPDATE (8 Jan 2013): The problem described in this thread was fixed in Toolkit 1.12.2 and later, please use the most recent version of Toolkit]


Some users are having problems launching Toolkit on Windows 7 64-bit machines.

Until we can solve the problem, the workaround is as follows:

1. Download Java 6 update 32 64 bit:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/j...ownloads-javase6-419409.html#jre-6u32-oth-JPR

- Select the item "Windows x64 16.41 MB jre-6u32-windows-x64.exe"
- You will need to create a free account on oracle.com to download

2. Run the Java 64-bit installer.

3. Run the Toolkit 1.12.0 installer. Elect not to install Java.

4. Go to the command prompt and type these two commands:

cd C:\Clipsal\C-Gate2

java -jar cgate.jar

5. Run C-Bus Toolkit

 

Might I suggest you remove all the device drivers, java, toolkit, etc, and start again.

It is not unknown for windows PC's to have strange dependancies and/or applications that fail for unknown reasons. You are probably an unfortunate victim of this, and there are occasionally things which have no rational explanation (and I'm very well aware it should not be like this).

However, to try and help you along (bear in mind, this is NOT a process I have followed, it is a suggest of the type I frequently use when trying to solve other such issues with other vendors s/w - something I have been doing for many years):

- export your PICED and Toolkit projects to a known place, eg, a memory stick

- remove Toolkit, piced, cgate, java, and ALL device drivers that might have been installed (look VERY carefully through the Windows 7 remove programs list).

- after removal, reboot (DO THIS. DO NOT IGNORE THIS STEP)

- Go into c:\Clipsal, if it is still there, and delete everything that might be left (this is why you made those project backups).

- Check again in the control panel programs list, making sure device drivers, eg for USB/Serial are removed.

- Run services.msc, and in there check for anything to do with c-gate. If you don't find any entries - good. If you do, open the properties, find the path, then shut the service down, then open a windows explorer at that path and delete all the contents. This will probably be a cgate.jar and a few other files. YOU ARE UNLIKELY TO NEED THIS STEP.

- Re-install ONLY Toolkit, latest version. DO NOT install c-gate to run as a service.

- See then if Toolkit operates and cgate starts in a separate window. You MAY need to update java if this does not work properly.

IF CGATE DOES NOT START, then use Daniels instructions on manually starting it. Toolkit will need to be restarted in that case (if cgate did not start it will have barfed because cgate is not present for it to connect to).

If Toolkit runs OK, install the other applications you need.

IF cgate is running, and toolkit can't connect to it, then you probably have a windows firewall setting which is preventing them talking to each other. Disable windows firewall and see if it comes good. (Close cgate and toolkit, then run toolkit again to check after disabling firewall). If this fixes it then re-enable the firewall, and then check the window firewall rules VERY CAREFULLY to remove or change a rule which is blocking the communication.

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The applications (Tookit, etc) are all plain windows applications developed in a plain development environment to suit running on windows. There is nothing special or clever about any of it. It runs happily on windows 2000 and above, there is no special exploitation of features in windows 2000, xp, vista, or 7. The bitness of the OS does not matter either.

There are some occasional peculiarities that come up with device drivers, which have extensive testing on different operation systems to try and handle the various strange cases. The device drivers are supplied as parts of driver kits by the respective h/w vendors, and CIS merely provide the customisation of the vendor and product ID numbers. If there are device driver problems, CIS can't magically fix them - they exist in the vendors code.

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Now, I'm sure given your level of angst that the above will only serve to offend or at the very least fail to placate. Unfortunately, of the many users out there you seem to be suffering and others are not. Usually this points to something in your PC which is different to that of others. I'm sure you don't want to hear this. It's probably what's going on though.

Yours...
A vendor of s/w who makes a few bob selling it and having to work through the multitude of hassles that come up when s/w ends up "in the wild". It makes life interesting.

 

Hi wappinghigh,

I'm really sorry to hear you've been having problems

Certainly we have many customers and employees successfully using the software on Windows 7.

However there is no question some users are encountering issues. We are still in the process of collecting information about these. I can only suggest that you (a) use the Report a Problem function built into Toolkit, and (b) contact Technical Support. The errors you mention are quite generic, and without more information and detailed logs we simply can't be sure of what the problem is or what solution might work for you.

We have a few changes under way that can resolve some of the issues, regretfully they need to go through the "machine" of implementation, testing and approval before they can be spit out as a public release.

 

Can't win Dave. Anybody who bundles Java ships out of date. That's why you have auto updates.