Fellows, got a tough question ag 1

[IRABYY]

Fellows,

got a tough question again:

Many of our customers are still using my old program written in VFP 3.0b. Switching them to the latest program requires not only running new installation setup on all WS but also some tables' structure conversion. WAW, it can't be done overnight.

Nevertheless, they do buy new PCs with WinNT 5 for their WS.
When runniing installation setup for that old program on these new machines, they run into something I've never seen before: VFP300.ESL error reported during the installation. The setup kit was created using built-in into VFP 3.0 Setup Wizard. This setup kit worked perfectly on WinNT 4 and Win95...WinME machines. Moreover, it works on the most of WinNT 5/2000 machines. But on some of them it still gives this error.

Have any of you ran into something like this with VFP 3.0 and setup kit on WinNT 5/2000 boxes before?

Thanks!

Regards,

Ilya

 

[monikai]

Ilya !
Good morning at NEW YEAR !
In my previous work i had similiar problem (but with Win95 or 98 and VFP 3). We (i and my fellow, we worked together) didn't solve it (i didn't know this forum and experts), we found substitute solution (i think it was strange behaviour).
We did simple application (i don't remember, may be it browsed one table), create setup and install it. And we were amazed !!! We installed our application without errors.
If you solve it - write about it !
Kind regards from Warsaw !!!!!
Monika (monikai@yahoo.com)

 

[Mike Gagnon]

Ilya

Have any of you ran into something like this with VFP 3.0 and setup kit on WinNT 5/2000 boxes before?[/i[

Doesn't the application still run? Since VFp3.0 stopped being produced in 1995 is it possible it is no longer compatible with the latest OS.


Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first.

 

[IRABYY]

Mike Gagnon: Doesn't the application still run? Since VFp3.0 stopped being produced in 1995 is it possible it is no longer compatible with the latest OS.

Mike, that's what puzzles me the most: on those WinNT 5 boxes where istallation have succeded it runs fine! There's something in that setup kit that does not jive with some particular configuration/settings on some of the WinNT 5 boxes. Whether it's S/W, or H/W, or combination of both - I've got no idea. (And if I had - you wouldn't be reading this, would you? )

monikai (Programmer): We did simple application (i don't remember, may be it browsed one table), create setup and install it. And we were amazed !!! We installed our application without errors.

We did exactly that from the beginning: we do not install the main program, we install just a small utility. Back then, in 1997, the main program ran off the CD (with customer's data), so we needed only to install run-times (including that very VFP300.ESL) on the target machine. So, we installed on the target HDD only that utility, which was to create a desktop item (icon) pointing on the CD drive with that data CD. The utility has only 1 form, and is only 128 kB in size (as EXE).

monikai (Programmer): If you solve it - write about it!

You can count on it, jasnovelmozhna pani! I always do so.

Fellows, I guess it's already useless to try to open a tech. support case on VFP 3.0 with MS, isn't it? They have already dropped supporting VFP 3.0, haven't they?

 

[Mike Gagnon]

Fellows, I guess it's already useless to try to open a tech. support case on VFP 3.0 with MS, isn't it? They have already dropped supporting VFP 3.0, haven't they?

You are right, VFP3.0 is no longer supported.
Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first.

 

[Lurias]

have you tried making a new installer for the old app?

VFP 7.00 use installshield and the installers it creates are way much better than those in vfp 3/5

 

[rgbean]

Mike,
Actually according to

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;LifeDevToolFam

- VFP 3.0 still has a couple months left on it's "Mainstream Support".

Rick

 

[IRABYY]

rgbean (Programmer): VFP 3.0 still has a couple months left on it's "Mainstream Support".

Thank you very much, Rick! That's very useful table!


Lurias (IS/IT--Manageme): have you tried making a new installer for the old app?

Actually, the thought have already occured to me. If nothing else would help - yes, but that would be the last resort.
Besides, the Install Shield version provided with VFP 7.0 is just "stripped off" Install Shield Express v. 3, while IS is alerady shiping v. 4.0, and has released SP for IS Express 3.5x I have in my possession.

Any other suggestions, anyone, anything?

Regards,

Ilya

 

[Steve Bowman]

Are all of the Win2K on current Service Pack ?
Service packs do address all sorts of compatability issues Steve Bowman
steve.bowman@ultraex.com

 

[IRABYY]

steveb7 (MIS): Are all of the Win2K on current Service Pack? Service packs do address all sorts of compatability issues

Yes, Steve. The very 1st time we got that "moan" from customer, their boxes - all three - were on SP2 already. We told them to install SP3, they did so, and it did not help either.

Then other calls like that started to come in lately...

Any other suggestions? I'm all !

( )

Regards,

Ilya

 

[craigsboyd]

Ilya,

I'm not sure I fully understand the error you are getting...

Is it the same one that they talk about at this page:

http://www.crosstec.com/prob1.html

?

If you could explain a little more about what you mean when you say that the support library is causing an error during setup. Is there a dialog box that comes up saying the file isn't there? Is the file missing after setup? Any additional info would be appreciated. Slighthaze = NULL

 

[monikai]

Hej Ilya !
I think that you tried to do simple thing: to copy VFP300.ESL from your computer ?
Pozdrawliaju tiebia !!! Kind regards from Warsaw !!!!!
Monika (monikai@yahoo.com)

 

[IRABYY]

slighthaze (IS/IT--Manageme): If you could explain a little more about what you mean when you say that the support library is causing an error during setup. Is there a dialog box that comes up saying the file isn't there? Is the file missing after setup? Any additional info would be appreciated.


Unfortunately, I cannot provide the screen capture here because a) none was provided, b) even if it was - I couldn't post it here. We are currently expecting one of the customers to send us the screenshot, then I would be able to print the error message's text here.

And - Sir, the link you've provided does not work: "Page not found" message.

monikai (Programmer) Jan 8, 2003
Hej Ilya !
I think that you tried to do simple thing: to copy VFP300.ESL from your computer ?

We sure did, still did not help. Besides, what the use of just to copying run-times onto NT machine? It should be registered by the system, otherwise it may not be seen by a program.

Thanks!

Regards,

Ilya

 

[craigsboyd]

Sorry about the link...because of the "?" it added some spaces and stuff that made it not work...

http://www.crosstec.com/prob1.html

...try that, and I am looking forward to your posting the actual error message. Slighthaze = NULL

 

[IRABYY]

slighthaze (IS/IT--Manageme):

http://www.crosstec.com/prob1.html

...try that, and I am looking forward to your posting the actual error message.


Yeah, we tried that copying .ESL also, did not help.
We are still waiting for these guys sending us their screenshot.
BTW - thanks for fixing the link!

Regards,

Ilya

 

[IRABYY]

Fellas,

I finally got the screenshots from customer.

The message when installing off a CD:

"Application error has occured and an application error log is being generated.

VFP300.ESL.exe"

Note this EXE at the end, colelagues!
Moreover: out of 3 buttons - OK, Cancel, Help - only the Help one is enabled!

After clicking on this the only enabled button Help,

"Application error has occured and an application error log is being generated.

VFP300.ESL.exe
Exception: access violation, (0xc0000005), Address 0x786793e7" (Very "helpful", isn't it? )

On both message boxes, the header reads "Dr. Watson for Windows NT" (Well, we know what a dork this Dr. Watson is, don't we? )

Now, what in the world may cause access violation on a stand alone CD in the local CD drive?!

Am I having deja vue with this User Rights nightmare again?!?!

Any ideas, suggestions, hints? Anything, anybody, pleeese?!

Regards,

Ilya

 

[monikai]

Ilya !
Dr. Watson like you (may be you are Sherlock Holmes?).
For you: old (1996?) history:
A pilot is flying a small, single-engine, charter plane with a couple of really important execs on board into Seattle airport. There is a fog so thick that visibility is 40 feet, and his instruments are out. He circles looking for a landmark and after an hour, he is low on fuel and his passengers are very nervous. At last, through a small opening in the fog he sees a tall building with one guy working alone on the fifth floor. Circling the pilot banks and shouts through his open window: ‘Where am I ?’. The solitary office worker replies: ‘You’re in an airplane.’ The pilot executess a swift 275 degree turn and executes a perfect blind landing on the airport’s runway five miles ago. Just as the plane stops, the engine cough and die from lack of fuel. The stunned passengers ask the pilot how he did it. ‘Simple,’ replies the pilot, ‘I asked the guy in that building a simple question. The answer he gave me was 100% correct but absolutely useless; therefore, that must the Microsoft’s support office and from there the airport is three minutes away on a course of 87 degrees,’
It's your (our? may everybody knows it) siuation, isn't it? Kind regards from Warsaw !!!!!
Monika (monikai@yahoo.com)

 

[wgcs]

FWIW the Access Violation isn't talking about user rights, but about memory access.. it basically means that a pointer was followed that referenced memory that is not allocated to the running application.

In more plain terms, basically Garbage was Run, and Garbage doesn't do anything sensible.

This could have happened from many different causes; Mismatched DLLs, bugs in VFP, poorly collected memory, who knows!

 

[IRABYY]

wgcs (Programmer): FWIW
...it basically means that a pointer was followed that referenced memory that is not allocated to the running application.

In more plain terms, basically Garbage was Run, and Garbage doesn't do anything sensible.

This could have happened from many different causes; Mismatched DLLs, bugs in VFP, poorly collected memory, who knows!

Interesting thing, then: this very setup ran perfectly and flawlessly on several other identical machines in that very customer's office... Unfortunately, it was not the room where the people who were supposed to work with the program.

So, what would be the cure, Dr. Wgcs?
That's except to tell these guys to dump that machine and set another one?

(On the footnote: what "FWIW" stands for?)

Regards,

Ilya

P.S. Yes, Monica, I know that joke/anecdote. Only in the variant I know it's helicopter, not airplane, and the guy at the window is "Billy boy" himself.

 

[rgbean]

Ilya,
FWIW - For What Its Worth

This is one of many abreviations that started in use on the old Compuserve Forum - back when we ran at 300 baud! At that speeed you abbreviated a lot, just so a thread didn't take all day.

In fact if you have a copy of FoxPro (2.5 / 2.6), the help file actually lists the following:

General CIS-wide acronyms:

BTW     By the way
CIS     CompuServe Information Service 
FWIW    For what it's worth
IAC     In any case (also IAEin any event)
IANAL   I am not a lawyer
IMO     In my opinion
IMHO    In my honest/humble opinion (in the latter case a sure sign the opinion is not going to be humble at all <g>)
IOW     In other words
JIC     Just in case
KOW     Knock on wood
OIC     Oh, I see!
OTOH    On the other hand
PITA    Pain in the &quot;acronym&quot;
POV     Point of view
PPN     Programmer project number, i.e. a CIS user's id#
RSN     Real soon now (computer lingo for &quot;don't hold your breath&quot;)
RTFM    Read the f* manual (variously interpreted as, read the fine manual, read the fabulous manual, etc.)
TIA     Thanks in advance
TSR     Terminate and stay resident program
WYSIWYG What you see is what you get
YA...   Yet another .... (as in YAAyet another acronym)

Many more are around, but you get the idea - many of them are now being used on text pagers, etc. now.

Rick