Power Key error

[JohninCarolina]

For clarification, I am not familiar with LOTUS at all. I’m use to Windows products.

I am involved in a project converting users from old Dell 133MHz /32Mb with Win95B or Win98SE PC to Dell 600MHz /128Mb with WIN2k. Both PC have Lotus Smart Suite v9.0
Here is the problem:
User has Lotus Approach files on shared network drive.
After installing Lotus Smart Suite v9.0 in new PC, I am unable to access the network shared files.
I get the error: “Couldn’t find a Power Key needed for an import or export macro step.”

I don’t know what a Power Key is or how it works.
The files will still open on the old PC.
I copied the powerkey.dat file from the old PC to the C:\lotus\approach directory without success.
What file do I need to copy fm old PC to new PC?

 

[paulbent]

9.0 was the first "Millennium" release, is bug ridden and to be avoided at all costs. The current release is 9.8. You can get very cheap copies of 9.5 - 9.7 from software clearance outlets. 9.6 or later is recommended.

>>After installing Lotus Smart Suite v9.0 in new PC, I am unable to access the network shared files.
I get the error: “Couldn’t find a Power Key needed for an import or export macro step.”<<

Do you get this error on opening Approach or opening the apr file or when running a macro? What format are the data tables in, dBase IV? The data files will have .dbf, .dbt and .adx extensions if dBase IV.

You can try deleting powerkey.dat in c:\lotus\approach and opening Approach which will rebuild it. See if that clears the error, otherwise more info please.


Paul Bent
Northwind IT Systems

http://www.northwindit.co.uk

 

[JohninCarolina]

NOTE: Further clarification: I’m not a developer, I’m just a novice PC tech getting started in the field.

1)Changing versions is not an option. Management is looking to convert to MSAccess.

You can try deleting powerkey.dat in c:\lotus\approach and opening Approach which will rebuild it.
2) I tried renaming the powerkey.dat file on 12/5 per your info posted as a response to someone else on 7/22/03. It did rebuild the file but did not solve the problem.


What format are the data tables in, dBase IV? The data files will have .dbf, .dbt and .adx extensions if dBase IV.
3) The only file types I see are: .adx .dbf .apr

Do you get this error on opening Approach or opening the apr file or when running a macro?
4) When I launch approach, it opens. I can open the sample database files.
When I use the browse feature, and select the existing network file I get the error.
When I open the file on the old PC, there is a macro that runs for password protection. I believe this is what is missing on the new PC.
They have the existing network file protected with 2 passwords, one for making design changes and one for user input & updates to files.

 

[paulbent]

Sounds like a network problem to me, what's the server o/s? If Novell and using the Novell client, have you installed the latest patch for the client? What happens if, as a test, you copy the network files to the local hard drive?

Paul Bent
Northwind IT Systems

http://www.northwindit.co.uk

 

[JohninCarolina]

1) Not a network issue. I created a test file and stored it in the same directory. It opens fine.
2) File share is on NT 4.0 server. No Novell involved.
3) What did you think about my suggestion about the password protection being the issue?
The person that designed this approach database, designed some type of password security. I think this is the “macro step” that the error msg is referring to.
Would the password macro be separate from the database file?

 

[paulbent]

The password protection is a design feature called TeamSecurity; it doesn't involve macros.

A macro named Open will autoexecute when an apr is opened, perhaps there is one of these containing an Import or Export command. If you hold down Shift or Ctrl while the apr opens it will prevent the Open macro running.

If that fails, the next thing to check is data corruption. See if you can open each .dbf file directly in Approach, File | Open - select file type dBase IV. This creates a new apr which you can discard.

Paul Bent
Northwind IT Systems

http://www.northwindit.co.uk

 

[JohninCarolina]

1)Tried to open .apr while holding down shift key, then tried opening while holding down Ctrl key. No luck.
2)I don’t believe that data corruption is an issue. Remember, ALL files are still accessible from the old PC.
3)Could there be some file or macro on the old PC that needs to be copied to the new PC?

 

[paulbent]

Macros exist only in apr files. Other dependent files are installed by the SmartSuite installation program.

So I would uninstall/reinstall. After uninstalling from Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, delete c:\lotus from the hard drive. Then use Regedit to delete the following keys:

HKCU\Software\Lotus
HKLM\Software\Lotus

Then do a clean reinstall, selecting Custom Install and select ~everything~ under each application, though you can deselect Organizer and FastSite altogether if required; I always do and it never causes problems.

Under the Approach options there's a tab for power keys. You probably just want to select Paradox and Text in addition to the defaults but check there's no other data format you connect to that may need selecting.



Paul Bent
Northwind IT Systems

http://www.northwindit.co.uk

 

[JohninCarolina]

Update:

This power key error was resolved by installing Lotus Notes. You may have taken for granted that Notes had been installed.
I did not know that Lotus Notes and Lotus Suite were linked in some way. We no longer support Notes (we are using Exchange) so I did not load the software for Notes. I was discussing my problem with one of our DBAs and he suggested that I install Notes and just not configure the Domino Server. It fixed the error.


Thank you for you help.
All trouble shooting scenarios are useful to me.

 

[paulbent]

You don't have to install Notes, unless it was there when the apr was developed and there is a linkage to a Notes view or table in the apr itself. Or perhaps there's an installation option you selected that requires Notes.

I'm an Outlook/Exchange Developer, have never installed Notes and have used all versions of SmartSuite from 96 onwards. Haven't had a powerkey error in 8 years on any of my or my clients systems.

Paul Bent
Northwind IT Systems

http://www.northwindit.co.uk

 

[JohninCarolina]

As far as the install goes, I really mucked it up. To begin with, they told me that IS did't support Notes or Lotus Suite, but because they had not converted Approach to Access yet, the new PCs for HR would need to have Approach install. All I installed from the Suite was Approach.

You can image my surprise when I got the Power Key error. Well, I though to myself, maybe I should have done a full install. So I used the ADD/Remove Programs utility to uninstall Approach, then did a full (default) install of Lotus Suite.

I still got the Power Key error, so I went to Google.com and did a search on the error msg. I pulled up you response to an earlier Power Key error question. Per you request on 12/9, I did an uninstall and regedit, and then a full install. I turned on every option except the ones for other languages.

Management Directions was running Lotus Notes and Suite when the DB was designed.. The company was purchased in 2001. The new management converted to WindowsNT and Exchange. When I started in June, they had about 90 local PCs running Win95B attached to NT and W2K servers.

I'm not sure how the DB and Notes are linked because the DB belongs to HR and they won't give me their psw because I am a temporary Contract employee hired to complete the transition to W2K.

Thanks for you help. I am sure we will be communicating more in the future.

 

[budacuda]

Hello folks,
A google search brought me here. I'm also having the &quot;cannot find PowerKey&quot; problem.

I've been using Approach 97 running under Windows 98 for several years without trouble. Last month I changed to a computer with Windows 2000. My Approach files are on a USB connected zip drive. After several times of accessing my .apr file normally I suddenly received the error message that the file was saved with a previous version of Approach...etc. When I choose the convert option I get the &quot;cannot find PowerKey&quot; message. PowerKey obviously has something to do with Lotus Notes. I've never had Notes on my computers. The error occured after I had edited my .apr file (I usually do not edit it), saved it and closed Approach.

I moved the zip drive to another computer with Windows 98 and Approach but still get the error messages. So I surmize that the .apr file has been changed, possibly by Windows 2000, to a format that Approach 97 does not recognize. My data base is still accessible but if anyone knows of a way to recover my .apr file I sure would appreciate not having to recreate my view pages.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled Approach to no effect.
Please help.

 

[paulbent]

Try moving the apr and data files (.adx, .dbf, .dbt) to the hard drive. Make sure the zip drive is not available then try to open the apr from the hard drive.

The &quot;last saved in a previous version&quot; message is bogus. The apr has not loaded correctly from disk in such a way as to mislead Approach into thinking it was last saved in an earlier format. It wasn't of course so an attempt to convert it to 97 results in the powerkey error.

I've seen several reports of problems with Approach and zip drives so see if running from the hard drive makes any difference. If not, the apr file must be damaged and you can only recover it from a good backup.

Paul Bent
Northwind IT Systems

http://www.northwindit.co.uk

 

[budacuda]

Thanks Paul, I've already tried moving the files to the hard drive and unplugged the zip. No change. Still the &quot;previous version&quot; error message.

I've downloaded apfixpak.exe which is some sort of update of Approach 97 from Lotus. Wondering if that will make a difference. I'll let you know.

Unless there is some fix out there my only hope of recovery is a backup that exists on my laptop hard drive. Trouble is my laptop has some sort of power failure problem and won't complete a bootup. Guess I'll have to send it back to the supplier to get the stuff off the hard drive which will take far longer than I want.

 

[paulbent]

It could be that the file was damaged physically by a hardware fault on the zip drive but the most likely time this happens is during a save after making design changes. I recommend always to do a Save As (apr only) to an incremental filename. Once everything's tested OK you can make a backup and delete all the incremental versions except the last.

There were four (cumulative) apfixpaks altogether; make sure you have the last one. It has a file date of 15-Jan-98 and after installing, Approach.exe is dated Oct 97. Lotus didn't publish fix lists for the 97 patches but I know they fix a number of import/export bugs and problems with converting aprs that were (genuinely) created in 96 or earlier. It's worthwhile to install the patch but I doubt it will help your damaged apr file.

Paul Bent
Northwind IT Systems

http://www.northwindit.co.uk

 

[budacuda]

I guess I've resigned myself to having lost this .apr file from Approach 97. If I have to rebuild it I know I ought to update my database software. Any suggestions? Should I stick with Lotus or switch to Microsoft Access? Access has a PDA version which is potentially useful to me. I haven't found a Lotus pda application. But then pda's are becoming full blown computers. Maybe I should upgrade my pda. Anyway, I need a dbase program. Do you, Paul, or anyone else have a suggestion. I'm also going to post this query as a new thread to possibly widen the input.