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Windows 2000 install

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Appollo

Technical User
Apr 28, 2002
10
US
What are the proper steps for a Win 2K install of Macola 7.5.103f. My client has a Netware 4.11 server and can't locate the manuals. Have all the CD's though and license disks. I ran setup from the install folder (f:\macola70\install\setup.exe) on the server and almost immediately the install choked on VBA installation with an error of "the value of the install error is 20000012" and then the rest of it installed. After a reboot of Win 2K I attempted to start Macola and received a "betrieve not loaded" error. Please help, they have 3 Win 98se workstations all working with the current install of Macola.
 
The only document I found had to do with installing Flex and getting that error. It mentions that there's something that has VBA open on the workstation.

What I would do is the following:

Be logged in as an administrator on the local workstation.
Delete the registry key hkey_local_machine\software\macola
Delete the folder c:\program files\common files\macola shared
Delete the file c:\windows\macola7.ini
Reboot

Login as an administrator on the local workstation.
Reinstall Macola from f:\macola70\install\setup.exe
Reinstall Flexibility from f:\macola70\instflex\setup.exe if you have flexibility
Reinstall ERS from f:\macola70\ERS5\install\setup.exe
Reboot the workstation.

The document# 00.661.317 mentions though that Macola should work anyway.

Kevin Scheeler

 
The btrieve not loaded message is not related to the VBA error you were receiving. You need to install the client for the Pervasive Btrieve Database Engine on the local machine.
 
There is a whole laundry list of stuff to check for btrieve not loaded. Docs in your technotes folder & search infomine, you'll find more. I assume you are btrieve? What version btrieve? If you are not administrator on win2k you can have permissions problems & problems creating odbc for ICRs using the limited merant driver. You have to go back & edit registry permissions after macola installs. I don't recall this error if you are logging in to the workstation as administrator. Since you are nw4.11 your btrieve protocol should be spx, not tcpip. Even though you can load tcp on 4.11, I didn't think it ran too well for the btrieve nlm communications since spx was native & tcp was added on to 4.11. You can also get this message if you are out of pervasive licenses. Be sure to clear out user*.tmp & the pervasive monitor. If you can connect via btrieve maintenance to a file in the macola diretory, your btrieve connection is fine. Your path also sounds like macola is installed off the root. I remember having to maproot the novell drive if that was the case in 4.11 in the novell login script. You should also verify after login that you have a path to c:\pvsw & c:\program files\common files\macola shared. You may have stuff in the novell log in script that is overwriting the local machine path.
 
Thanks for the replies. I was logged in to the local workstation as a user with administrative rights not the administrator. No I don't know what version of betrieve or how to even check to see what version. (Possibly in the ODBC settings in administrative tools?) Do I need to install betrieve first? I was kind of looking for a link to a document detailing the installation routine. I will follow Kscheeler's instructions and Macolahelp's suggestions and see how far it get's me. I have been in the industry for 12 years but mostly dealing with operating system issues and retail software issues, Macola seems to be fairly finicky as far as the do's and dont's go.
 
Macola is an enterprise application that, like all enterprise applications, is fairly complex and requires individuals to read the documentation before toying with it. Documentation is only available through two channels; the Macola Value Added Reseller and for customers it is available through the customer portal on the Macola website. If your client has kept current on their Macola maintenance then they should have access to this site and most of the documentation anyone would ever need. I say most because the documentation is by no means complete without someone with a detailed knowledge of Macola and the business problems it intends to solve; this is where a Macola Reseller is handy.

Scott Travis
infoSpring, LLC.
 
Each service pack typically comes w/installation instructions. Pervasive also has installation instructions in their distribution packs. Some of us have found over time little tricks and tweaks we need to do & troubleshooting techniques. Novell has lots of docs on its website for replacing the lost manuals. You can probably even buy a publication or download from Novell's website.

Netware 4.11 has not been supported by macola for over a year. If you are running btrieve 6.15 or 7, you are also on unsupported db manager. Check this by running modules b*.* at the server console & noting the version of the btrieve.nlm. You are also 3 revisions behind on your macola updates. It might be time to invest in some VAR consulting time. It would be very difficult to get you up to speed using a technical forum alone, particularly if you haven't worked w/novell or btrieve much. A knowledgeable VAR can cost less and educate you more than trial and error. Just my 2 cents.

And, yes, you DO need to install btrieve first. Also, if you installed an older version of crystal on this workstation, you may have btrieve conflicts that must be resolved by removing the components crystal puts on the workstation.
 
Thanks for the wise words and help. I understand there are many eccentricities involved in higher end management and manufacturing software. I was just trying to help out a struggling company of 60 or so employee's that's been hit hard from 9/11 recession with their upgrade to newer workstations instead of the old Compaq 333MHz workstations they are using currently. I have since time obtained documentation for proper installation of Macola and I have secured contact with a VAR that is in your field for phone support. The clients maintenance contract has lapsed and they are currently exploring alternative solution software as well as a Macola upgrade. Any thoughts on that?

P.S. I have always had the Novell documentation and disks just not current doc's for Macola 7.5.103f, all their doc's were for 7.0
 
I would think 60 employees must generate a lot of unnecessary costs due to computer downtime in addition to whatever costs they are incurring for your time, and that would justify the cost of getting the maintenance contract paid to date.

Unfortunately, a solid Macola installation requires money. If you let the maintenance contract lapse your only alternative is to play hacker and try to get whatever kludge your stuck with to work. As an independent contractor, I avoid customers in this predicament, as I find most of them are bootlegging whatever they can and are spend more time trying to get whatever crap they have to work than is worth the effort, and when it doesn't work all the IT guys get the blame. Most importantly it seems to be these guys who stiff me or go broke just when the invoice comes due. A word of caution: feeling sorry for a company going broke usually results in feeling sorry for yourself later after you go broke trying to help them. It's one of those cosmic rules that has no explanation, like when you loan a friend a car, they always wreck it, or when you loan money to your best friend, you lose a friend and the money.

On your other points, as far as Novell goes, I'd junk the 10 year old turkey you are trying to make fly and put in a W2K server setup. You can usually do a conversion on a 60 user network for less than 10 grand.

On the alternatives to Macola, upgrading your current set up to be up to date is going to cost you the least amount of money. Alternatives to Macola for manufacturers are Great Plains and Syspro at the top of the list, and a few others. It will cost you 10 times as much to convert to them as it would to update your current system.

 
I don't find that there are huge differences among the key ERP tier 2 systems. Most differences are subtle and one package may have strengths for your industry or business style, but be lacking in some other mission critical way. If you had a halfway decent implmentation of macola to begin with, invest in your maintenance and a solid VAR to put humpty dumpty back together again (your macola install, that is) & get your server & WS hardware up to speed, you'll spend much less than completely replacing the whole system. Even if you change to another software package, the hardware will have to go. Or, if they are really that unsure that macola is the right software fit, they need to spend some time internally defining system requirements and analyzing what package will best fit the bill. I believe that if a package does 85% of what you need, you should be able to get the balance with custom programs, reports, procedures. Few packages can deliver 100% for all clients. Made2Manage, Visual Manufacturing & Sage are probably the best all-round candidates out there today, but are probably too pricey for your company.
 
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