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PeteJG
United Kingdom
51 Posts |
 Posted - 30 May 2019 : 09:40:47
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It's a long time since I installed EZPC on anything, so I've forgotten the procedure.
So, I went to purchase V22 for home use and the website implies you have to download and install the trial version first - I guess the trial version is actually the real thing but with a limited licence? I don't know, I may be wrong. I have contacted the sales people so hopefully they'll point me in the right direction soon.
Anyway, I did install the V22 trial, but:
1) It didn't automatically give me any desktop icons so I had to go looking for the thing and make one myself (would it have been so hard for the install to make one??)
2) More importantly, it runs but if I try to quit the examples it initially shows (and make something new) the program crashes out. Is this the expected behaviour for the trial, i.e. to stop anyone using it without purchasing a licence? |
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Peter Johnson
United Kingdom
489 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2019 : 09:53:41
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Might I correct a couple of things. It's NOT necessary to install a trial version before the full version - but now you've got it, don't uninstall it. If you do, it won't stop the full version working, but shared registry entries means that all you configuration and preferences will be reset to internal defaults as the relevant registry entries will be gone.
Secondly, the trial version cannot be converted to a full version. It's compiled with some necessary code missing so it can't be hacked to make it save.
In your case I think I know what's happened. All current versions of Windows include security code to prevent programs creating registry entries on the fly in certain parts of the registry. On a small minority of machines this code malfunctions and blocks parts of the registry which should be unaffected. I believe yours is one such. Fortunately there's an easy way to temporarily disable this protocol. Just run the installer by right clicking and invoking the 'Run as Administrator' option. You may well also need to do this when running Easy-PC as well. If so, you can set a check box on the 'Compatibility' tab of the properties of either the shortcut you use to run it, or the main executable, EpcWin.exe so it always uses this mode. |
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PeteJG
United Kingdom
51 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2019 : 10:41:38
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Peter, thanks for clarifying things. The target machine has not had EZPC on it before and I've done nothing with the trial version, so I won't erase anything by clearing it out and doing a clean install of the full version.
Btw I wasn't looking to hack the trial EZPC package, but when you go to the web page to purchase it, it does seem to imply you HAVE to install the trial version first! Things, including instructions, are always clearer when you know what's going on, but perhaps the text on that screen could be a little clearer for people with goldfish memories like me?!
Re running as administrator, I just recalled that W10 has this really irritating "hidden administrator" account thing, is this part of the problem, i.e. why you have to actually tell it to run things in admin mode even though you think you have admin rights already?
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Peter Johnson
United Kingdom
489 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2019 : 10:46:33
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Look at it another way. Microsoft needed to put a facility into the program, but didn't want it to be too obvious, so they hid it in plain sight by giving it an obscure name - 'Run as Administrator'. If you ignore the name and regard it as just a way of solving problems, it's a lot less confusing!
I'll point out the ambiguity to the web team. |
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nigelwright7557
United Kingdom
9 Posts |
Posted - 09 Aug 2019 : 08:46:09
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If an install program writes to the registry then you must be in admin mode. This is to protect registry from unauthorised attempts to change it.
So when installing you have to right click on file you are installing then left click on "Run as admin"
I sell software myself and the amount of times people haven't read the install notes on "Run as admin" is amazing.
Typical reason for writing to registry is storing the default drive letter for the software. This is so people can install to different drives. |
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Peter Johnson
United Kingdom
489 Posts |
Posted - 09 Aug 2019 : 09:30:18
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quote:
Originally posted by nigelwright7557
If an install program writes to the registry then you must be in admin mode. This is to protect registry from unauthorised attempts to change it.
So when installing you have to right click on file you are installing then left click on "Run as admin"
I sell software myself and the amount of times people haven't read the install notes on "Run as admin" is amazing.
Typical reason for writing to registry is storing the default drive letter for the software. This is so people can install to different drives.
That's true, but the InstallShield software used for the installation should invoke that mode automatically so the user doesn't have to. It's only on a minority of machines where that doesn't work and 'Run as Admin' has to be manually invoked. Unfortunately, if there's a way to predict when this is going to happen, we're not aware of it, so the first time the user tends to be aware of it is when they find that default paths are missing from the program.
Once aware, they'll know to invoke that mode manually for any software they're installing. |
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V22 trial version crashes in Windows 10?