When a DXLab Application Stops Working Correctly
Unless there is hard evidence of a broken installation, do not un-install and then re-install a DXLab application, as doing so is unlikely to resolve the problem, but might destroy important evidence or create new problems. A broken installation is indicated by the presence of messages like "Component X is not registered" or "Library Y cannot be found". If you don't see such messages, don't un-install and re-install!
There are seven likely reasons why a previously-working DXLab application might stop working:
- you just upgraded to a new version of the DXLab application, but your firewall or an anti-malware application is preventing the DXLab application from working
- one or more DXLab applications are being started with Administrator privileges, which prevents them from interoperationg with DXLab applications that are not being started with Administrator privileges
Windows Update or an update to one of your anti-malware applications is preventing the DXLab application from working correctly
- the DXLab application reports that one or more files are missing
- a malfunction in the Windows Registry caused one or more of the DXLab application's saved settings to change
- one of the DXLab application's windows is no longer visible
- Windows is not functioning correctly
After an Upgrade
If you've just upgraded to a new version, configure your firewall and anti-malware applications to consider the application to be "safe". If that's not effective, reboot Windows into "safe mode with networking"; if the application now runs, then one of the applications that Windows automatically starts when booted normally is responsible. Typically, this is your firewall or an anti-malware application not configured to consider the DXLab application to be "safe".
If neither of the above actions is effective, revert to the version you were previously using. If the previous version works, then the new version is defective; please report this on the DXLab group. If the previous version doesn't work either, then something else in your hardware or software configuration must have changed.
Interference from Anti-malware Applications
Firewall, antivirus, and other anti-malware applications can cause DXLab applications to start or perform slowly, prevent them from interoperating, or prevent them from accessing the internet. Even though you've configured your anti-malware applications to consider each of your DXLab applications to be safe, new releases of these applications or new releases of your DXLab applications may result in a resumption of interference.
Anti-malware applications are generally configured to be automatically started by Windows; to determine whether an automatically-started application is interfering with your DXLab applications, boot windows into Safe Mode with Networking as described here.
DXLab Applications Aren't Interoperating
Your firewall or anti-malware applications may prevent your DXLab applications from interoperating; to avoid this, configure your firewall and anti-malware applications to consider each of your DXLab applications to be "safe". If that's not effective, reboot Windows into "safe mode with networking"; if your DXLab applications now interoperate, then one of the applications that Windows automatically starts when booted normally is responsible.
Windows will not allow two applications to interoperate if one was started with Administrative privileges and the other was started without Administrative privileges. DXLab applications should not be started with Administrative privileges unless they've been installed in a folder that Windows considers protected. Either no DXLab applications should be started with Administrative privileges, or all DXLab applications should be started with Administrative privileges. If you're using a desktop icon to start a DXLab application, right-click it and select the Properties command; in the Properties window that appears, check the Compatibility tab to see if the Run this program as an administrator box is checked.
An Errorlog.txt File is Present
If an application's Main window's Title Bar contains a see errorlog... message and the log debugging info box on its Configuration window's General tab is not checked, attach the errorlog.txt file from the application's folder to an email message, and send it (no pre-approval required) to
aa6yq (at) ambersoft.com
If the Errorlog.txt file is being generated because you have the log debugging info box on its Configuration window's General tab checked, uncheck this box and restart the application.
Files are Missing
If one or more files disappear from an installed DXLab application - after a Windows Update, or because anti-malware quarantined them, or because you inadvertently deleted them - you can direct the DXLab Launcher to Restore that DXLab application's files. The DXLab Launcher's Restore function will download a zip archive containing all of the application's files, extract the files from this archive and place them into their correct locations, and then delete the zip archive -- all without risk of confusing Windows by making changes to the Windows Registry. To Restore an installed DXLab application,
- if the application is running, terminate it
open the Launcher's Configuration window and select its DXLab Apps tab
on the Configuration window's DXLab Apps tab,
confirm that the application's Program Path is correct
click the application's Restore button
Unlike "Uninstall/Reinstall", which does make changes to the Windows Registry and thus should be avoided unless there is hard evidence of a corrupted installation, the Launcher's Restore function will do no harm.
Rebooting Windows
Sometimes Windows gets itself into a bad state. Before spending a lot of time and energy tracking down a new problem, close all applications, direct Windows to shut down, and after Windows shuts down, turn your computer off; then turn your computer back on, wait for Windows to start, and start your DXLab applications.
If your computer is configured to use hybrid sleep or fast boot, you will not gain the full benefit of terminating and restarting Windows.
If the problem no longer appears, the cause was likely transient; however, if the same behavior recurs later, please report this on the DXLab group
Loss of Settings
To be able to quickly recover from a Windows Registry malfunction, direct the DXLab Launcher to create and populate a Workspace at a time when everything is working correctly, and configure your your backup-and-recovery application to include the Workspace folder in your backups. If you subsequently make significant changes to settings, direct the Launcher to update the Workspace. If you do this, then if later you suspect that an application's settings may have changed, you can direct the Launcher to restore that application's settings from the Workspace.
Recovering a window that is no longer visible on your monitor
Use this procedure to recover a window that is no longer visible.
Managing Updates
Because Windows Update and anti-malware application updates can cause your DXLab applications to stop working correctly, do not allow such updates to be automatically downloaded and installed. Instead, configure them so that you are notified after such updates have been downloaded. When it's convenient to install such updates,
direct Windows to create a Restore Point
- install the updates.
- start the DXLab Launcher
- direct the Launcher to start DXKeeper
direct DXKeeper to perform a Sync LoTW QSLs operation
If the Sync LoTW QSLs operation works correctly without the Launcher or DXKeeper displaying a see errorlog... message in their Main window title bars and without any significant reduction in performance, then the updates were likely harmless. If the Sync LoTW QSLs operation fails, if new errorlog entries were created, or if the Launcher or DXKeeper are running slowly, then terminate your DXLab applications and direct Windows to return to the Restore Point you created just before installing the updates.