Trouble Shooting Common Problems
These are the recommended steps to take if you have problems after program installation. Try each step in sequence (although you may skip around steps if you want). If the problem persists after completing a step, proceed to the next step.
Trouble Downloading
Any browser should be able to download our program installers (MSI files). However, if you downloaded the program MSI recently, your browser may still have the MSI saved in your local machine cache. If so, it may not try to download the file again. And when you click the download link, it just immediately reports the file is downloaded. In this case you may not be getting the latest version of the MSI file. The simple fix is to Clear the browser cache and try to download again. Here are how-to instructions to Clear cache for most popular browsers.
Common Errors Encountered
If you are getting a specific error message or symptom from our program, see the Common Errors page for recommended actions. If the program fails to start after sucessfully installing it, and you do not get an error message, you should try starting the program in Test Mode (see step 5 below).
Step 1: Verify that you are using the latest release
Our software can be downloaded from various Web download services (ex. Download.com et al) which may not yet have added our latest maintenance release. Please download and install the latest release to ensure you have the latest functional enhancements and fixes. The program Help -- About dialog lists your installed program level and the program Download page will list the latest available release.
Step 2: Uninstall, then Re-Install
You MUST ALWAYS uninstall a previous release before installing the latest release. Failing to do so will often be the source cause errors. In rare cases, the install may not have worked properly (sometimes due to user access rights). Try re-installing to see if it helps. This should only take a few minutes if you are proficient with Windows.
Instructions
- Go to the Windows Control Panel -- Add or Remove Programs and find the program in the list. (see Figure 1.)
- Click Remove. If you see the program is listed twice (previous release and current release), remove them both.
- After the program is removed, open Windows Explorer and navigate to the location where the program had been installed (typically "C:\Program Files\Breakthru Software\Program Name"). If this program folder still exists, it should be empty now. If not, simply delete the program folder.
- Next run the program Setup to reinstall the program. Also, there are special considerations for User Account Control (User Id Administrator rights) when installing on Windows 7 or Vista.
- Double click the program installer to install the program.
- You should now have a clean install. Go to Start -- All Programs -- [Program Folder] to start the program.
Step 3: Check Program Pre-requisites
See the Verifying and Installing Prerequisite Software page for complete instructions.
Step 4: Check Program Error Log
The program may write error messages to the log which can identify the problem. Each error message is time stamped so you can tell when error messages were written. If you can't determine the problem you can email the error message to Support.
Instructions
- Start the program and go to Help -- Log.
- If the program will not start, you can view the error log via the Application Diagnostic Tool. Run the View program log action.
Step 5: Start the program in Test Mode
If the program fails to start and you do not get an error message, you can try starting the program in Test mode which in most cases will force an error message when a problem is encountered. The referenced BAT file applies to program releases of Nov 2009 or later. If you have a previous release you can upgrade or contact Support for instructions.
Instructions
- Open Windows Explorer by Start -- All Programs -- Accessories -- Windows Explorer. (not Internet Explorer)
- Navigate to the location where the program had been installed (typically "C:\Program Files\Breakthru Software\Program Name").
- Double click the file named "Run-in-TESTMODE.bat".
You should hopefully get a dialog box popup with an error message. You can copy the error message to the Windows clipboard by doing CTRL-A then CTRL-C (select all, copy). Then paste the error message into a post to the Program Users Forum or an email to Support.
Step 6: Repair the installation
The program stores configuration files for things like program options. If they become corrupted or back level, they may cause a program error. You can clean up corrupted configuration files with the Application Diagnostic Tool.
Instructions
- Download the Application Diagnostic Tool. Then run the Repair action.
- Now restart the program to see if the error has been fixed.
Step 7: Test your DirectX Sound
See our instructions for testing DirectX Sound.
Always Set a Windows Restore Point
Optional but Smart! DirectX and the .Net Framework should be considered as service packs to your system. As such, it is always a safe practice to set a Windows Restore Point before installing them. It only takes a few seconds. And it is the ONLY way to back out of either of these types of installs (in rare cases where it is necessary).