DirectRT won't open through MediaLab in Windows 7 (case 3099)

I'm running DirectRT 2010 (the latest version) and MediaLab 2012 (the latest version).

I have a .exp file that calls up DirectRT several times during the experiment to run some reaction time tests. When I run this file on our computers running Windows XP, it works fine. However, I just installed some new computers with Windows 7. The experiment begins fine, but when it comes time for MediaLab to call up the first DirectRT file, the screen turns blank (the light purple color of the default media lab background) and fails to do anything. Participants cannot advance any further and I have to shut down MediaLab through the task manager.

I thought this might be because I did not have Microsoft Office installed on the computer, but even after installing Office the problem remains.

The experiment works fine when running it on a PC using Windows XP, but "freezes?" when MediaLab tries to call up DirectRT.

Hi djjohnson. I'm not sure why DirectRT won't open via MediaLab in Windows 7, but I can suggest one thing that may or may not work but is easy enough to be worth trying. Are you familiar with running programs in "compatibility mode" through Windows 7? Basically, Microsoft included an option in Windows 7 to emulate older versions of Windows, notably XP, in an attempt to prevent compatibility issues from interfering with the running of some software. I'm not sure if this will fix your issue, but given that you're experiment is working in XP it's worth trying.

To run in compatibility mode, do the following:

[LIST=1][*]Right-click on MediaLab (either the .exe file or the shortcut)[*]Select "properties"[*]Select the "compatibility" tab[*]Click the box marked "Run this program in compatibility mode for" under "Compatibility Mode"[*]Select "Windows XP (Service Pack 3)[*]Press "Ok"[/LIST]

This will tell Windows 7 to run MediaLab as though it was being run on Windows XP. This doesn't always work and may not solve your problem, but it's simple to try and can easily be reversed (if it doesn't work, just follow the above steps and uncheck the compatibility mode box).

I hope that helps.

Best,
Will

wcrescioni has a great suggestion by trying to use XP emulation as a possible solution to your problem. However, I would also suggest that you compare any results regarding reaction time from the experiment using Medialab to lauch DirectRT in the Windows XP emulation to the same experiment run in an actual version of Windows XP. Because DirectRT relies on getting direct access to the OS in recording its reaction times, doing this check will allow you to see if the XP emulation creates any differences in the recorded reaction times. This would hopefully save you some heartache down the road by ensuring the XP emulation gives you reliable reaction times before you start gathering your actual data.

Hi all,

Just in case this hasn't been resolved yet, djjohnson--do you happen to be running DirectRT v2010.3 here? That particular version had trouble being found by other programs (including MediaLab) because it's location was not being correctly being written to the Windows registry by InstallShield. If so, lmk, and we can point you to an appropriate fix or upgrade.

Blair

[QUOTE=jarvis;19571]Hi all,

Just in case this hasn't been resolved yet, djjohnson--do you happen to be running DirectRT v2010.3 here? That particular version had trouble being found by other programs (including MediaLab) because it's location was not being correctly being written to the Windows registry by InstallShield. If so, lmk, and we can point you to an appropriate fix or upgrade.

Blair[/QUOTE]

I am having this same problem. MediaLab is not running any DirectRT files after upgrading to v2010.3. Is there a fix for the windows registry issue?

Hi all,

Please refer to the following forum thread "[B]MediaLab will not run a DirectRT v2010.3 session (case 7260)" [/B]for steps on how to resolve the issue of getting MediaLab to call up DirectRT v2010.3

[URL]http://support.empirisoft.com/showthread.php?t=8209[/URL]

Cheers.

Jason