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Thread: Vista Compatibility?

  1. #1
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    Vista Compatibility?

    This thread is now closed due to age. A newer updated thread on this topic is available here:
    http://www.empirisoft.com/support/showthread.php?t=3324


    Are MediaLab and DirectRT are likely to be Vista-compliant? We have been using MediaLab / DirectRT for the past 5 years. Our lab has just been funded for an additional 5 years from the National Institute of Mental Health. We will be upgrading our current media lab software and purchasing new computers (desktop and laptop). Is Media Lab/Direct RT compatible with the Vista Operating System?
    We are recommending to stay with XP for now (or at least a dual boot OS with Vista and XP). But in any case, check this out to see if it helps..

    This is extremely helpful. We are not at the point of purchase deadline; however, I will heed your recommendation and stay with XP at this juncture or explore the possibility of purchasing a dual boot OS.
    If you are interested, please read on to see how the discussion has evolved and where we currently stand on our Vista versions.
    Last edited by jarvis24; 12-19-2009 at 04:43 AM.

  2. #2
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    Vista Compatibility?

    We have had some reports that MediaLab successfully installs and runs on Vista but that some have had trouble with DirectRT. That makes sense as Microsoft has dramatically altered how graphics run on this new Windows OS.

    To be honest, this is not likely to be a quick fix. We need to study up on exactly what Vista is doing differently than XP and how that interacts with the nasty fast graphics used by DirectRT. If you are a user and you experience any success or difficulty with DirectRT (or MediaLab) on Vista, please let us know. We want to make sure all the issues are worked out before we declare compatibility.

    One potential error you might see:
    An internal error occurred on code line 0. This has caused this session to terminate. Error #429. Active X component can’t create object.
    It seems that the trouble may be more likely for those using a clean install of Vista on a new machine, rather than on an upgrade from XP on an older machine. This implies the trouble may be related to certain files that XP leaves around after upgrading or perhaps something about the newer video cards included with new machines. In any case, we will update this post with any new information as it becomes available.

    -Blair
    Last edited by jarvis24; 04-22-2007 at 06:23 AM.

  3. #3
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    [edited reply from support email]

    Fortunately, Dell decided to bring the XP option back on the table for laptops. I understand the difficulty of transitioning software to a new OS, so please, take your time in solving the Vista issues.

    As a note of feedback, I would like to tell you that this semester we were able to run 100+ participants in a three hour study using Medialab / DirectRT. The study was a mix of .pps files, questionnaires, and DirectRT sessions. I am very amazed and happy to report that so far we’ve had *zero* problems with your SW!

  4. #4
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    Great to hear Dell is continuing to allow the XP option! I'm sure this will be a relief to many while the Vista issues are worked out. Glad to hear your study went well

  5. #5
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    Update: July 27th, 2007

    MediaLab: Still no reports of any trouble with MediaLab on Vista. We may soon elevate ourselves to the level of cautiously optimistic. Note we have had one user report trouble playings some types of videos. Still not sure why. Will update if/when we figure it out.

    DirectRT: We are continuing to work out the issues between Vista and DirectRT. We are happy to announce that we now able to run error free sessions with most input files. It will probably take us a month or two to finish, polish and test all the new code that was required to ensure this compatibility. We are shooting to have it ready for the release of v2008 in the fall. Note that it will be a free upgrade to any users who bought DirectRT v2006 after April 1st of this year.
    Last edited by jarvis24; 08-22-2007 at 12:59 PM.

  6. #6
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    [edited from support email]

    I'm now about to purchase the laptop I'll be using to collect my data (with DirectRT) but my ideal laptop (in view of all the other programs I'm using) has Windows Vista. I've been reading the forum pages and I know there have been some problems with DirectRT on Vista and so you're working on a Vista version. However, I'm looking to start collecting my data just after Christmas, so I was going to play it safe and get an XP machine. Now a colleague has suggested the emulator 'Virtual PC' to run XP within Vista, which would mean I could get my preferred computer. Have you tried this? Is the performance adequate?

  7. #7
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    I would avoid it if you can. The Vista version is nearing completion and I would be surprised if you couldn't use it by Christmas (if not by the end of October). You could also look at a dual-boot system instead. i.e., installing both Vista and XP such that you can choose which loads when you boot the computer. Running XP natively will certainly provide a better environment for DirectRT than would running it emulated through Virtual PC. It would work, it just wouldn't be ideal.

  8. #8
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    Related post

    [edited from support email]

    Would like to purchase three new media lab and three new direct RT licenses for my lab. Those computers, unfortunately, have Vista (recent discount dell/hp purchases where removing Vista voids warranty).

    Thus, can anyone tell me about when medialab/direct rt will be available for Vista?

  9. #9
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    MediaLab v2006-v2008 continues to be running ok in most cases on Vista with the exception of some video issues we're still trying to work out. With respect to DirectRT, we have a couple options to offer--we have an alpha version of DirectRT for Vista you can try--but it's new and we're still working out some issues. You can use it now and we will continue to fix any bugs that come up over the coming months.

    The other option (see above) would be to install XP on your systems--you ought to be able to do this as a "dual boot" setup where Vista is left intact and you simply choose which version of Windows you want when you start the system. That way you could use the standard v2008 XP version of DirectRT without voiding your warranty (unless it states otherwise, of course).
    Last edited by jarvis24; 01-14-2008 at 04:11 PM.

  10. #10
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    Update: April 15th, 2008

    MediaLab: as above

    DirectRT: We are currently on our 6th release of the DirectRT Vista Beta. Let us know if you want to check it out--so far, it's looking good and we are already building improvements into it as we prepare for v2010 which will be both Vista and XP compatible. Do remember though that it remains a beta which means that we make no promises about its performance yet.

    Note that the 5th beta is available here (as of April 15th, 2008):

    <contact us at service@....com for current beta link>

    And the 6th will be available within the next day or so which addresses some installation issues that a couple users have reported. As far as I know there are no functional differences from the 5th beta so long as the install goes ok and no errors are generated when you try to run an input file.
    Last edited by jarvis24; 07-23-2008 at 03:45 PM.

  11. #11
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    Update July 23rd, 2008

    The 10th beta release of DirectRT for Vista will be released this friday. Please contact us if you are interested in trying it. The first alpha of MediaLab for Vista has just been finished. As soon as we have a working beta version, it will be made available for free testing to licensed 2008 users.

  12. #12
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    Can't get Direct RT to Install on Vista - need new insights!

    [edited by moderator]

    I downloaded the Beta version of DirectRT for Vista and have tried to get it to install on my Vista computer. I've even enlisted the aid of my tech support people at school. I have the problem where everytime I open DirectRT I get a new / different authorization code. I've followed the steps suggested on the forums (in terms of giving read / write permissions etc., trying to download it again, and I am getting nowhere. Suggestions?
    Last edited by jarvis24; 10-07-2008 at 05:19 PM.

  13. #13
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    We are now up to beta 14 for the Vista version of DirectRT and most of the installation issues have been resolved. Contact sales@empirisoft.com for download info.

    [from 10/7/08]
    The most difficult bug we are dealing with in the Vista beta for DirectRT at this point is an installation issue. Vista seems to be much more serious about permissions than XP was. We are working to resolve this. The 13th release ought to be ready this week and hopefully this will be worked out asap. In the mean time, it sounds like you have done everything you can do. There was a recent update though which you may or may not be aware of--deleting the license dll file in the DirectRT folder can help in some cases--try deleting it and DirectRT will generate a fresh one when you try to restart it. In some cases, that has fixed the issue completely.
    Last edited by jarvis24; 03-16-2009 at 03:28 PM.

  14. #14

    Any new information on # 429?

    [edited by moderator]

    I downloaded a Microsoft file that should have solved an earlier problem I had, but now I'm getting "Error #429. Active X component can’t create object." My computer is a new HP with Vista. Already downloaded DirectX, although I had version 10 to begin with.
    [moderator comment]
    Be sure you are running the beta version of DirectRT for Vista. The regular version of DirectRT v2008 (and earlier) will not run properly on most Vista systems. Contact mailto:service@empirisoft.com for download info.
    Last edited by jarvis24; 12-19-2009 at 04:39 AM.

  15. #15
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    This thread is now closed due to age. A newer updated thread on this topic is available here:
    http://www.empirisoft.com/support/showthread.php?t=3324

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