Vista Compatibility?

[jarvis24]

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

[jarvis24]

[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!

[jarvis24]

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

[jarvis24]

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.

[jarvis24]

[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?

[jarvis24]

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.

[jarvis24]

[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?