This only applies to releases prior to 2007

The Setup program currently remains a 16-bit application for support for Windows 3.x. In general, this does not cause any problems or issues, but the following may be relevant to certain individuals:

• Changing the default install location will require a short (8:3) naming convention - a long file name (such as "\Program Files" will cause problems - use (after verifying) "\PROGRA~1")
• In NT/2000/XP, a Virtual Machine is used with WOW (Windows on Windows) compatibility - make sure any appropriate Windows Service Packs are installed
• Supporting older versions of Windows - What a concept!

Original ID: PI300314

(NOTE: This has not been a common problem since Windows 98 SE, circa 1999)

There is a known compatibility issue with various video drivers when running our SETUP.EXE in certain resolutions / color depths. Any errors are related to an improper implementation with the driver's ability to perform the Windows API StretchBlt operation (GDI support). We apologize for any inconvenience, but this is NOT a problem with IMG software. If you experience any errors or difficulties while installing IMG software, we suggest you do one of the following:

• Obtain the most up-to-date driver from the manufacturer of your video adapter.

• Reduce (or change) the color depth / resolution of your video display and rerun SETUP.EXE (Display Properties | Settings)

• Change the video settings to the Standard VGA or Super VGA and rerun SETUP.EXE.

Original ID: PI300315

This only applies to releases prior to 2007.

The Setup program currently remains a 16-bit application for support for Windows 3.x (schools, hand-me-down systems, etc.). Please note that Microsoft no longer supports Windows 3.x at all - please consider this. Windows NT/2000/XP allow 16-bit progrmas via a "Windows on Windows" (WOW layer) compatibility subsystem. Normally this is transparent to the user.

• This is related to the file AUTOEXEC.NT located in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 folder - it may be missing or corrupt.
• The best solution is to copy the file AUTOEXEC.NT from the \WINDOWS\REPAIR folder to the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 folder. If you are familiar with Windows Explorer, simply locate the file AUTOEXEC.NT in \WINDOWS\REPAIR, then copy and paste into \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 (you may need to show files).
• To type the command directly:
• Start Menu | Run
• Type CMD, then click OK
• At the command prompt type COPY \WINDOWS\REPAIR\AUTOEXEC.NT \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32[Enter]
• Type EXIT[Enter]
• CONFIG.NT and COMMAND.COM can also cause this - For other information, see Microsoft's Knowledge Base Article 305521 and Article 324767.
• Supporting older versions of Windows - What a concept!

Original ID: PI300313

The Setup program looks for Windows with certain names, and one of these windows is the Welcome screen run when you first install the software. Unfortunately, the program looks at ANY window with Welcome in the caption, and reports this result. We have created a program that looks at the same items as Setup, and reports details so you can shutdown or remove the particular program causing this conflict. You can download VERIFY.EXE (MD5: 5BDBB80834BA96C52BA12C16184C4B1D) and run it on the system reporting this message to diagnose what particular program is causing this conflict. You can use Task Manager (or Add/Remove programs) to close or remove the problematic program. Once Setup is complete, you can reboot to reset the system, or restart the program, or re-install the program.

For downloaded demos, another solution is to use a different install approach, see Alternative Downloads for My-T-Soft.

Original ID: PI300316

The MSI files are essentially databases of information used by the Windows Installer to install the files and setup a system. The executable to use is "msiexec.exe" and any appropriate command line switches. In general, if you double click on an MSI file, Windows launches msiexec with the /i install option (e.g. "msiexec /i mts178_2000xp.msi").

For some basic, frequently asked for options, here are a few that can be used with the standard IMG MSI install files (these switches are not case sensitive):

In these examples, the msi file should be replaced with the msi file you want to operate on…

msiexec /i mts178_2000xp.msi
This installs My-T-Soft 1.78 (using the user interface)

msiexec /qn /i mts178_2000xp.msi
This silently installs My-T-Soft 1.78 (with NO user interface)

msiexec /qn /x mts178_2000xp.msi
This silently un-installs My-T-Soft 1.78 (with NO user interface)

msiexec /a mts178_2000xp.msi /qn TARGETDIR="C:\Documents and Settings\Full User\Desktop\Test"
This silently installs My-T-Soft 1.78 (with NO user interface) to a different target directory (for testing, etc.)

Further notes on command line switches:

/a = Administrative install - allows use of TARGETDIR override

/i = standard install

/x = standard un-install

/q? = user interface options

/qn = Displays no user interface.
/qb = Displays a basic user interface.
/qr = Displays a reduced user interface with a modal dialog box displayed at the end of the installation.
/qf = Displays the full user interface with a modal dialog box displayed at the end.
/qn+ = Displays no user interface, except for a modal dialog box displayed at the end.
/qb+ = Displays a basic user interface with a modal dialog box displayed at the end.
/qb- = Displays a basic user interface with no modal dialog boxes.

For further info on msiexec.exe, refer to Microsoft's documentation.

For safety reasons, certain drive letters will not be checked for a USB device. Using Disk Management (In Windows XP, the easiest way to get to this is: Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Computer Management, then select Disk Management), you can change the Drive Letter to a H: or K: or other drive letter, and then re-run the USB install. You must have the USB device installed, and it must be visible as a drive in the Computer view of Windows Explorer.

If any system environment entry is extremely long, it may cause an error due to an internal buffer size within the SETUP.exe installation program (due to release testing on fresh installs of various versions of Windows, this was not caught for years). Typically the environment is modified by application installs, so a machine with many installed applications is more likely to run into this. Options include reviewing system environment settings, restarting the system, or run the installation process in a limited environment. This issue has been resolved for releases available after the first half of 2013. Note that 1.78 / pre-2010 releases will not be updated - options include running the MSI install, or modifying the environment to temporarily remove the entries that are extremely long. At a CMD prompt, you can use "set > env.txt" to create a text file (ENV.TXT) with the environment - view file size in Windows Explorer (the size should be under 700 bytes for SETUP.exe to run correctly). Typically there will be 1 or 2 extremely long items (path, etc.). You can modify the environment in Control Panel | System | Advanced Settings | Environment Variables. By saving the environment in a text file, you can safely delete items, then re-introduce them after completing the install.

Download and run the IMG Software System Check Utility. This utility will check your system for installed versions of IMG software, and allow you to remove files, folders, and registry entries. This should typically only be used in conjunction with IMG Technical Support.

Download IMG Software System Check Utility img_software_check.exe 4/14/2022 (96KB) (MD5: 4A66582E7FEE1DCCC6E4B57149D059E3)

Download IMG Software System Check Utility (older build for XP/2000) img_software_check.exe 4/12/2013 (87KB) (MD5: 4CDFD672B4B0F72BE7562BEA199945AA)

Basic Operation

• Download and note location (or save to Desktop)
• Run img_software_check.exe (Administrator required)
• Select "Remove ALL Items & Re-Check"
• After removing all items, the IMG Software System Check Utility should find no IMG Software on your system, and close after you dismiss the informational message.

• For command line / automated un-install, use AUTOREMOVE
• Example: C:\>img_software_check.exe AUTOREMOVE[Enter]
• Notes:
• Can be used with batch file or manually on command line
• This will still show backsplash while running
• Does not indicate success or failure
• Does not remove private settings, public boards folder as outlined below

IMPORTANT:
If you can not get past the message that "Software is running" and you have closed all IMG Software, you can try restarting and then retrying. If you still run into this issue, then the IMG software may be in the Startup - you can use Start | Run | MSCONFIG | Ok to review startup items. You can also use the Task Manager to "End" the software - right-click on a blank area of the task bar, select Task Manager, and then view all processes and look for the IMG Software - then select and End Process.

Notes:
This does not yet address every IMG software release, so it may not apply to the specific version of Windows and version of IMG Software. This will eventually be incorporated into support options and system management tools and will be updated at this location as necessary. It is a 32-bit version, but does handle 64-bit installs. (32-bit so it can run on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems - can't do that with a 64-bit version!)
This does NOT delete private/user level settings, nor remove Build-A-Board BOARDS, SOURCE, or TARGET results - does now have an option to open Windows Explorer to enable you to handle these folders as desired.

Older versions of the single-file/self-extracting executable install exe's must be run/installed from the system where they will be installed. If run from a network (or USB drive, or other media), the setup portion will not successfully extract the software files from the compressed package embedded in the EXE. The Setup portion will appear to run successfully (and probably rather fast), but the software will not be installed. You must copy the EXE to the desktop or documents or download location, and launch it from the system that you are installing the software on. Also note this may occur if there is not enough disk space, or possibly other system issues, so also verify your system. If downloaded, you may wish to verify the size/MD5 of the file to ensure the EXE is not corrupted.

You will need to update the SETUP.INI file in the Autorun folder. By default, in [Settings] the Mode is set to CHECK, i.e. Mode=CHECK. You can use Notepad or other editor to open Autorun\SETUP.INI, and change the Mode setting to Mode=CD - this forces SETUP.EXE to treat the location as if running from a disc. The SETUP.EXE program is multipurpose, and without this setting, will act as if it is the Autorun executable for an inserted USB drive (since it is being run from a USB drive), and expects installed folders for products that are meant to be autorun. When wanting the USB drive to act like an installation disc, you need to force the Mode setting so SETUP.exe operates in the installation mode.

Download and run the IMG Software Configuration Check Utility. This utility will check your system for proper installation of the IMG Download Manager and IMG License Manager and verify support level. This should typically only be used in conjunction with IMG Technical Support.

Download IMG Software Configuration Check Utility img_config_check.exe 7/9/2015 (96KB) (MD5: F99525FB3B307106348FAFA3FEA46F13)

Basic Operation

• Download and note location (or save to Desktop)
• Run img_config_check.exe (Administrator required)
• If Success indicated, you have confirmed the proper registry entries and file locations.
• If Error indicated, you can review entries to identify specific issues. A re-install of the latest release for your version of Windows is advised.

Notes:
This may report an error for older IMG software due to new requirements and support functions. Use the IMG Download Manager (Check for Updates…) to update files.

The original /q or /i install options for unattended installs were done for customers wrapping the installation into their own installation approach, and the desktop/startup shortcut options were bypassed, leaving system configuration up to the master install. For customers that need this capability, an updated SETUP.exe is available that supports these options as specified in the INSTALL.XML (the existing settings are used for the standard install and indicate if the option is available, and if it is default checked (CAPS) or clear (lowercase)).

You can download a replacement SETUP.exe here:

Setup2016Sep06.zip (SETUP.EXE) 216KB (MD5: 525739BA93FC3E44A251BF5FFF143536) 9/5/2016

Download, extract, and replace SETUP.exe with the updated SETUP.exe (from zip)

Using My-T-Soft as an example, a typical install set will be SETUP.exe / INSTALL.XML / My-T-Soft.PKG (similar for other packages). To create the shortcut, the INSTALL.XML file must be changed in the GROUP Action item using the following conventions (case is used as indicator, comma is separator):
DESKTOP=Create Desktop Icon
desktop=Skip/Remove Desktop Icon
STARTUP=Create Startup Icon
startup=Skip/Remove Startup Icon
MTSICON=Use My-T-Soft keyboard Icon (My-T-Soft type installs)

As an example, the following text will create a Startup shortcut icon:

. . .
. . .
<SOURCE>
<TYPE>GROUP</TYPE>
<NAME>My-T-Soft</NAME>
<DATAFILE>desktop,STARTUP,MTSICON>/DATAFILE>
</SOURCE>
. . .
. . .

<DATAFILE>DESKTOP,STARTUP,MTSICON</DATAFILE> will create both a Desktop and Startup Icon.

Notes:

• Depending on product, release version, OS version, and specific technical issue, some tech items are very specific, and some may span to other products/versions
• Downloadable files can also be accessed by anonymous FTP at ftp://downloads.imgpresents.com
• Older files are moved into a separate archive location - see notes/details/new location in *.archived.txt text file

• Return to Technical Support

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