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Windows XP Pro SP2 Dongle Problems


Johncfs

Question

I just recently did a clean install of Win XP Pro SP2 on a new computer I built, installed Vectorworks 10.5.1 and let Windows Update find the most recent driver for my dongle.

Now when I start VW it gives me a 'Vectorworks requires that up-to-date dongle drivers be installed. Please install the drivers and relaunch Vectorworks'

I attempted a re-install of VW, downloaded and attempted the isntall the dongle drivers from www.ealaddin.com, but keep getting a installation crash (the same crash that plauged the HASP drivers when XP was first released)

Even stranger is an [Confused] install of VW on my labtop was fine, (Win XP Home SP1)

Is the HASP Dongle Drivers and/or VW incompatible with SP2? Could it be a USB problem?

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[big Grin]

Alright I was able to fix the problem, just so if anyone else has issues after a clean install of Windows XP SP2 the problem arises from DEP (Data Execution Prevention) a new feature for XP SP2, Aladdin was nice enough to send me a workaround to get the Dongle Driver install correctly.

Regarding your question, compatibility with SP2:

The workaround is to change the boot.ini by:

1. Open Windows Explorer and go to C:\

2. Choose Folder Options from the Tools menu.

3. In the View tab, uncheck "Hide protected operation system files

(recommended)" and click OK.

4. Now you'll see in C:\ the file 'boot.ini'. Right click on it and choose

Properties. Uncheck the Read-only attribute and click OK.

5. Open the boot.ini file in Notepad and change the "/noexecute=OptIn" to

"/noexecute=AlwaysOff". Save the file.

6. Restart the machine.

7. Install the HASP driver.

8. Open Windows Explorer and go to C:\

9. Choose Folder Options from the Tools menu.

10. In the View tab, check "Hide protected operation system files

(recommended)" and click OK

This shuts off the DEP so the drivers can properly access the hardware and/or registry(I think)...I'm no expert. In any case it works.

Could someone make a admin aware of this post, so other users won't run into this issue when they upgrade to SP2?

-John

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John,

Thanks for the information. Our engineer has been in contact with Aladdin regarding this issue since your message first popped up here. I didn't post a message about it because I wanted to first find out whether it's a problem with SP2 or with the dongle driver. There has been alot of talk about SP2 causing problems across the board in alot of other areas of the OS. I personally don't recommend updating to SP2 until all the problems are examined by any software vendors. There are some known issues with Norton and SP2 due to the firewall stuff. Even after turning the firewall off, some problems persist.

If we get additional information from aladdin, I'll be sure to let you know.

Thanks again.

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I have a similar problem - Running VW11.01 on an Athlon 64 3400+, Asus K8VSE Deluxe mobo, 1 gig RAM, WinXP SP2 - SP2 broke the dongle driver, downloaded latest HASP WinSP2-compliant driver from Aladdin which restored use of VW11 but provokes a STOP error on entering Standby. Removing the dongle allows Standby to proceed normally

re above responses -

1. boot.ini is more easily accessed via CP-System-Advanced-Performance-Startup-Edit

2. My own boot.ini does not contain any reference to "noexecute"

3. I have turned DEP off via CP-System-Advanced-Performance-DEP with no improvement in above fault condition

4. Sequence of Install SP2- VW fails asking for new dongle drivers - install new HASP SP2-compliant driver from Aladdin - VW OK - Standby STOP error - remove dongle - no Standby STOP error would suggest that Aladdin's new driver is defective.

5. Altho' I can appreciate Nemetschek's desire to blame it all on SP2, in this instance it would seem to be their dongle driver at fault.

It is surely encumbent on Nemetschek/Aladdin to provide a working driver as quickly as possible, and not to ask users to possibly compromise their system by not installing major OS updates.

Please take responsibility for your product, Nemetschek, and provide a working driver as soon as possible.

Eric

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FYI - NNA does not make the dongles nor the dongle drivers. Aladdin Systems is he manufacturer and developer of the dongle and the driver.

Aladdin has released an updated driver that is compatible with SP2.

Please see my response to your former post in the General Section of the message board.

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You supply the dongle so presumably take some responsibility. Don't know if you can blame others as easily in the US but here in the UK you would be responsible as the provider/seller.

As is clear in my post above, I have downloaded the supposedly SP2 compatible driver from Aladdin but this is causing problems.

I have seen your "update all drivers" response in the General Section but feel this falls short of a responsible reply. in any case all drivers are up to date.

You have so far put forward 2 'solutions'

1. Blame SP2

2. Blame outdated drivers by others

How about addressing the very real likelihood that the latest Aladdin SP2 driver is defective i.e take some responsibility rather than blaming others.

Sorry to write in such a vein but I would appreciate something other than blame-dodging.

Eric

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The problem is not in the driver of the dongle. In order for an OS to run smoothly, especially with all the changes to the OS with installation of SP2, all device drivers need to be updated. I believe this is also noted on Microsoft's knowledge base.

Whenever you install new technology - in this case, SP2 - most of the drivers that link hardware to the operating system and allow for functionality need to meet the newer technology.

I know most video card manufacturers released updates exclusively for purposes associated with changes to the OS in conjunction with SP2.

Along with video card drivers, bios changes are also sometimes necessary for the identical purpose.

You can choose to try my suggestions, or you can choose not to.

Until the attempt to update drivers is executed, it's difficult to troubleshoot the scenario.

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Its diffciult for me to understand what part of "all drivers are up to date" you do not understand. May I repeat, all drivers are latest versions, bios is latest version. I hope this is clear to you

I am certainly not unwilling to try suggestions, indeed I am actively seeking them. Your general observations and vague suggestions re video drivers & bios have already been anticipated, but the problem remains

What then are Nemetschek's thoughts on an error which

1. has occurred after the dongle driver is updated

2. does not occur when the dongle is removed

Eric

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I have just installed Vectorworks 10.1 on my new computer (running Windows XP Home) and when I launch Vectorworks, it tells me no dongle is attached and the program will shut, despite the fact the dongle is attached and working. I have used this program on another machine with XP for some time without a problem. I can't figure out what is wrong, and despite loading all the drivers discussed here, still can't get it to work. The dongle is fine (lights up and all) and Aladdin hasn't been any help at all...in fact their tech support pointed me back to you. Can you please help? I have sold the old computer and need this program working ASAP as my livelihood depends on my being able to access previous drawings.

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Can I expect any assistance from Nemetschek for my problem related above. It appears that this and the other related thread in General Discussion have moved on to other user's issues.

My sympathies to them but may I also ask that my product be made workable ? That the problem I have raised be dealt with ?

btw Katie SanFarnN8 explicitly stated the dongle light was ON in his/her post

Any hope of any service here ??

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SanFran -

A simply FYI -

If you purchased VW directly from us, our support is available M-F 9 am to 5:30 pm. We have been experiencing a higher call volume now that the end of summer has come and gone. September is usually a busy support month given everyone going back to school and work after holidays.

Of course, we were closed yesterday for Labor Day.

If you purchased the product through any of the international distributors, you should contact them for support purposes. They will then contact us directly through their known contacts if they are unable to resolve a problem.

As for the problem -

Are you logged in as the administrator of the local machine?

Go to www.nemetschek.net/dongle and download and run the dongle ID utility to see if it reports a dongle being recognized and an ID.

Please let me know the result.

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EKX -

As stated in a post, I have discussed the matter with the engineer who is in contact with Aladdin regarding the issue. They are working on investigating and resolving the problem as soon as possible. As technical things are, this isn't always an instantly available fix. I uderstand the situation updating to SP2 in conjunction with the dongle has created for you. Please know that people are working on the issue. As soon as a solution or additional informatin is available, I'll be sure to post it here.

Your patience and understanding of this issue is appreciated.

[ 09-07-2004, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: Katie ]

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Hi, Katie. I havbe downloaded the dongle id utility and it doesn't not show a dongle being attached, despite the dongle being lit up and plugged into usb port. And yes, I am logged on as computer administrator. Can you direct me to the correct driver for this as the dongle appears in the device manager with a question mark over it.

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Ok...so I've followed the advice you emailed me Katie, and then had to call technical support to correct the problem...they then told me to reinstall sp2..which I did. And still the dongle does not work. Are you guys ever going to provide an answer or should I consider this a total loss and upgrade to AutoCad?

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Ok..so, have finally gotten the computer to recognize the dongle...thanks to an hour phone call with Microsoft. As for blaming SP2, Microsoft said they find it suprising this issue is only now cropping up since the beta version was available for software providers to test for more than 1 year. So, anyway you cut it, this is a problem for Vectorworks..and I hope you appreciate that it makes your software unuseable and that this type of snafu is a potential PR coup for your competitors. In addition, telling us to wait patiently is unacceptable in light of Microsoft's comments.

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Katie,

Thank you for your assurance that my issue is under investigation. I appreciate that such matters can take time but SanFranN8 comments are certainly echoed by me.

I will "wait patiently" (what else to do having invested in your software) Also waiting patiently will be the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on whose Ribanet Conference Board my problem and some responses have been posted. I trust that I will very shortly be able to report 'problem solved' back to the architectural community here in the UK.

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SanFran,

Aladdin did do numerous beta testing with SP2. Keep in mind that the beta version of the program is usually far different than the final version released to the public. There are often problems not found durring the beta cycle, or new problems that crop up between the closing software development cycle and the final version that beta testers are not necessarily privy to.

I am not going to into into a discussion of he said, she said between NNA, Aladdin, and MicroSoft. I have confidence in the engineering staff at NNA and Aladdin that a resolution to the problem will be found. The problem is in the Aladdin dongle driver, not in VectorWorks. We have established that as a truth with conversations between NNA's engineering team, Aladdin's engineering team, and MicroSofts engineering team.

Please note, this problem was JUST brough to our attention Monday - which happened to be a national holiday in the US. The NNA engineering team along with Aladdin and MicroSoft have only been working on this issue for one working day. Deeply embeded issues similar to this one usually take more than one day to find, much less fix.

I don't have an expected date that this problem will be fixed. I would ask for you to respect the efforts being made by all parties while this problem is being worked out. These are the only two reported issues of this problem, which are considered rare making it all that much more difficult to track down and fix.

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Katie, forgive me for reminding you of your post of 6th September

"posted 06-09-2004 18:17

The problem is not in the driver of the dongle"

and now today,8th September

"The problem is in the Aladdin dongle driver, not in VectorWorks. We have established that as a truth"

I do this not to score a cheap point but to emphasize how hard it has been to get you (Nemetschek, Aladdin) to take responsibility for your products. Were it not for SanFranN8 and myself pushing this fairly hard (and necessarily as our livelihoods depend on Vectorworks) I do not feel we would have got this far.

I hope that this lesson may be learned, that you will be more receptive and attentive to us, the users, and, of course, for a rapid resolution of the problem.

Eric

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I don't see where I stated that it's not a problem in the dongle driver. I don't see a post on that date with my comments.

First of all, I noted that I was not in the office on Monday (national holiday)- so I coudln't discuss with the engineer about the problem. When I did come back to the office, (tuesday) I did discuss this with the engineer. I had planned at first sight of the problem after you acknowledge that the drivers were all updated, to discuss the issue with the engineer. I didn't voice that, because I didn't feel the need to at that point. I had no idea that the situation would have arisen to the volume it has with language and short comments.

However, comments that have been made have been terse, which doens't help the sitaution get resolved any faster. It doesn't make it slower, but it doesn't make it faster either. It doesn't help the situation on either side to deal with negative comments. When I say that things are being looked into, you have my word. I am not a magician, I can't wave my wand and make the problem all better instantly. Netiher can the engineers. I understand the inconvenice this has served. I/W/Aladdin/MicroSoft just can't fix it with the snap of my fingers, like you seem to think by suggestions made in comments.

This message board is a forum that was designed for users to interact with other users. I help out here when I have time. I am not obligated to help here. I do so because I care about the quality of responses users receive by using this site.

I work extremely hard at my job, as do the other individuals in the tech support department. Likewise with NNA's engineering team. It will be far and between to find a tech support service for CAD software that goes to the level of support ours does. On a regular basis, we hear from our users how thrilled they are with our services provided; it's one of the things the company prides themselves with. You may not experiece first hand since you are not a US customer, but I stand firmly behind my thoughts; we are one of the best.

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quote:

Originally posted by Katie:

The problem is not in the driver of the dongle. In order for an OS to run smoothly, especially with all the changes to the OS with installation of SP2, all device drivers need to be updated. I believe this is also noted on Microsoft's knowledge base.

Whenever you install new technology - in this case, SP2 - most of the drivers that link hardware to the operating system and allow for functionality need to meet the newer technology.

I know most video card manufacturers released updates exclusively for purposes associated with changes to the OS in conjunction with SP2.

Along with video card drivers, bios changes are also sometimes necessary for the identical purpose.

You can choose to try my suggestions, or you can choose not to.

Until the attempt to update drivers is executed, it's difficult to troubleshoot the scenario.

Katie, your efforts are appreciated, I'm sure but a little introspection and a review of the thread will show, particulary in the above post, how I came to have the feeling of being brushed off.

I also took the trouble to email you with my comments as a courtesy prior to posting. You might find on a second look that it is possible for Nemetscek to improve their service.

However, lets get on and get this sorted - VW is too good a product to fall over with such a small problem.

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