problems installing under w2k

[TJK 0]

I would really like to try out TMG. Problem is that I use Linux as my primary OS. It's been suggested that I could run TMG under wine, but after spending a few hours trying to install, I gave up. So, I decided to try installing an old version of windows 2000 in a virtual window and use that to install TMG -- as w2k is shown to be an acceptable requirement for installing this software. However, I have tried installing both version 8 and version 9, and both will not install.

 

Has version 8 and 9 of TMG been tested under w2k?

 

When attempting to install ver9, I get an immediate error msg with no details.

When trying to install ver8, it appears that it is about to complete the instalation, but then uninstalls the whole thing (except for the TMG folder) -- but it does leave the error msg: "... setup did not finish as expected..." .

 

W2k has all the important updates, and I've had no problems installing other programs.

[Jim Byram 0]

Has version 8 and 9 of TMG been tested under w2k?

 

Not that I'm aware of. There is one beta tester who once used Win2K but I have no idea what operating system he is currently running.

[TJK 0]

So you are saying that the system requirements for TMG8 and TMG9 are incorrect? If so, maybe they should be corrected...

[peter a 0]

I too have difficulty in getting TMG 9.05 to work on Windows 2000 SP4. To resume use of TMG after a break, I recently downloaded the final tmg9uksetup.exe from the Wholly Genes website and obtained an unlock key from Harry Goegebeur. However, I have been unable to get the program to start properly. The installation, configuration and string updates proceeded uneventfully, but any subsequent program launch never gets as far as displaying the unlock dialog. Instead, the program terminates after a nasty message box with the words: "Installation error. Please reinstall from the original media." The problem is not resolved by the installer repair option nor by any number of clean re-installations (as described elsewhere).

I would be interested in any thoughts on this and perhaps ideas for a work-around.

Only tmg9.exe is affected. The companion help program and Visual Chartform work normally from the Start button. The US version of v9.05 was also found to misbehave in the same way. However, a download of v8.08 (tmg8uksetup.exe) behaved normally. It installed, did the string updates, then launched to the unlock dialog and a test chart could be made from its sample project.

Comparisons could be made on the two installed versions. The terminating message box of v9.05 appeared at the same visible stage as the unlock dialog in v8.08, after the empty TMG mainframe had appeared, resized itself to full screen and then changed its background colour from white to grey. The installed program files of the failing v9.05 were a superset of those of the working v8.08 and together with the various log files, they gave no hint of any problem with the v9.05 installation. The only notable irregularity was the error message at the end of the v9.05 log file: _ProgramStartLog.log. The full contents of this file and its v8.08 counterpart are as follows.

_ProgramStartLog.log from v9.05 which terminates instead of showing the unlock dialog:

12-03-18, 17:22:43 >Paths were defined
12-03-18, 17:22:43 >StartCopySF done
12-03-18, 17:22:43 >LookPaths done
12-03-18, 17:22:43 >step1
12-03-18, 17:22:43 >AutoStartDIS from H:\TEMP\TMG8UPDATE62563514\
12-03-18, 17:22:43 >AutoStartINI from H:\TEMP\TMG8UPDATE62563514\
12-03-18, 17:22:43 >AutoStartSQZ from H:\TEMP\TMG8UPDATE62563514\
12-03-18, 17:22:43 >INCREMENTAL from H:\TEMP\TMG8UPDATE62563514\
12-03-18, 17:22:44 >Creating objects
12-03-18, 17:22:44 >goDBCService - ok
12-03-18, 17:22:44 >goAppUtility - ok
12-03-18, 17:22:44 >goMenu - ok
12-03-18, 17:22:44 >goRep - ok
12-03-18, 17:22:44 >goApp - ok
12-03-18, 17:22:44 $>RNPS.KLM for All
12-03-18, 17:22:44 >Incorrect Math
12-03-18, 17:22:44 >ERR details -215040, 04/12/2013, 21:32:12, .A...

_ProgramStartLog.log from v8.08 which shows the unlock dialog and runs (despite the Odd PV).

12-03-18, 16:24:46 >Paths were defined
12-03-18, 16:24:46 >StartCopySF done
12-03-18, 16:24:46 >LookPaths done
12-03-18, 16:24:46 >step1
12-03-18, 16:24:46 >AutoStartDIS from H:\TEMP\TMG8UPDATE59085913\
12-03-18, 16:24:46 >AutoStartINI from H:\TEMP\TMG8UPDATE59085913\
12-03-18, 16:24:46 >AutoStartSQZ from H:\TEMP\TMG8UPDATE59085913\
12-03-18, 16:24:46 >INCREMENTAL from H:\TEMP\TMG8UPDATE59085913\
12-03-18, 16:24:48 >Creating objects
12-03-18, 16:24:48 >goDBCService - ok
12-03-18, 16:24:48 >goAppUtility - ok
12-03-18, 16:24:48 >goMenu - ok
12-03-18, 16:24:48 >goRep - ok
12-03-18, 16:24:48 >goApp - ok
12-03-18, 16:24:49 >Err PV Odd.
12-03-18, 16:25:06 >set('help',1)="D:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\ALL USERS\APPLICATION DATA\THE MASTER GENEALOGIST V8\TMG.CHM"

This and contents of various other files make me wonder if v9.05 self-destructs because of difficulty in populating the unlock dialog from the registry of Windows 2000. Registry differences might explain why v9.05 works for others on later Windows versions.

I tried to by-pass the unlock dialog by entering the unlock key and other details into the registry directly, but that did not work.

I would very much like the sentence variables for subjects, first added in v9.00. So I would appreciate any suggestions for a work-around to get a v9 working on my W2k. (It still works well alongside Linux).

[John Cardinal 0]

I doubt there are many people visiting the forum who have Win2K running somewhere. I checked my VMs, and I don't have one.

You can get Windows 10 for about $80 USD. I know it's an extra expense, and you may have other reasons for avoiding Win10, but it's probably the most practical solution. Even if I had a Win2K box, and installed TMG v9.05, there's no guarantee I could figure out how to make it work.

[Michael Hannah 0]

Hi Peter,

 

I have TMG 9.05 running on one machine with Windows XP with no problems, but Win2K is even older than XP. Although XP is supposedly based on Win2K there are differences which I guess could affect TMG. I am surprised that TMG 8.08 works but 9.05 does not. Most of the enhancements made to TMG to prepare it for more modern versions of Windows, such as the new report writer, were already done by 8.08. Then 9.05 added features and fixed several bugs in hopes it would suffice for several years.

 

I fear the "dreaded" time has come when you really need to invest in a more modern operating system. Sorry, I know this can be a pain, but in the world of computers 18 years old is really old.