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Fractal Mapper vs. Win 7
I am having trouble installing it on my new laptop. I'm now running windows 7. Is there a patch for 7 or a way I can install it on my laptop?
Comments
Also, many people have installed FM under Windows 7... could there be something else going on thats *not* Wndows 7 related? Problems related to specific OS versions are pretty rare.
"Fractal Mapper also 'plays nicer' with the operating system. For example, by storing its data in Windows' designated application data areas, Fractal Mapper 8 will run under reduced rights accounts."
If I understand correctly, this was written with regards to certain issues with Windows Vista. However, I found it difficult to run FM8 under Win7 from a non-admin account until I managed to move all FM8 files to a subfolder of that account, so that the software would no longer look for, for example, saved templates and symbols, in the wrong place. I also had additional trouble updating FM8 which only worked after I completely reinstalled it.
I cannot rule out that I simply did something wrong, but I feel that the FM8 installation might somehow clash with the account structure of Windows 7.
C:\Programs\nbos ... etc. (32-bit Windows)
C:\Programs (x86)\nbos ... etc. (64-bit Windows)
For Zeremoniac, who probably uses the German version of Windows, the following also are trouble destinations:
C:\Programme\nbos ... etc. (32-bit Windows)
C:\Programme (x86)\nbos ... etc. (64-bit Windows)
The solution is to install it elsewhere. As an example, I have two FM8 licenses in my office. One machine runs 64-bit Windows 7, 64-bit Windows Vista and 32-bit Windows XP. I installed in F:\Programme\nbos ... etc. and FM8 runs trouble free on all three systems. The other machine runs 32-bit Windows 7 and 32-bit Windows XP. I installed in J:\Programme\nbos ... etc. and FM8 runs trouble free on both systems.
Another possible problem: If you are installing from a non-administrator account, you may not have the privileges necessary to complete the installation routine. That has to be resolved on Windows level, not on the FM8 level.
With both of these trouble reports, however, the real problem is an inadequate description of your problem. Ed Diana and members of the forum will jump in rather quickly and help you out, if you give us enough information to give us a cue what the problem might be. "Having trouble" tells everyone nothing at all. What is the trouble? What exactly happens when you try to install? Do you get error messages on the screen? If so, what do they say?
If you have trouble and you provide this necessary information, both Ed and those of us here who are computer programmers or other computer specialists usually will jump in with both feet to help you out. But when you say no more than that you're having trouble, we can't say much more than that we're sorry to hear that.
FM installs into the Program Files directory, which is where software should generally be installed. The temporary files and settings files are stored in the Application Data paths, per Microsoft's specification. This allows FM to run under limited accounts in Windows.
Well, the thing is, I just fidgeted around a lot and reinstalled the software several times until it finally worked, so I didn't take exact notes of the problems I encountered. I thought it might still be helpful to tell you what I remembered.
The "trouble destination" you mention, however, looks to me a lot like the default folder FM8 tried to install itself into, and I even think I solved my problems by removing it from that folder manually - not just installing it elsewhere, mind you, but installing it elsewhere AND then removing it from there, where it still got installed, too. However, I might mix things up here.
Anyway, my copy of FM is now no longer installed in the "Programme(x86)" folder, but in a subfolder of "Eigene Dokumente" of the account I wanted it installed to, and it works now.
And while I lack the competence to be sure about this, it seems to me that your post is a more or less a justification of my assumptions, isn't it? So maybe the OP should try that out - chose a different destination for FM, and if needed remove it from the default destination.
Sorry, Ed, but I have to disagree with you a bit. Your last sentence is correct, according to Microsoft, but we've seen several actual practice examples where it doesn't quite work as Microsoft claims.
I'll continue to advise people who have trouble with an installation in the secured Programs levels of Win 7 and Win Vista to install elsewhere. That removes them from the secure womb that Microsoft has tried to develop for programs, but it also makes them work. Microsoft is aware of some of these problems but has not replied to all of them yet. Where there has been an answer, it evolved down to Microsoft's belief that the program is trying to access elements of the program in a manner that isn't allowed within the secure folders. In context, that answer does not always make sense to us, so we're skeptical.
It should work there with no difficulty.
?? What assumptions?
What is an OP? What does this sentence mean? I can't get much of anything out of it.
My bad - I thought "OP" was a universally known abbreviation for "original poster", or thread starter.
My assumption was that the change in v8.0 which was supposed to have FM "play nice" with the operating system actually can get in the way of the software working the way it's supposed to sometimes - maybe especially with Windows7 which I believe came out after FM8 - and that you needed to install the software in a different folder than the default folder to make it work. That seems to me what you were saying here, too. However, note that I got this this idea strictly from trial and error until things started to work for me (and maybe blurred or mixed up a bit since I have no perfectly clear memories of what exactly I did), and it is not rooted in any actual computer skills of mine whatsoever.
You might be right, but it's an abbreviation I don't know. I really did try to guess what you were saying, however. But I struck out.
This is a real problem for those of us who make computer software. The problem applies to both Windows 7 and Windows Vista but not Windows XP. Microsoft strongly urges us to have our programs install to secure folders to protect them from malware and other intrusions, and then we find that the protection is so strong that it actually protects the program from itself. With our software - database programs - some users who had custom designed privileges in a network could open our programs with no difficulty but were told as soon as they tried to call up data that they were not authorized access. The last we heard from Microsoft - some time ago now - they still were working on the problem.
So what should we do? Stick with Microsoft's recommended installation folders, which work fine for many users, or define an entirely different default folder for a minority and lead everyone to do without Microsoft's security? Let me assure you that there is no one correct answer.