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flemingswoodworks
09-03-2008, 06:37 PM
Hello everyone...I have a compucarve that I bought used last month and it kicks but I love it,It came with a scanning probe that Carvewright won't let me transfer the reg for the probe or the software to my name(I fully understand because of software rights)how ever, I can't aford to buy the software for a few month's you know how it is Kid in collage,mortgage payments bills bills and more bills.my question is,is their any software that I can use to do the job or close to of the editor software that I can get free to hold me over until I can aford to buy the real deal..I have photoshop 7.0
thanks for any advice and sorry for the crazy spelling
will

pkunk
09-03-2008, 06:51 PM
The scanner software is the only thing that will work with it. You just need to talk with the right person at LHR - I'm sure it's possible to transfer the software to your name.

brdad
09-03-2008, 07:21 PM
They wouldn't transfer for me, either, and the machine had never been used. Maybe talking to the right person would help, but not the one I talked to. But I bought it knowing that was a possibility, so I bucked up and spent the money for the software. I'd like to say the pattern editor software was worth the money, but I'll just say it's worth it to be able to use the probe, and hope they make some improvements to the pattern editor part of it!

Don't get me wrong, the pattern editor is not bad, IMHO it just needs refinement and a few more capabilities - hopefully a free upgrade. ;)

flemingswoodworks
09-03-2008, 07:25 PM
I haven't talked to the right person either they pretty much told me to buy the software..I want to be able to edit patterns and touch them up but it seems you need the editor software for that..Hopefully by christmas I'll be able to buy it for myself..sucks being broke

brdad
09-03-2008, 07:29 PM
You can make and edit patterns without it, you just can't scan. You can make and edit patterns with any graphic software.

luckettg
09-03-2008, 09:19 PM
Now I am confused I think.
I bought the scanning probe as part of the package deal last Christmas but have not used it yet. Do I also need to purchase some sort of additional software? Did CW sell me a probe that I cannot use with the software that I purchased (ie. Carvewright Designer which I did purchase)? I am headed out to my shop to dig out that scanner box and see what came in it besides the scanner, if anything.:o:confused:

brdad
09-03-2008, 09:29 PM
Now I am confused I think.
I bought the scanning probe as part of the package deal last Christmas but have not used it yet. Do I also need to purchase some sort of additional software? Did CW sell me a probe that I cannot use with the software that I purchased (ie. Carvewright Designer which I did purchase)? I am headed out to my shop to dig out that scanner box and see what came in it besides the scanner, if anything.:o:confused:

There should be a registration code that came with the probe, on the back of the CD envelope. You do not need to install the software, but you need that code to register it. You should not have to buy anything more. Once you use that code and register it, if you sold the probe to someone else, they would have to buy the software, the registration can not be transferred.

luckettg
09-03-2008, 09:31 PM
Whew!! Thanks for the quick reply too!:)

SawdustSteve
12-04-2008, 07:46 PM
I took advantage of the Thanksgiving deal... I received my probe today. I'm excited about what the future holds.

I'm running software version 1.131. I entered the serial number to unlock the Patter Editor feature in the software and received a confirmation that my license was active.

My problem is that if I click on "Pattern Editor", I receive the message, "gui.exe has encountered a problem and will need to shutdown..."

I restarted the program... same thing
I rebooted the computer... same thing
I backed-up then completely removed the program, rebooted, reloaded from the CD... same thing

I have been searching the forums to see if there was anyone else having this problem and didn't see anything.

Did I miss something simple? Any advice? I'm perplexed by this one.

Thanks,

Steve

mtylerfl
12-04-2008, 08:05 PM
Hello Steve,

I've not had that problem, but some possibilities for the crashing could be caused by a faulty installation, or a bad video driver that may need updating (search the web for an updated driver for your card).

Are you running XP or Vista?

If running Vista, did you click the option to "Run as Administrator" before installation?

Another thing to test... turn off the Hardware Acceleration in Designer under Edit/Preferences/3D Graphics (it will probably be set to Auto, but turn it off altogether). Does that prevent the crashing? I think Vista already has its own hardware acceleration turned on by default, and if Designer's is turned on also, there may be a conflict.

ChrisAlb
12-04-2008, 08:14 PM
Michael,

Are you saying you never had Designer crash? I find that hard to believe. It's the ONLY app that crashes on my systems and does so quite frequentley.

I can run (on both my XP and Vista Machines), AutoCad 2002, MS word, PSP photo X2, MS Publisher, MS outlook and Explorer all at the same time without a problem. When I run Designer with all them open it's the only app that crashes. When I run Designer all by itself it crashes and again, quite often.

This crashing has been an issue since my first version 1.120. Your's never does??

SawdustSteve
12-04-2008, 08:22 PM
This is the first real "crash" problem I've had after a few hundred "designer hours".

I don't suspect the video card but a driver update is certainly worth a try. I haven't had issues even when running Designer, Sonar, CorelDraw and Explorer together... that's what makes this confusing.

I read the "Vista hint" in one of the other threads... unfortunately, I don't have Vista on this computer. I'm running XP with service pack 3. That would have been an easy fix!

I just tried turning off the Hardware Acceleration... no luck.

I'll keep working on it... any more suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks for the suggestions,

Steve

mtylerfl
12-04-2008, 08:37 PM
Hi Chris,

Designer crashes are extremely rare. I can't recall the last time I had a crash - maybe a month ago?? I run Windows XP Pro SP2. I do not run any video games (which can "mess" with video display and audio settings/drivers). I never turn off any of my computers (unless there is a severe storm or out of town) so over time, I think other memory-hungry programs I run can tie up resources and cause other programs to crash occassionally. I get more CorelDraw and SONAR crashes than I ever had with Designer.

Funny, I was just mentioning to someone the other day that I am sometimes puzzled by some of the issues some folks report having, but I seem to be "immune" from.

One example...I often "boasted" that I had never gotten a stuck bit on either of my machines, 'cause I clean so thoroughly, apply oil, yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, I finally had one get stuck! It was the cutting bit, and I had a heck of a time getting it out (I was kind of embarrassed, actually!). I found that by using the bit removal tool and propping a screwdriver with the flat part of the blade on the lip of the bit holder, I could lightly "tappy, tappy, tappy" and the bit released. Took me 10 or 15 minutes to figure that out! Took about 5 seconds to get the bit out.

After the fact, I recalled I had not done my "toothbrush" scrub when I swapped the carving bit for the cutting bit. Traces of packed sawdust after a very long carve was the culprit.

So, I'm knocking on wood that I don't "jinx" myself by saying how extraordinarily rare software crashes are for me!:)

ChrisAlb
12-04-2008, 09:19 PM
LOL..well keep knocking on that wood...LOL

Sonar runs on my systems without a hitch. I don't have Corel Draw. My XP Pro is SP3. I'm afraid at my age, I don't run any video games either....who has time?...lol

Never EVER had a stuck bit or QC issue. I too keep mine very clean. Almost 400 cut hours, original chuck, bits and adapters. No BB marks (which I'm convinced are due to bits not seated properly). Very few if any "mechanical" problems at all. But crashes? My gosh this happens all the time with Designer. Weird!!

Just tonight I had an interesting thing happen with crashes. I was laying out your sleigh with the runners and Santa for an all in one carve on my Vista laptop. (picture here... http://forum.carvewright.com/showpost.php?p=72174&postcount=12 )

Made a new board, put the design on it, saved it and tried to upload to the card, Designer crashed while compiling. Started Designer again, opened the MPC, same thing. Restarted the system, opened designer, the MPC, same thing. Then, on a whim, I restarted Designer, opened the MPC and then closed the MPC. Opened it again and BANG, uploaded no problem. Again...WEIRD...LOL

mtylerfl
12-04-2008, 10:01 PM
...Made a new board, put the design on it, saved it and tried to upload to the card, Designer crashed while compiling. Started Designer again, opened the MPC, same thing. Restarted the system, opened designer, the MPC, same thing. Then, on a whim, I restarted Designer, opened the MPC and then closed the MPC. Opened it again and BANG, uploaded no problem. Again...WEIRD...LOL

Well for Heaven's Sake - that IS strange! I wonder what is causing that? Normally, I would blame the video driver, but I'm sure you've already thought of that and are running the most recent version already.

Intermittent problems are the most challenging to nail down, and almost impossible for a Tech to duplicate for troubleshooting purposes. Try running Dr Watson (Start/Run/drwatson) in the background and send the text file to LHR (the one created after a crash). That would help a software tech to determine the exact cause, I'll bet.

I hope you can figure out once and for all what's going on (and be sure to let the forum know too, in case someone else can benefit later).

ChrisAlb
12-05-2008, 05:29 AM
Well for Heaven's Sake - that IS strange! I wonder what is causing that? Normally, I would blame the video driver, but I'm sure you've already thought of that and are running the most recent version already.

Intermittent problems are the most challenging to nail down, and almost impossible for a Tech to duplicate for troubleshooting purposes. Try running Dr Watson (Start/Run/drwatson) in the background and send the text file to LHR (the one created after a crash). That would help a software tech to determine the exact cause, I'll bet.

I hope you can figure out once and for all what's going on (and be sure to let the forum know too, in case someone else can benefit later).

Yep, the latest and greatest hardware and drivers. It's costly being a computer nut....LOL

That's a GREAT idea Michael!! With the exception of Designer, it's been so many years since ever having a crash (win 98 was the last time I think), I had all but forgotten about Dr. Watson. I'm as anal with my computers as I am with my CW but "maybe"....just maybe I'm missing something here?

Perhaps being an MCSE has made me a bit too cocky?...LOL... I will do that. Heck, I'd be interested in seeing that file myself.

Thanks buddy!!

SawdustSteve
12-05-2008, 07:38 AM
As an experiment, I ran through every function of Designer to see what would cause the crash and what would not.

"Download Scan" and "Launch Pattern Editor" are the only 2 culprits. The crash is almost immediate.

I get the same issue whether I have programs running in the background or not.

Looking at the error details, this is what I see...

Error Signature
AppName: gui.exe AppVer: 0.0.0.0 ModName: msvcr80.dll
ModVer: 8.0.50727.1433 Offset: 0001500a

I've got an e-mail in to the software team at Carvewright to see if they can help out. Any additional suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

Jeff_Birt
12-05-2008, 08:28 AM
You most likely have an issue with the VC++ run-time libraries (of which that DLL is one.) You computer will keep several versions of these libraries so that each program has access to the correct version. There are a few different ways various programs can ensure that you have the correct versions of each DLL and not all installers (more specifically the removal process) will do a clean job, and can wind up removing the versions needed by other programs (ever see one of those "Should I delete this shared file that looks like nobody else is using it" prompts when uninstalling a program?)

One quick thing to try is to manually install the VC++ run-time library: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=32bc1bee-a3f9-4c13-9c99-220b62a191ee&displaylang=en.

If you do a Google search on the error you saw you'll find a lot of hits. The problem can normally be traced back to the way a program uninstalls. Oh, if you have break points set up on your computer you might try restoring to a break-point several months ago and see if that helps.

SawdustSteve
12-05-2008, 03:53 PM
Jeff,

As good as your advice was... I'm still not having any luck.

I performed the manual VC++ runtime library install... no improvement.

I Googled the problem... followed several paths / suggestions... even purchased and ran RegCure... no improvement.

I restored the system to an earlier time... no improvement.

At this point, I think I may have to reload my operating system... something I would prefer to not spend my evening doing.

Do you have any other suggestions that may get me out of this?

Thanks,

Steve

cnsranch
12-05-2008, 04:15 PM
Mine will crash if I'm working on cleaning up a pattern with the Editor. If I keep saving it every so often, it won't, but it'll sure go down on me if I don't.

I can't say if it's 1.131 or not, I've been editing much more lately, and didn't much with 1.130.

SawdustSteve
12-07-2008, 09:03 PM
Okay... I found the problem. I believe the ACTUAL problem was that I had too many ptn files in my Favorites.

After reading everything I could find in the forum, I didn't see anything that actually matched the problem I was having. However, in one of the posts, there was a discussion concerning the performance of Designer being affected by the size of your "Favorites".

On a hunch, I did a little house cleaning. When cleaning up my favorites, I noticed something strange... I had 2 "Favorites" folders.

Since I knew the "Favorites" were contained in an "mpn" file, I did a search on my harddrive until I found the location. I discovered that I had a "favorites.mpn" file AND a "favorites14866.mpn" file in my "c:\documents and settings\my_computer_user_name\CarveWright" folder. How the second file got there is anyone's guess.

Once I moved the "favorites14866.mpn" out of the folder, only one "Favorites" showed up on Designer (Duh!).

My Pattern Editor now starts up with no problem.

I do still have 2 "Basics" folders on Designer, but I could only find one "Basics.mpn" file on my computer.

Oh well, time for more searching... but at least my Pattern Editor opens... I've got THAT going for me!

Steve