OPERA Tech® Products Installation Issues

Important information about OPERA Tech Products Requirements:

Users running OPERA Tech products on Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and Microsoft Windows NT® must have Read/Write access to the Program Files directory, Windows directory and the Registy.

Installation may be performed on a per-user or per machine. Per-user installation of an application means the application is available only for a particular user. Per-Machine installation of an application means the application is available for all users of a computer.

On Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and Microsoft Windows NT®, the installion attempts to perform a per-machine installation. The per-machine installation succeeds only if the user has administrative access privileges on the computer. On Microsoft® Windows® 95 and Windows 98, the installation is per user or per machine depending upon operating system configuration. If Profiles are on and the Start menu is per-user, the installer does a per user installation. If Profiles are on and Start menu is shared, the installer does a per-machine installation. If Profiles are not on and Start menu is shared, then the installer does a per-user installation.

Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and Microsoft Windows NT® Issues

Microsoft® Windows® 2000 brought some changes in the operating system architecture and security schemes. Certain Directories are Read-Only for Normal Users. System file protection (SFP) is also a new feature of Windows 2000 which prevents the replacement of core operating system files, including most .sys, .dll, .exe and .ocx files that ship on the Windows 2000 CD. These changes may cause installation issues during the installation of a program. The following section is intended to list known problems and pitfalls, and provide workarounds where possible.

Anticipated Problem: System File Protection System file protection (SFP) is a feature of Windows 2000 which prevents the replacement of core operating system files, including most .sys, .dll, .exe and .ocx files that ship on the Windows 2000 CD, a basic set of fonts, MFC dlls and the like. SFP runs as a background process and monitors these files. When SFP detects that a protected files has been changed, it displays an error message and restores the original. The only way to update such files is via service packs and operating system updates. This means that your setup cannot replace core files, even if run from an Administrator account.

Resolution: Call Microsoft's redistributable packages if you need to update system files.

Anticipated Problem: Setup program displays an EMPTY DIALOG box with no message in it.

Resolution: This problem is more likely related to the Read/Write access priveledges. OPERA Tech software is installed under the Program Files directory. Under Windows NT and Windows 2000, certain directories, including the Program Files, WinNT, System 32 and Registry are Read-Only for Normal Users. By default, normal users have write access only under their own profile folders. Therefore only Power Users and Administrators will be able to install software, unless these policies have been changed on the target system. When you launch the install program, make sure that you are either an Administrator or a Power User (a user with adminstrative priveledges).

Anticipated Problem: Windows 2000 pops up this warning message: "Some programs will not install correctly if you do not have administrative privileges on this computer"

Resolution: Install Program as Administrator. When Windows 2000 pops up the warning message, select the option to enter an administrator password and execute the setup on the admin account, without the need to log off and on.

Anticpated Problem: When starting the program as a regular user, the application displays the following error: "The Program encountered an error while accessing the database. Object variable or With block variable not set. Make sure tht the database files exist in <directory name>. Also make sure that you have permissions to read, write, and modify the directory <directory name>. Program exiting...
Resolution: Run Program as Administrator, or a Power User. Users must have priveledges to allow the application to read/write and modify the directory where the application is installed, the Registry and the Windows directory.
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