Flare 3.1 fails to install in Parallels

[tillowlglass]

I'm trying to install Flare V3.1 on a Vista virtual machine running in Parallels on Mac OSX Leopard. The installer runs all the way through, right up tp the end, when it pauses, then gives an error message with error code 39 and rolls back the install.

I've tried this several times, and the result is always the same. Also tried other tactics, like creating dummy user accounts (with admin privileges) and installing from there, in case I needed to fool something in the Registry.

No matter what: no joy. So, I'm wondering, anybody else tried this and had it (a) work OK, or (b) fail? Anybody got any ideas at all here?

Thanks for your help.

Till

[KevinDAmery]

I don't have a solution (running PC here) but this was discussed earlier in the week in the thread below. I don't think a solution was found yet, though.

http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... 678#p29678

[tillowlglass]

Thanks for that! I did look but I guess not hard enough. Since I really don't want to run Bootcamp and only barely tolerate a Windoes environment in Parallels because I have no option since I need to run certain software, I may give it a miss until the issue is resolved, and meanwhile do my Flare work on an XP laptop. Pain in the B, but what can I do? Can't buy XP anywhere any more! Grrrr...

Cheers
Till

[RamonS]

XP is still offered, for example at TigerDirect for 139$. See http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... u=M17-7503

Would have been nice if the MadCap product designers had some more foresight (and really, not that much foresight was needed) and chose a platform that is not Windows only.

[tbean]

Hi -- I also met with a complete lack of success when I tried to install Flare 3.1 in a Parallels 3.0 VM running Vista on a new iMac with Leopard. Tech Support was unable to resolve the issue and did not have any suggestions.

What *did* work:
I set up a Boot Camp partition, installed Vista, then installed Flare there. Next, I set up a new Parallels VM that accessed the Boot Camp/Vista partition. This allowed me to run Parallels in coherence mode and use Flare "on my Mac". Until Vista started regularly dying on me, this setup worked well.

When Vista gave me grief one too many times, I picked up a copy of XP -- this was just last month. I set up a Parallels VM running XP, but was not able to install Flare there (see the thread referred to in the posting above). My assignment is on hold, so I haven't pursued this further, but will in the near future. I suspect that Parallels and the Flare installer just don't like each other. For both Vista and XP, the installation process runs nearly to completion and then dies. In Boot Camp, though, it seems to be just swell. As Parallels 3.0 does allow you to access a BC partition via a Parallels VM, you might want to go that route.

[KevinDAmery]

Not running a Mac here, but what I would be inclined to do based on your description is remove Vista from the bootcamp partition and install XP there, then point a Parallels VM at that XP install. It should work the same as the Vista one did, with the bonus of not having to deal with Vista

[LTinker68]

And make sure you get .NET 2.0 in that Boot Camp partition. Vista came with .NET 3.0, which I believe works with Flare. I can't remember if XP came with .NET, but if it did, it was probably .NET 1.0. Flare requires .NET 2.0. So you may not have had the correct version of .NET and that's why Flare didn't work.

[RamonS]

That would apply to running Flare, but if I understand correctly the installer dies unexpectedly, so .NET shouldn't be the issue. Since Flare uses the dreadful MSI files it may be worthwhile to see what is up with the Microsoft Installer runtime. If MadCap would just use a plain simple installer that extracts files from an archive and puts them in the designated spot chances for those problems would likely be slim to none, but no, it has to be this horribly misdesigned MSI garbage.

[Dave]

Pretty soon my shop is going to give us the option of using PCs or Macs. I'd love to work on a Mac (and I'm sure my colleagues would as well) and run Windows when necessary, but I'm very concerned that we'll have issues with Flare. I can't figure out why Neal has been successful where others have not.

[SteveS]

And make sure you get .NET 2.0 in that Boot Camp partition. Vista came with .NET 3.0, which I believe works with Flare. I can't remember if XP came with .NET, but if it did, it was probably .NET 1.0. Flare requires .NET 2.0. So you may not have had the correct version of .NET and that's why Flare didn't work.

DotNet 1, 2 & 3 (3.5) don't actually "replace" one another - installing 3 will not add 1 & 2 to your installation.

Flare requires DotNet 2, so make sure both 1 & 2 are installed. At the risk of getting flamed, I'd suggest if your are downloading and installing the DotNet frameworks, get the latest version of 3 as well. XP didn't originally have DotNet 1, they came out about the same time, but I think it was a standard part of the service packs.

Programs that use the DotNet framework will install (and uninstall) without a reboot, which is one good thing about it and them...

[RamonS]

Also, keep in mind that future releases of MadCap software are likely to use .NET 3.0, which will not work on Windows 2000.

[forfear]

Future versions of Flare on .NET 3.0. interesting.

[tbean]

(I'm following up on my post in this thread on 3/11)

I have now installed XP in a new Boot Camp partition and installed Flare 3.1 there, then set up a new XP Parallels VM and am able to use Flare from within that VM.

Now I'm receiving the "trouble accessing the network" message, which apparently means that Flare can't get to the Madcap server to verify the licensing. (And yes, Flare is identified as a network exception.) I haven't done much yet, but it seems that if I click "OK", Flare works just swell.

But it really shouldn't be this problematic... sigh.

[KevinDAmery]

As long as you can work and your output isn't scrambled, don't worry about that message box. I've been getting it for 16 months now and it hasn't impacted my work in any way

[QBF]

(I'm following up on my post in this thread on 3/11)

Now I'm receiving the "trouble accessing the network" message, which apparently means that Flare can't get to the Madcap server to verify the licensing. (And yes, Flare is identified as a network exception.)

I run Flare on a machine without an outside connection. I initially received that error every time I launched Flare. To register your non-internet connected machine, contact Madcap Customer Care and give them your License Code and ID number for Flare (available on the Registration Page) and they will send you the Registration Code for your Flare install.