XP not opening my packed software

Hello,

One of my users downloaded my program, which is packed in WinZip self
extracting archive. She has XP but has not installed Service Pack 2.

When she clicks on the file to self extract nothing happens. Is there any
advise I can giver her?

--
Ken
http://www.heal-me.com.au

Jeff
Tue Nov 16 15:04:30 CST 2004


"Ken Uzzell" <kevala@pacific.net.au> wrote in message
news:xytmd.1569$ob1.25569@nasal.pacific.net.au...


> One of my users downloaded my program, which is packed in WinZip self
> extracting archive. She has XP but has not installed Service Pack 2.
>
> When she clicks on the file to self extract nothing happens. Is there any
> advise I can giver her?

Are you sure "nothing" happens? She should get a dialog asking her if she
really wants to open the .EXE. (XP SP2 marks "dangerous" downloaded files
and doesn't let the user open them without confirmation.)

Ken
Tue Nov 16 21:07:41 CST 2004

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your earlier reply.

I asked my user your question and got the following response.

--->8---
"The screen flickers once and sometimes a dialogue box seems to flash
briefly but too fast to make out, almost like a ghost image. I tried to
pause the screen right after clicking on the program but could never get the
box to pause. Is there some way to slow the computer way down to try to read
the message?"
---8<---

So it appears a dialog box is flashing up, but not wanting to stay there.

How should I approach this situation? This is the first error like this I
have encountered with my software and XP that doesn't have SP2 installed.

Ken




"Jeff Johnson [MVP: VB]" <i.get@enough.spam> wrote in message
news:OpPre$BzEHA.2572@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>
> "Ken Uzzell" <kevala@pacific.net.au> wrote in message
> news:xytmd.1569$ob1.25569@nasal.pacific.net.au...
>
>
> > One of my users downloaded my program, which is packed in WinZip self
> > extracting archive. She has XP but has not installed Service Pack 2.
> >
> > When she clicks on the file to self extract nothing happens. Is there
any
> > advise I can giver her?
>
> Are you sure "nothing" happens? She should get a dialog asking her if she
> really wants to open the .EXE. (XP SP2 marks "dangerous" downloaded files
> and doesn't let the user open them without confirmation.)
>
>

erewhon
Wed Nov 17 06:17:49 CST 2004

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 14:07:41 +1100, "Ken Uzzell"
<kevala@pacific.net.au> wrote:

>Hi Jeff,
>
>Thanks for your earlier reply.
>
>I asked my user your question and got the following response.
>
>--->8---
>"The screen flickers once and sometimes a dialogue box seems to flash
>briefly but too fast to make out, almost like a ghost image. I tried to
>pause the screen right after clicking on the program but could never get the
>box to pause. Is there some way to slow the computer way down to try to read
>the message?"
>---8<---
>
>So it appears a dialog box is flashing up, but not wanting to stay there.
>
>How should I approach this situation? This is the first error like this I
>have encountered with my software and XP that doesn't have SP2 installed.

Send her another self extracting file that simply contains a VB app
that says 'Hullo World'

I have had problems with VB Apps simply disappearing without even an
error message under Win2k and XP
- in one case it was an API call where MS had 'tightened up' the
parameters - a buffer had to begin with Chr$(0) - daft

- in another case I was looking at the Printers collection, and the
machine had no printers installed.

Jeff
Wed Nov 17 08:04:59 CST 2004


"Ken Uzzell" <kevala@pacific.net.au> wrote in message
news:Dizmd.1588$ob1.25785@nasal.pacific.net.au...

> How should I approach this situation? This is the first error like this I
> have encountered with my software and XP that doesn't have SP2 installed.

Oops. Sorry, I misread the part where you said she has NOT installed SP2.

Ken
Wed Nov 17 11:20:14 CST 2004

"Ken Uzzell" <kevala@pacific.net.au> wrote in message
news:Dizmd.1588$ob1.25785@nasal.pacific.net.au...
> Hi Jeff,
>
> Thanks for your earlier reply.
>
> I asked my user your question and got the following response.

Ask them if they're running a virus scanner that strips exes. I had that
problem a couple of times now. I'd send a zip that contained an exe and the
end users virus scanner stripped it. I thought I was losing my mind!

Tell'um to disable virus scanners before running that self extractor. You
might point them to another self extractor somewhere and see if those work.

--
Ken Halter - MS-MVP-VB - http://www.vbsight.com
Please keep all discussions in the groups..

Bob
Wed Nov 17 11:24:17 CST 2004

"Ken Halter" <Ken_Halter@Use_Sparingly_Hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:eI9u0mMzEHA.804@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl
> "Ken Uzzell" <kevala@pacific.net.au> wrote in message
> news:Dizmd.1588$ob1.25785@nasal.pacific.net.au...
>> Hi Jeff,
>>
>> Thanks for your earlier reply.
>>
>> I asked my user your question and got the following response.
>
> Ask them if they're running a virus scanner that strips exes. I had
> that problem a couple of times now. I'd send a zip that contained an
> exe and the end users virus scanner stripped it. I thought I was
> losing my mind!

sending a password-protected zip file often gets around that issue

Ken
Wed Nov 17 11:34:43 CST 2004

"Bob Butler" <tiredofit@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:eMVYHpMzEHA.352@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> sending a password-protected zip file often gets around that issue

hmmm... I'll try that. Even if the password is "OpenMe" or something, it'll
be better than sending it multiple times.


--
Ken Halter - MS-MVP-VB - http://www.vbsight.com
Please keep all discussions in the groups..

Stefan
Wed Nov 17 20:11:54 CST 2004

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 07:35:05 +1100, "Ken Uzzell"
<kevala@pacific.net.au> wrote:
in <xytmd.1569$ob1.25569@nasal.pacific.net.au>

>Hello,
>
>One of my users downloaded my program, which is packed in WinZip self
>extracting archive. She has XP but has not installed Service Pack 2.
>
>When she clicks on the file to self extract nothing happens. Is there any
>advise I can giver her?

It sounds to me like it's actually working and the extracted
files have gone by default into the user's temporary folder.

---
Stefan Berglund

Ken
Sat Nov 20 03:57:36 CST 2004

Thanks,

I have informed my user of your advise. He has Nortons running, so advised
him about it.

I haven't heard back from him yet.

Ken

"J French" <erewhon@nowhere.uk> wrote in message
news:419b3f28.709813659@news.btclick.com...
> On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 14:07:41 +1100, "Ken Uzzell"
> <kevala@pacific.net.au> wrote:
>
> >Hi Jeff,
> >
> >Thanks for your earlier reply.
> >
> >I asked my user your question and got the following response.
> >
> >--->8---
> >"The screen flickers once and sometimes a dialogue box seems to flash
> >briefly but too fast to make out, almost like a ghost image. I tried to
> >pause the screen right after clicking on the program but could never get
the
> >box to pause. Is there some way to slow the computer way down to try to
read
> >the message?"
> >---8<---
> >
> >So it appears a dialog box is flashing up, but not wanting to stay there.
> >
> >How should I approach this situation? This is the first error like this I
> >have encountered with my software and XP that doesn't have SP2 installed.
>
> Send her another self extracting file that simply contains a VB app
> that says 'Hullo World'
>
> I have had problems with VB Apps simply disappearing without even an
> error message under Win2k and XP
> - in one case it was an API call where MS had 'tightened up' the
> parameters - a buffer had to begin with Chr$(0) - daft
>
> - in another case I was looking at the Printers collection, and the
> machine had no printers installed.