I can't install my license! Help!

Anything that doesn't fit into any of the other forums
starblind
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:43 pm
Location: Algonquin IL

I can't install my license! Help!

#1

Post by starblind »

I moved to a different PC for portability, sold the big HP laptop that was just too much to cart around and had terrible battery life. Moved to a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 i5 with much better battery life and a lot less weight. Even if I run the Sharpcap application as an administrator, run the compatibility test etc when the dialog pops up it is blank, I paste my license key in and nothing happens. Occasionally I get a little dialog that tells me the license needs to be in the correct format etc. but it still won't work. I installed the compatibility files upgraded to 3.1 uninstalled everything, reinstalled everything but it will not accept the license. I still have my original in the email so it isn't wrong. Is there some sort of compatibility issue with Surface machines? Should I have kept my old HP? I'm a bit stuck now, I'm computer literate, I do it for a living, but this has me stumped.

Robert
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: I can't install my license! Help!

#2

Post by admin »

Hi,

first of all see this page which has some hints about licensing and how to deal with common problems - https://store.astrosharp.co.uk/faq

If none of the items there help then please send me a private message and I will email you back and we can continue to work out how to fix this for you.

Robin
starblind
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:43 pm
Location: Algonquin IL

Re: I can't install my license! Help!

#3

Post by starblind »

I'm no sure how to send a private message. I did read all the FAQ's before I posted the report. The problem is limited to all Surface models with high resolution displays,Surface Pro 3, 4 and Surface Book 1 and 2. I tested on all 4 platforms. There are no issues with any of the standard laptop machines I have tested so far, including Dell, Lenovo and HP. It appears to be limited to high resolution displays. I have not been able to test a Mac Retina display since we don't use those at work, only Windows machines. I suppose I should have tested it before parting with the i7 HP I was using. And it isn't just Sharpcap, Fire Capture does exactly the same thing. Neither will work with compatibility mode settings for Windows 7 or 8, DPI settings don't help either. I will test on the new Dell and Lenovo machines this week, they have high resolution touchscreen displays as well. There may be some differences. No issues with PHD2 or DSS, Autostakkert, ASCOM, SG Pro, Pixinsight et al. I bought the license for the polar alignment tool specifically, but I can get by with PHD and drift align, just takes a little longer. I will have to wait until I can get another laptop. I like the portability of the Surface, battery lasts for hours before I need to plug it into my portable power pack. I should have tested it first. My mistake, you can never assume anything in the IT world.

Robert
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: I can't install my license! Help!

#4

Post by admin »

Ah, sorry, I misunderstood your initial post and I now see it's connected to your post about the blank dialogs on the Microsoft Surface devices.

I don't have any devices with high DPI displays to test with, but I have had reports from other users that the program worked with a small number of minor UI glitches (things the wrong size) on high DPI devices. SharpCap itself is configured to claim that it knows nothing about high DPI displays, so that in theory Windows should just scale it up to make everything look the right size (but not as crisp as it should be).

Another 'shot in the dark' suggestion would be to install the very latest version of Microsoft's .NET framework. SharpCap 3.1 requires 4.6.2, but there is a 4.7.something version now - that may bring bug fixes and compatiblity improvements for high DPI that might just help.

cheers,

Robin
starblind
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:43 pm
Location: Algonquin IL

Re: I can't install my license! Help!

#5

Post by starblind »

I'm at 4.7.2 which was updated July 10th. That isn't the issue. It's just high DPI display devices. Both Fire Capture and Sharpcap can't handle them. I did a bit of research and it appears that its a compiler/programming issue, and there are numerous examples of these issues floating around the web. If you can't test it then I suppose there is no need to try to fix it. I'll have to buy another laptop to replace the old HP I sold. That really sucks.

http://www.drdobbs.com/windows/coding-f ... /240168736

Bob
robrj
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:03 am

Re: I can't install my license! Help!

#6

Post by robrj »

I don't know if this would help or not but on another program, I used to add the line "-platform windows:dpiawareness=0" to the shortcut Target block (right click the shortcut, select Properties). So in the Sharpcap shortcut, try adding a space after the .exe and then add "-platform windows:dpiawareness=0" (without the quotes).
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: I can't install my license! Help!

#7

Post by admin »

So, I already have code to disable DPI awareness in SharpCap, which should mean it just gets scaled up to look like it would on a low DPI monitor (otherwise I seem to recall the reports said that some bits were the right size and some bits too small).

It looks like there may be other ways to disable DPI awareness (I just found this - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/235 ... -to-per-mo) so it may be that those would give better results. It looks like some of these new ways are new in recent versions of Windows 10.

In the meantime, I have prepared a test build with the DPI awareness disabling code *removed* - I'd be interested to hear if this build shows any different behaviour on your Surface device to other builds. The build can be downloaded from https://d.sharpcap.co.uk/download.html? ... 3.2.5654.0

cheers,

Robin
starblind
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:43 pm
Location: Algonquin IL

Re: I can't install my license! Help!

#8

Post by starblind »

I will download and test this later today and give you an update. I think a lot of these issues started with the first Creators Update, although that is subjective, there are quite a number of machines with high DPI displays that exhibit similar problems. I also tried addint a manifest file for Sharpcap.exe along with some changes to the registry to allow this type of change but that had no effect, all the dialog boxes were still blank. Making changes to the compatibility setting can actually make things a lot worse :shock: so I won't be trying that again. Removing the code should have an effect, although the manifest file settings are supposed to do the same thing. I will let you know what I find as soon as I have tested it.

Bob.
starblind
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:43 pm
Location: Algonquin IL

Re: I can't install my license! Help!

#9

Post by starblind »

No difference. All the pop up dialog boxes are blank same as before. Way to go Microsoft.

Robert
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: I can't install my license! Help!

#10

Post by admin »

:(

I must admit I wasn't expecting miracles, but it was worth a try.

It looks like I am going to have to invest in a high DPI display and work my way through any issues I find when using it sometime in the next month or two as high DPI is going to become more common. It will be interesting to see if I get the 'blank dialogs' issue on a separate high DPI monitor or if this is a special SurfacePro issue...

cheers,

Robin
Post Reply