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Posted

Except I thought I'd avoid that by Uninstalling the old version and just installing the new.

 

behold my simple yet effective esm login script


rem uninstall old versions
msiexec /x "\\location\promissor_206.13\promissor216.msi" /quiet
msiexec /x "\\location\promissor_207.17\administrator.msi" /quiet
msiexec /x "\\location\promissor_regkeys\promreg.msi" /quiet
msiexec /x "H:\esm\Updates\old\administrator.msi" /passive
rd "c:\program files\promissor\" /s /q
rem =======================

Rem install new version
msiexec /qb! /i H:\esm\Updates\Administrator.msi DATAPATH=H:\esm

rem run program
"c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Promissor\Administrator.lnk"

this worked fantastically when I setup the old version.

 

but oh no, when the new version load from Administrator.lnk....

 

administrator: note

 

There is a new version of Administrator.

Press OK to be installation

 

Pressing OK goes to open fire *file: security warning.

and then tries to update itself with the same file that was used to install it.

except it doesn't, just quits,

 

but after 30seconds or so... it loads "there is a new version...etc"

 

again!

 

stuck in a never ending never upgrading loop

 

I'm a bit reluctant to phone for help, as no one there ever seems to understand what I've been doing.

Posted

Had a similar problem with an earlier upgrade and was told to carry out the following:

1. Close the ESM server application down, then rename the contact.ccf file from the ESM shared location.

2. Restart the ESM server and click on browser, it will want to do an update again, just cancel this.

3. Check the shared location to make sure that it has recreated the file.

4. Uninstall the administrator program on the client.

5. Install the administrator program on a client again making sure the path the shared files is correct.

  • Thanks 2
Posted (edited)

We had this with the update before this one, turns out the registry had the old version number still stored in it.

 

I made this script that checks if GOLA is installed... if so runs the uninstall string from the registry. Then reinstalls new version with data path set from the command line. It also runs the program so you can verify it installed OK by hitting enter on the login screen (remove this if you want it quiet)

 

If GOLA isn't found then it installs it fresh, again remove if not required.

 


reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{B03B0CB8-6509-4C31-A43D-14C605A48208}

IF ERRORLEVEL 1 goto notinstalled

msiexec.exe /x {B03B0CB8-6509-4C31-A43D-14C605A48208} /qb
msiexec.exe /i "S:\Student Work\Administrator_8_97_210_9\administrator.msi" DATAPATH="\\server\ESM_Test_Centre" /qb 

"C:\Program Files\Promissor\Administrator\WinAdmin.exe"
exit

:notinstalled

msiexec.exe /i "S:\Student Work\Administrator_8_97_210_9\administrator.msi" DATAPATH="\\server\ESM_Test_Centre" /qb 

"C:\Program Files\Promissor\Administrator\WinAdmin.exe"
exit

 

You might want to check your registry first to make sure it's the same number for the uninstall string and just modify accordingly.

Edited by gshaw
  • 2 months later...
Posted
Had a similar problem with an earlier upgrade and was told to carry out the following:

1. Close the ESM server application down, then rename the contact.ccf file from the ESM shared location.

2. Restart the ESM server and click on browser, it will want to do an update again, just cancel this.

3. Check the shared location to make sure that it has recreated the file.

4. Uninstall the administrator program on the client.

5. Install the administrator program on a client again making sure the path the shared files is correct.

 

This worked a treat for me, saved me from the nightmare of a looping install of the administrator update :)

 

Excuse me while I now go and do a little victory dance...

Posted

Yes, I'm also a lucky person who doesn't have to support this strange bit of software anymore. Agreed the support people struggle to go beyond the basic of issues. Saying that the software did have some quite strange problems when upgrading. Mind you, you have to question the logic of calling the client software 'Administrator' Rings alarm bells if you ask me :)

 

Not helpful i know, but feel your pain!!

Posted
I phoned up the other day to ask why the MSI installation \ upgrade method doesn't work anymore only to be told that "it's not supported and never has been"... thanks guys now we've got to do 200 machines manually... AutoIT to the rescue!
Posted
I phoned up the other day to ask why the MSI installation \ upgrade method doesn't work anymore only to be told that "it's not supported and never has been"... thanks guys now we've got to do 200 machines manually... AutoIT to the rescue!

I deployed this version and the previous one using Edexcel's MSI in Group Policy Software Installation. No tweaking, besides the datapath required.

Posted
I am experimenting with using RemoteApp to fuel this pain-in-the-a55 of a product, the product appears to work fine on the terminalserver 2k8r2-nosp but only up to the login screen just need to get a few mock tests and try the remote app method on my clients.
Posted

We've put off doing the update because it's such a pain. Every time it goes wonky and when we phone up they blame us at first and then lo and behold they jigger something their end and it all mysteriously works again.

 

I would be happy if we never used this software again.

 

In fact atm I would be happy not to be working with computers and instead gutting fish in a fish processing plant in Sunderland.

Posted

City & Guilds - What's happening

 

Looks like City & Guilds are moving AWAY from Promissor towards this web-based "E-volve" thing.. Can't wait to try it. Almost anything will be preferable..

 

The most techie news I can find from that site is, it'll be a web-based install (probably ActiveX or some such).

Posted
I deployed this version and the previous one using Edexcel's MSI in Group Policy Software Installation. No tweaking, besides the datapath required.

 

Ours was fine until this version and the one before it, very strange

Posted
Ours was fine until this version and the one before it, very strange

 

I guess we were just lucky to not have the remnants of the old version stuck in our registry.

Posted
City & Guilds - What's happening

 

Looks like City & Guilds are moving AWAY from Promissor towards this web-based "E-volve" thing.. Can't wait to try it. Almost anything will be preferable..

 

The most techie news I can find from that site is, it'll be a web-based install (probably ActiveX or some such).

 

The site says:

The new platform is the externally validated BTL Group industry leading Surpass® system

 

We're already using this with one department. It appears to be a Flash-based client managed through a website. We did have some proxy issues with it, though easy to install. Hasn't been updated in ages either.

Posted
We did have some proxy issues with it, though easy to install.

 

Hrmm, do all the clients and the server need special firewall rules to allow them out?? Sounds like a bit of a pain.. :(

Posted
Possibly, our NM sorted it though so I'm not sure of the details. AFAIK test centres only need to install client software.
  • 3 months later...
Posted

Issues with promissor: The version on the share that ESM updates vs the version installed via MSI, keep those in sync.

 

Reinstalling ESM on a new computer requires phoning edexcel to reset something

 

Otherwise my instructions at Promissor Administrator - Wiki have worked since I wrote them

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted
City & Guilds - What's happening

 

Looks like City & Guilds are moving AWAY from Promissor towards this web-based "E-volve" thing.. Can't wait to try it. Almost anything will be preferable..

 

The most techie news I can find from that site is, it'll be a web-based install (probably ActiveX or some such).

 

Yeah, we have just beein installing the E-volve secure client here. Spent almost an entire day trying to figure out why the software would open on one account and not another.

 

After a short discussion and a few emails with their technical support team, seems that to get the software to run with a mandatory profile, you need to install an extra piece of software first, that doesn't seem to be documented anywhere.

 

Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP2 for Windows Desktop <- The extra piece of software

 

The error message you get when trying to run on a mandatory profile is "The type initializer for 'SecureClientCore.Utility.HelperMethods' thew an exception." The program then attempts to open and just closes itself.

 

Thought i would document this for anyone else doing a search for e-volve, and potentually save people some time. I do like the look of the main interface at the moment, seems quite nice. Not been able to test it further yet though.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Good morning,

 

Just to let you know, the latest version of the documentation for e-volve, does contain the reference to SQL Compact version 3.5, it was missing in the initial documentation.

 

Tony :)

Posted
Anyone know how/where we get evolve?

 

good morning,

 

If you are a City and Guilds GOLA user, your center will have the opportunity to migrate over the following months, all centers will be approached via the migrations team and offered a date to migrate. You will then be given access to the software to be able to test and distribute across your network. The full process gives centers enough time to accept, test software, test navigation exams and migrate.

 

Tony

  • Thanks 1
  • 2 months later...
Posted

For anyone moving over to e-volve, just wondering if you've needed to do an install without the Start Menu shortcuts?

 

I deploy our software via SCCM and while logged on the users have a Read Only Desktop \ Start Menu. e-volve doesn't like this when installing and fails so I hopped into ORCA and made a transform, removing the two entries in the Shortcut table. Should do the trick :)

 

It installs by default in All Users\Appdata and automatically sets Everyone permissions to Full Control to avoid the permissions headaches some people had with GOLA...

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