Install DigitalPersona on Dell with Windows 8 (Dell Personal required workaround)

 Windows Guides  2 Responses »
Jun 012014
 

I just upgraded my laptop from Windows 7 to Windows 8, and in the process, I was required to uninstall DigitalPersona since it is not compatible with Windows 8. I expected to be able to download a newer version from Dell after the upgrade completed, but that’s not the case. You may be able to apply this update before upgrading, but I didn’t try beforehand.

  1. Visit My Dell Downloads and download DigitalPersona. You may need to register your laptop using Internet Explorer to get a list of software
  2. Install DigitalPersona and restart your computer
  3. Right-click on this link and select Save File As or Save Link As
  4. After you save the file, double-click it to add the changes to the registry. This creates a key that the DigitalPersona installer looks for. If it’s not found, it throws the Dell Personal not installed error
  5. Download either the 32-bit or 64-bit DigitalPersona v6.2.1.309 installer (originally from a forum post here)
  6. Restart your computer
  7. DigitalPersona should now be working. You may need to enroll your finger prints still

Additional information:
The DigitalPersona upgrade checks the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\DigitalPersona\Products\Personal\OEM for the value 020. If the key is missing, which was the case on my computer and apparently other peoples, the installer stops reporting a “Dell Personal is not installed. This package can only be installed as an upgrade.” error. The above instructions add that registry key so the installer will work. Additionally, you can use Orca to remove the Dell Personal check launch condition from the installer MSI.

Fix CutePDF Writer Error 1798

 Windows Guides  No Responses »
Jun 132012
 

I’m not completely sure why this error is generated, but I have a hunch it’s because CutePDF tries to use a list of already installed PostScript print drivers and if none of the pre-configured ones are found, it errors out and will not continue.

  1. Install CutePDF Writer and allow it to error out. Make sure you select to install the PS2PDF tool when it asks.
  2. Go to Devices and Printers and select Add a Printer
  3. Add a Local Printer
  4. Make sure the drop down has an option for CPW2: (CutePDF Writer) otherwise these steps will not work
  5. I went ahead and selected LPT1: (Printer Port)
  6. For driver you’ll need to find a PostScript compatible driver. I went to the HP drivers and selected the HP Color LaserJet 2500 PS driver. The PS at the end represents that it is a PostScript driver. You may have to look in the list, but there should be plenty of PostScript compatible HP drivers you can pick from.
  7. Continue on with the install and finally add the printer
  8. Go back to Devices and Printers and right click on the printer you just selected and choose Printer Properties
  9. You can change the name in the first text box to CutePDF or similar so it’s easier to find and remember
  10. On the Ports tab, change the port to CPW2: (CutePDF Writer).
  11. Apply/Ok after changing the port
  12. Do a test print. If you choose CutePDF (or whatever you named it) you should be prompted with a dialogue box asking where you’d like to save the PDF.

Troubleshooting Java Installation

 Windows Guides  3 Responses »
Jun 102012
 

Background

Google Chrome prevents Java from automatically running when it detects that the version you currently have installed is not the most recent. I finally got tired of the nagging and decided to upgrade to 7u4 (from 6u29). I downloaded the offline version and proceeded to install it, but it kept failing with some sort of error and directing me to a help page on the Java website. I head on over to Programs and Features and attempted to uninstall all old versions, but the x86 version refused to uninstall (both x86 and x64 Java are installed). I then attempted to manually remove Java using DK Finder and regscanner (by NirSoft). I deleted every trace of Java I could possibly find. I even installed Java in a virtual machine and monitored the installation with Regshot 2.0 unicode to make sure I had all the correct registry keys deleted, but even that did not help.

Process

  1. Visit http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223300 and download/run the fixit tool that enables Windows Installer Logging
  2. Attempt to install Java again
  3. After it fails, put %temp% in the run box to bring you to the Temporary Files folder
  4. Switch to details view and sort by Date Modified/Descending (this will put the most recent files at the top)
  5. There should be a jusched.log and a MSI(random text).log
  6. Open the MSI log file and search for “return value 3”
  7. Find the last  “return value 3” entry
    In my case the line reads
    Action ended 22:38:28: SetupCompleteError. Return value 2.
    Action ended 22:38:28: INSTALL. Return value 3.
  8. This basically just indicates that setup encountered an error and the install won’t finish
  9. The error before it reads:
    Action ended 22:38:20: RemoveExistingProducts. Return value 3.
    Action ended 22:38:20: INSTALL. Return value 3.
  10. This is the helpful one. We can see that the installer is stopping when it’s trying to execute the RemoveExisitingProducts sequence
  11. To fix this, I downloaded SuperOrca and opened the MSI installer file located at %APPDATA%\\..\\LocalLow\\Java\\jre(version)\\jre(version).msi
  12. The above file should be extracted and left by the installer downloaded from the Java site after it’s been used at least once
  13. With the file open, I selected InstallExecuteSequence in the left pane and located RemoveExistingProducts
  14. I deleted the entry using the Drop Row command from the right-click menu
  15. I then saved it with a new name and executed it

Resources

Conclusion

I’m still not exactly sure how the problem got started in the first place, but it seems Java attempted to add a feature to remove previous versions that ended up breaking the installation for some reason. If you’re having problems with Java installation first try Programs and Features (Add/Remove Programs). Next, give JavaRa a try. If all else fails, you can give the above method a shot and hopefully get Java up and running without a reformat.