Protel 99 SE and MS Vista library problem?

Protel has always had problems with schematic libraries if you have the "hide file extensions for known file types" option in explorer. As this is the default (for W2K and later), you have to turn that off to be able to see schematic libraries. Of course, that option should always be turned off anyway - it's an incredible security gaff, even by Microsoft's standards.

Thanks but that didn't fix the problem.

I understand that Vista doesn't allow programs to write into the "Program Files" directory, or any subdirectories of it, where Protel normally keeps the libraries. You will need to move the Protel libraries (and anything else that Protel might want to write to) to somewhere that Vista will let the program write to. I don't use Vista (yet) but understand that there is a "standard" area for program data files like Protel's libraries.

You said "your" laptop so the following may not be relevant at all but is along the lines of the suggestion from Peter.

I had similar problems with 99SE when the sys admin guys inflated their egos by restricting write permissions to different file locations. Getting full R/W admin control fixed the problem after months of hassles.

Do you need to set properties so that it runs in WIN98 compatibility mode? ( if that option exists in VISTA - it does in XP)

I changed the settings under my user to "Full Control" and still no luck.

Thanks

I tried changing this setting before and no luck. In general I've found this "compatibility mode" in Vista to be pretty useless.

Thanks

I couldn't find the setting for the folder library in Protel so I'm tring to change the permission but ... there are sooooo many of them is ... annoying. So far I've changed the Protel security settings inside Program Files and no luck. The folder is set to read-only. I changed that but it keeps defaulting to read-only.... ARGH! ... as I said .... annoying. I'll let you know what happens later.

Thanks

You need to be in Admin mode and turn off the UAC "User Access control" There are couple of other things that can be done in the reg but I don't think that'll protein to you.

Vista has screwed up so many people in companies all over trying to upgrade and use existing software. Even new software coming out does not perform on it worth a shit.

In any case, The performance of Vista has really took a nose dive on software that does run on it. .NET programs have become yet another large crutch for windows and putting Vista on top of that really places the icing on the cake.

You need to strip down Vista as much as possible.

Rodo, Seems you are not trying Peter's suggestion even though you think you may be. By Peter's advice you would have to move the pertinent files to a suitable location, not just try to change the permissions on the individual files. Moving the libraries is no problem, you simply have to reload the libraries after restrating the program. I don't use Vista but I have heard the same issue/explanation/rumor that Peter recited. Moving just the libraries will probably not solve all issues because there are many Protel files that are constantly written to by the program in the WINDOWS directory.

Well, I moved the libraries outside of "Program Files" and try to reload one. No luck. I also renamed the library folder to something else like "LibraryZZZ" and somehow Protel kept telling me that it was reading the library (it always has one loaded) from the original "Library" folder which didn't exist since I renamed it... I'm seriously confused as what it is doing.

Oh ... I'm doing this top-posting again aren't I :-).

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Let's see, control panel, user accounts , clear check box, restart, wait for reboot .... run Protel, add library and .... ARGH!... Nope, that didn't work either.

Thanks

really, Maybe you're over looking something because i know it works. Did you go and check to make sure the folders were not read only afterwards ? Did you check the UAC to make sure the took place after reboot ?

P.S. It's very possible a install that went bad when the access was set to read only .? Or you need to reconfigure the program?

Are we really trying hard enough?

As far as I know, Protel doesn't have any setting for file locations - whenever I want to open a file of any sort, Protel just starts looking in the last directory I used. If the last file I opened was a drawing in c:\\My Documents\\Projects\\ and I want to open a library, I have to navigate from that directory to C:\\Program Files\\Protel\\Libraries\\Sch.

From my very limited understanding of Vista, you _will_ have to move the library files out of C:\\Program Files\\...

Hi Peter, What about all of the ini and rcs files that reside in the WINDOWS directory? I would think that Vista would restrict them also and you can't very well move them. Just wondering if you have heard anything about them or are they okay because it's the program accesses/writes them? From everything I have heard or read I certainly hope to never upgrade to Vista.

-- S>

Yeap. They're not read-only.

Yeap. There is an icon in the tray bar warning me about it.

dunno!

Not fun.

???

Thanks

I did. I put them under my user name account "Documents". It didn't work.

Thanks

Try to get a new computer without Vista. Not impossible but it would cost you a few more bucks for the XP installation if available. I bought this laptop in the summer of 2007 and the only place I found offering WinXP was Gateway2K ... for an extra $200 of course. I imagine now is nearly impossible.

I don't use Vista (we tell our computer supplier to stick to XP for desktops and blank for servers (I prefer to set up Linux myself), so it's their problem to find a manufacturer that provides XP. There are actually more that provide XP now than about six months ago.)

However, I had the same problem years ago when I tried to install a single copy of Protel on a server. It's not the schematic library files that are the problem - its parts of the program files themselves that need to be writeable. Don't ask me why - Protel doesn't actually write to the files, but it opens some in writeable mode.

Try installing the whole suite again, but this time to a directory completely outside of Program Files, Documents and Settings, or any other windows-specific directory (I put virtually nothing inside these directories).