"UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PREVIOUS INSTALLATIONS DIRECTORY" error??

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FZfile

FZfile

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I am trying to Re-install SoundForgeXP and I keep getting this error during setup right after I enter the serial #.

Then the setup closes......???????

I had uninstalled everything but the OS because I had some Soundcard problems (the card does not sit well in the slot(s) becase the board sits a c/h too far back from the back of the case....but its all better now).

ACID re-installed fine and dandy and so did the SoundForge Studio 4.5 Demo.

I originally un-installed through Add/Remove Programs and then when I still had it in my program list I deleted it from the list by right clicking and finally snooped the registry and found a reference line to it and deleted that!!!

I restarted between each step and then tried to install from disk.



Also .....now that I think about it, I have no MIDI device shown in my Dev.Mgr. and no drivers or anything. I have the on board sound and gameport hooked up to the board.?????

That is minor compared to the SF thing, though.

Currently stuck.

Help.

-mike
 
Mike: What OS are you using?

Did it install correctly the first time (before uninstalling) you had installed it? Did you have a copy of the software installed earlier?

There is likely an issue with the directory into which it was installed earlier. If you can find that (by default, in c:\Program Files\) delete it. Also check in c:\Common Files\ for any remnants of SoundForge.

Try copying the setup files over to your hard disk and then install from there if possible.

And you have a soundcard, and the onboard sound is enabled if I understand your post? Or only the onboard Gameport? Have you tried loading the drivers for these?

Did you recently apply any Service Packs, security patches, installed or uninstalled and drivers? Why did you uninstall all programs before moving a card??
 
re:

Sangram,

I am running 98se.
The o/s loaded without a hitch (finally...after many days fooliing around and re-fdisking which many of you guys here helped me with. I did have to step away from the "Infernal Machine" for a little while and play some music...after all that is why I got the darn thing....but once I refocused 98 loaded fine.)

The first time I loaded ACID and SoundForge it all went fine.

Then my soundcard (an Audiowerk2) wiggled loose when I was attaching leads and I got some "hardware not responding" stuff so I un-installed everything on the C drive except the OS.

I used add/remove this first time un-installing.

Acid/Logic/DirectX stuff/WinZip/Coagula/and BeatIt all loaded in fine..(Winzip/Coagula/and BeatIt were !st time installs) but I realized I forgot to load SoundForge and then I got the error message continually.
So I loaded The SFStudio Demo so I could assign a default editor in Acid and test out my s/pdif in and outs to my VS880.

So....here I am.
I will definitely look in those placesyou sugested.

Like I said, when I 1st un-installed SF, it remained in my Program menu (but was absent from the Add/Remove list???) so I right click deleted it and then finally serch the registry for references and found one and deleted that.

As far as the drivers are concerned I only ADDED those for the Audiowerk card.
I assumed that the onboard sound drivers were either in the bios already or loaded during the OS install.

I did install the Resource Kit from the 98SE disk (I was hoping to find the TweakUI tool but my disk does not have it)....
...and I notice now that my directory path in the boot up screen bfore the windows grafics starts says:

c:program~1/98RK or something like that. Definitely 98RK.

It used to just say c:program~1/win98 or similar.

I have no idea if that means anything.

Thanks for the input Sangram.

-mike
 
..And what the hell does "BUMP" mean in cyberslang????....

....I always did wonder that.:)
 
Bump means you want your thread back at the top of the list. Like you're afraid if it falls down the list no one will see it and you won't get an answer. So you add a post (bump) and up it goes.

PS - It's not considered polite to bump shit out of impatience. You need to give it a while.
 
Thanks Lou.

BTW

I tried to find further referenes to SF in the Common Files folder and EVERYWHERE else........no dice.

So...I copied the files to the desktop and still got the same error message.

Which really sucks because now that I know that my soundcard is working and my digital tranfers are good I want to start recording mixes and samples into SF and the idiotic demo version wont save or record.

It worked before dammit!!!! :confused:

I did open some files in the SF demo and I couldn't get those to play through the digital outs only the analog outs.
I switched the boxes in the Preferences....hhhhmmmmmm.

Well first things first.

Anything else you might suggest Sangram???

Anyone.....???????

-mike


....so close I can taste it....
 
If you've been through all the files, the next thing to do is Msconfig.

Try switching off the Autoexec.bat and empty out the Config.sys. I'm thinking the program has left a path somewhere in the startup, or some kind of a registry reference. Maybe not an obvious one.

As a last straw, will you attempt another reinstall (98 is, IMO, a fairly simple install). It may load drivers for a Gameport, but onboard sound it may not. Try switching it of in BIOS. I don't think it is a hardware issue but an OS problem, which is why you'd be better served by reinstalling the OS.

One last thought: If it is demo version, Sonic Foundry have been known to implement fairly decent checks on their software. It just may be that you cannot install it after uninstalling, which would be why it will now refuse to do many of the things it would normally do. A fresh OS install should fix that, but you'll have to go through the cycle again.
 
I am not opposed to re-installing the OS...

.....but if I dont have to ......


If I do, do I just go through the set up again or should I FDisk again and reformat the drive (all my data is on the other drive)?

If so, will the re-installed Windows automatically recognise the partitions on my other drive as I have labeled them???
I imagine it will because I partioned them w/ FDisk and formated from Dos.

Thanks,

-mike
 
Sangram, I noticed in a previous post...

....that you mention that 98 is a bitch about turning off ACPI and switching off Power Management.

I have done both of those things (the ACPI in BIOS were switched off before the OS install and the Power Management was disabled in the SysConfig)

Do you think that could be causing all of the Kaos???

I also switched my computers roll to Network Server and assigned my own Swap file size to 450MB (min and max are the same) AFTER I had installed the software and before I had the soundcard problems and started the un-installing.

I basicall did everything recomended in the Sound on Sound article "Optimising Windows 98se for Audio" .....I think that was the name of it......

Should I not disable some of these things????

If you would.....could you tell me what you think the cleanest way to load everthing in would be????

I appreciate your help.

-mike
 
Sorry Mike I missed your previous post.

If you switched off power management in BIOS while the OS was loaded, you would have started to run into severe problems. Basically 98SE will copy every device over in two states: With PM on and PM off. This creates a lot of confusion for the OS.

To load cleanly, first set up your BIOS the way you want it, with optimised memory timings, Ultra-ATA enabled, Power Management disabled etc.

Then format the primary partition (no need to FDISK), or c:\. Use the command format c:\ /q (/q will do a quick format. That's all that's really needed).

Then start loading Win98 setup off of the CD-ROM.

After the OS has loaded to the first 256-colour screen, here's the order with which I install drivers: Video, motherboard, sound, modem (if applicable), keyboard/mouse (if applicable).

I then start loading up my apps, in no particular order. Then I start optimising the system, setting the swap file fixed, putting in VCache, etc.

After all this is over and I have a working system, I create a disk image and burn it to a CD. This CD along with two recovery floppies go to my customer, so they can restore the system without coming to me for help. But I digress. These images will help you have an instant backup, and a no-hassle restore.

That's pretty much it. If you face any problems while installing, holler.
 
Oh, yes, 98 should have no problem detecting your previous drives and partitions.
 
Thanks dude, you rock.

I will do what you suggested and hopefully all will be good.

I dont have the burner yet......supposed to be a birthday gift....dont know what happened to that.......oh well, soon enough.

I can always make an image to one of the blank partitions on the other drive.

I will post the results as soon as I can.

-mike
 
Right on, brotha...

Worked like a charm.
Loaded no problem.
Recognised my other drives no problem.
Got me to look in the BIOS and tweak a few things I hadn't.

I couldn't get the \q thing to "quick format" so I just did a regular format and changed some guitar strings while I waited.

SoundForge loaded again w/ no problems as did everything else.

I have a partition on my big drive for backups so I made one after everything was working OK.

Currently got 96% resources free at boot up.

Thanks mucho-mucha Sangram.

-mike
 
For future reference here's another possibility.
After puchasing Sound Forge 5 and finding out that it did not support CD architect. It became necessary to load Sound Forge XP simply to run CD architect. In other words my PC has Sound Forge 5 and Sound Forge XP; 5 for it's superior editing and XP simply for access to CD architect. Here's what I ran in to. When XP is installed, it looks for a newer or better Sonic Foundry editing product. If it finds one the message you saw is displayed. What may have happened is that with the 4.5 demo on your machine, XP installation found that directory and would not let you complete the installation. If you would have uninstalled the 4.5 demo, my bet is that XP would have installed. XP must be installed first. It worked for me. My guess is that when you reformatted you either did not install the demo, or you installed both in this order and that is why it now works.
If your wondering, the purpose of this post is only to help you or anyone else if this should happen again. I see the problem's already been resolved.
:D :) :)
 
Cool mike no probs.

That was a handy tip, Monte. Filed for future reference. Would you know if this is common to all SF products? Don't think so, because I have both Acid 2.0 and 3.0 on my machine no problems, even though I did install 3.0 after and not before 2.0
 
I have no experience with Acid so I don't know. I only know about the Sound Forge "problem" through personal experience.
 
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