Peter Gray's community posts

Hello Pauline

I'll try the host updates from a viewer on a different W7 machine, but that will take a while, as I first need to update its viewer version.

I've now updated Viewer to 7.6.2.0 on the second W7 machine.  On this one, Host update using Remote Install does work.  On comparing the Viewer files installed on the two machine, it turned out thet rutserv.exe was missing from the assets folder on the first machine.  It had been quarantined by my anti-virus, presumably during Viewer update installation.  After restoring it (and setting an exception), update using Remote Install now works on the first W7 machine.  One problem solved!

On both these W7 machines, Host update using Simple Update does not work, with the same error message mentioned in my previous post.

It looks like the flickering tooltip issue was already fixed in the two latest updates, so we will test this out additionally for Windows 7

To clarify, on neither of these W7 machined do the tooltips flicker; that problem does seem to have been cured.  It's just that they are slow to be populated with the message.

Hello Pauline.

Thanks for your response.

Could you please clarify if this occurs only on the Viewer machine running Windows 7 OS?

To clarify, both the issues I described happened only on the machine with the Windows 7 OS, and not on the one with Windows 11 OS.

In addition, please let us know if you’re able to update remote Hosts via the Simple Update feature fr om the same Viewer?

I have tried Simple Update from the same viewer, to two hosts on W7 and one on W11.  In all three cases I get the same error message, screen shot attached.

I'll try the host updates from a viewer on a different W7 machine, but that will take a while, as I first need to update its viewer version.

I have installed Viewer 7.6.2.0 on a Windows 7 machine and on a Windows 11 machine.  On the W7 machine, it connects to hosts at version 7.6.1.0 in Full Control mode with no noticeable changes in behaviour.  However, I have found two problems: one before connecting to hosts, and one with updating hosts.
1).  Soon after starting the viewer, hovering the mouse over the icon for a host which has not yet been updated (and is not connected) at first brings up an empty tooltip.  At first I thought this was permanent behaviour, but later I noticed that after maybe five or ten minutes the tooltips are then populated with the text "A newer version of the Host is available."  This behaviour may simply be because the viewer is on an old and slow machine, but I thought I should mention it.  Hovering over the icon of a host that is connected brings up a preview of its screen, as usual.
2).  Updating hosts using remote install does not work.  I can browswe to a location where I have a copy of the host msi file, and select it, but when I click Process Action, I get a message "Host files not found!".  I tried this initially using a networked file location, but the error also happens with a local file.  See attached screen capture.  Remote install does work on the W11 machine.

I must have been tired when I wrote that post!  All machines were originally at v 7.2.2.0.  Test viewer and test host now at v 7.2.7.0 (beta 1)

I've installed the beta on what amount to a pair of test machines.  Both already had both viewer and host installed at version 2.0.2.0.
Beta viewer installed without any problems on a Windows 11 laptop.  All previously set up connectios were retained, and the beta viewer could see all the (still at v 2.0.2.0) machines I tried.
I wanted to put the beta host on a Windows 7 machine.  The beta viewer logged onto it OK, and full control worked while it was still at v 2.0.2.0.  I disconnected full control and tried to use remote install to install the beta host, using Remote Utilities security.  It went through the motions and reported a successful install, but on checking, the host was still at v 2.0.2.0.  This happened twice.
I then logged onto the host machine using RDP (not within Remote Utilities), and manually installed the beta host.  This *was* successful, and the beta viewer now shows the test host at v 2.0.7.0.
Full control seems to work OK, but I've not had a chance to do any extensive testing.

Ho Sergey.  That looke exactly like what happens when the host computer you are connecting to is also the viewer computer you are connecting from.  I've done that accidentally a number of times.  Only one connection is actually opened, but the host screen displayed is that of the viewer, which changes as a result, and that change propagates down the screen.

Hello Conrad

I have just run the script on one of these machines (while logged on remotely) and rebooted it after doing windows updates. The machine has rebooted (I can ping it) but the host has not restarted. I shall be there on site tomorrow, so can check if the service properties are still changed according to the script. It may be that the script should have been run while the host service was not running.

Hello Peter,

What is the operating system on those machines?

All my older machines are Windows 7, except one remaining working XP.  Not all of them have the startup issue.  The one I tested yesterday is W7

When I checked it this morning, the host service properties were still as modified bythe script, so running the script while the service was running was OK.

While looking at the host servicce properties I changes the Startup Type from Automatic to Automatic (Delayed Start), and then rebooted the machine.  This time the host service *did* start on re-boot.  So far I have only tried this once, on the one machine.  I plan to do the same change on the other slow machines.

I have not noticed the problem with host service stopping, but I have several old slow machines where the host service does not reliably start on switch on or on reboot.  With some of these, I dare not do a reboot unless I am on site, so able to restart the host manually.
I have just run the script on one of these machines (while logged on remotely) and rebooted it after doing windows updates.  The machine has rebooted (I can ping it) but the host has not restarted.  I shall be there on site tomorrow, so can check  if the service properties are still changed according to the script.  It may be that the script should have been run while the host service was not running.

Hello Pam and Pauline.
I have had this behaviour on at least two of my Windows7 machines since upgrading the host to 7.1.6.0.  Having had a similar problem with an earlier version (can't remember which) and found it was an anti-virus issue, I checked the quarantine, and found rfusclient.exe there.  AV is Avast.  I submitted false positives, then restored the file and set an exception.  After that I could start the host, and then the viewer could connect to it.
One of the hosts I shut down each day; on startup next day the same problem again, but reporting as a different virus.  I don't have physical access to that machine right now, so I can't check to see if it happens again until Friday.  The other hosts have not been shut down and I can still connect to them, but I dare not upgrade to 7.1.7.0 until I get back and have physical access.
Bottom line, look to see if your AV has quarantined the file.
Hope that helps.
Peter.

Hi Conrad.

v7.1.5.0 fixed the "Host files not found!" problem above, but I found that Avast had quarnteened parts of the viewer.  That was easy to fix.

Trying to update the host on my test machine consistently failed due to Avast false positives (which I have not yet worked out how to get around).  Fortunately that machine is in the same room with me, so I can see what's happening.  Trying remote install failed to update, but left host v7.1.2.0 running.  Trying simple update appears to have stopped the host, or maybe uninstalled it; I have not yet checked on that.

I'll maybe wait a few days before trying further host updates, in the hope that false positives will have stopped.