[slevy]

I purchased a new eMachine running Windows XP recently and just about have it set up to my liking. But there are two programs which are being blocked by the new PC software and I don't know what to change. They are USPS Shipping Assistant and Bill Pay through my bank. Both groups have been contacted for assistance and they're both trying but don't know what the problem is either. Both programs run just fine on a different computer in my home. Both computers are XP, both are running current versions of Firefox and IE. They're both running the same anti-virus software... in short, both computers seem to be the same!


The error message is basically, "An error has occurred during start up. Please try again." The Event Log in the Administrative Tools tells me only that the program failed to load and nothing else.


I'm convinced that there is some small box somewhere that I need to check or uncheck. Can anyone help?


Thanks for your time.

[mphenterprises]

Hi slevy and welcome to the PCWorld Communities. :D




I have changed your Discussion title to give a clearer indication of your question. For future reference, please be as descriptive as possible in both the heading of your Discussion as well as the post itself.

If I may ask, are these applications or web pages ? The reason I ask is that, normally, bill paying through one's bank is done online and not through a stand-alone application. The answer to this question will determine how we proceed.

Additional questions are: (Please answer all the questions in detail.)

- What firewall are you using?

- What security applications are you using?

- If you access both of these features by web pages, do you get the same error message within both web browser?

- If you access both of these features by stand-alone applications, have you attempted to uninstall and then reinstall the applications?

- Do you have any add-ons installed in either web browser?

[slevy]

My apologies... I am aware that one is a program and the other is an web-based app. The good news is that the Bill Pay issue has been resolved... HOORAY! The title should now read, "Unable to Load Program on Similar Computers."
The program is USPS Shipping Assistant, Version 3.6. I have downloaded it from the USPS website, installed it, tried to open it, received the error message, unistalled it, re-downloaded it and tried again with the same results. At the suggestion of USPS support, I downloaded the commercial version and received the same error message. I have also copied an earlier version from a different computer, installed it, opened it (knowing that it would immediately look for updates), allowed it to update, and got the same error message... SHIPPING ASSISTANT ENCOUNTERED AN ERROR. PLEASE CLOSE THE PROGRAM AND TRY AGAIN. The program seems to download/install just fine; the error message is received when trying to open/use the program.

To answer your questions:

- What firewall are you using? Windows Firewall on both.

* What security applications are you using? Avast on both.
* If you access both of these features by web pages, do you get the same error message within both web browser? As mentioned above, the web page issue is resolved.
* Do you have any add-ons installed in either web browser? Not that I know of... what's there is there because it came that way.
Thanks for your interest in my question. What's so frustrating is that USPS says "It's your computer, not our software;" the computer support personnel say, "it's the software - this is not a warranty issue." Even though both statements are virtually correct, it doesn't help me solve the problem.

[SpiritWind]

:D Hi :

Was surprised to hear you were able to buy a new computer with Win XP since nowadays

most new computers come with Win Vista !? Perhaps it would be wise to explore WHICH

SPECIFIC "Service Pack" ( usually 1, 2, or 3 ) of XP are on both of the computers ? Is either

XP a "Professional" Edition ? And it may be helpful to know the SPECIFIC Version "Number"

of IE and Firefox on both computers !?

As a Volunteer "Helper" on the Avast Support Forums, we are contantly recommending the

use of antiSPYWARE/antiTROJAN programs, such as Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and

"SUPERAntiSpyware", both of which come in FREE version(s), to complement Avast .

[mphenterprises]

slevy said:

>

Quote

The title should now read, "Unable to Load Program on Similar Computers."

Unfortunately, once the thread is responded to, the title cannot change. No worries. It's just good that you have resolved one issue already so we can move on from there.

slevy said:

>

Quote

The program is USPS Shipping Assistant, Version 3.6. I have downloaded it from the USPS website, installed it, tried to open it, received the error message, unistalled it, re-downloaded it and tried again with the same results. At the suggestion of USPS support, I downloaded the commercial version and received the same error message. I have also copied an earlier version from a different computer, installed it, opened it (knowing that it would immediately look for updates), allowed it to update, and got the same error message... SHIPPING ASSISTANT ENCOUNTERED AN ERROR. PLEASE CLOSE THE PROGRAM AND TRY AGAIN. The program seems to download/install just fine; the error message is received when trying to open/use the program...What's so frustrating is that USPS says "It's your computer, not our software;" the computer support personnel say, "it's the software - this is not a warranty issue."

I would agree with the computer support personnel. This is not an issue that is related to hardware; thereby not covered by the warranty. I have a dual boot system (Windows XP and Windows Vista). I am in Windows Vista right now. I was able to download and install this application with no issue. Can you tell me if this snippet represents what you should see if the application opens with no problem? (Click on the image to enlarge it.)



I will flip over into Windows XP shortly to test the installation. For now, let's see what happens when you install and attempt to open the application in Safe Mode.

- Uninstall the current installation of the USPS Shipping Assistant

- Make sure the setup.exe file is still saved on your computer

- Restart your computer in Safe Mode. If you are not sure how to access Safe Mode, follow the steps laid out within this Document {document:id=1093}.

- Once in Safe Mode, use the setup.exe file to install the application again

- Once installed, see if you get the same error message when trying to open the application




Unfortunately, the error message is too vague and does not provide any error numbers or suggestions. My first hunch is that there is another application that is preventing this application from opening. The Safe Mode test will either confirm or dispute that hunch.

[mphenterprises]

I am now in Windows XP. Here is a screen shot of the open application. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)



I am running Windows Firewall in both Windows XP and Vista so I do not believe that is the issue. I also do not believe Avast is the issue since many others use that application with no ill-effect to other applications. Hopefully you will be able to open the application in Safe Mode. That will confirm that there is something blocking the application from opening.

[slevy]

Thanks to both of you who took the time to respond. Here is the version information requested:

Firefox Version 3.0.8

IE Version 7.0

XP Home Version 5.1.2600. - SP 3 - Build 2600

On to the suggestion of trying this in Safe Mode....

I have a new start up error message which reads: POPUPMSGBACKUP.EXE - COMMON LANGUAGE RUNTIME DEBUGGING SERVICE

APPLICATION HAS GENERATED AN EXCEPTION THAT COULD NOT BE HANDLED.

PROCESS ID=0XA 18(2584)

PROCESS THREAD ID=0X218(536).

CLICK OK TO CANCEL

CLICK CANCEL TO DEBUG



I clicked OK to cancel and this seems to have no further impact. But I don't like error messages and haven't got a clue what this one means.

Both of the downloads of Shipping Assistant shown lead to the correct screens. Sure am looking forward to getting that far on this computer!



After booting into Safe Mode, I attempted to install Shipping Assistant and received the following message:

"THE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR HAS SET POLICIES TO PREVENT THIS INSTALLATION."

Ha! Since I am the system administrator, what do I need to change?

While in Safe Mode, I accessed the Event Log. Under Applications, is the following:

THE INSTALLATION OF SHIPPING ASSISTANT 3.2.MSI IS NOT PERMITTED DUE TO AN ERROR IN SOFTWARE RESTRICTION POLICY PROCESSING. THE OBJECT CANNOT BE TRUSTED.

The source of this message is MSI INSTALLER. It has been suggested that a different version of this should be downloaded from Microsoft's website. How do I find this to determine which version is now on this computer?

Also, Shipping Assistant requires .NET Framework 2.0. This is on this computer, but so is .NET Framework 1.1 and .NET Framwork 1.1 Hotfix (KB928366). I have run the repair utility on .NET Framework 2.0 just in case. Could these different versions be conflicting with one another?

And... when accessing Administrative Tools through the Control Panel, .NET Framework 1.1 Wizard and .NET Framework 1.1 Config are both shown, but .NET Framework 2.0 is not. Could this be the problem?

I'm certainly not a computer whiz, but I'm not a complete dolt either. This one's got me stumped. I sincerely appreciate the help in continuing my education!

[mphenterprises]

slevy said:

On to the suggestion of trying this in Safe Mode....I have a new start up error message which reads: POPUPMSGBACKUP.EXE - COMMON LANGUAGE RUNTIME DEBUGGING SERVICE APPLICATION HAS GENERATED AN EXCEPTION THAT COULD NOT BE HANDLED.
PROCESS ID=0XA 18(2584)
PROCESS THREAD ID=0X218(536).
CLICK OK TO CANCEL
CLICK CANCEL TO DEBUG

Just to confirm, did you get this error message after attempting to run the latest version or the earlier version copied from the other computer? I could not find any specific information about the .exe file associated to that error message.

Additionally, did you try this twice? It looks like you tried to run the application after it was installed and then, in the second part of your post, it looks like you tried install the earlier version "THE INSTALLATION OF SHIPPING ASSISTANT 3.2.MSI IS NOT PERMITTED..."

I probably should have done this before but I will try to both install and run this application while in Safe Mode. I am back in Windows Vista but the process should be similar as if I were in Windows XP.

slevy said:

Also, Shipping Assistant requires .NET Framework 2.0. This is on this computer, but so is .NET Framework 1.1 and .NET Framwork 1.1 Hotfix (KB928366). I have run the repair utility on .NET Framework 2.0 just in case. Could these different versions be conflicting with one another? And... when accessing Administrative Tools through the Control Panel, .NET Framework 1.1 Wizard and .NET Framework 1.1 Config are both shown, but .NET Framework 2.0 is not. Could this be the problem?

>
>



Are you sure .NET 2.0 is installed? It may just be better if I switch over to Windows XP briefly to check this out. I do not believe having .NET 1.1 and the Hotfix for 1.1 installed on this computer is an issue, as long as .NET 2.0 is installed as well. If 2.0 is not installed, that may be the problem. Give me a moment to run some tests and I will come back with my findings.

[mphenterprises]

slevy said:

After booting into Safe Mode, I attempted to install Shipping Assistant and received the following message:


"THE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR HAS SET POLICIES TO PREVENT THIS INSTALLATION."

>

Quote

While in Safe Mode, I accessed the Event Log. Under Applications, is the following:


THE INSTALLATION OF SHIPPING ASSISTANT 3.2.MSI IS NOT PERMITTED DUE TO AN ERROR IN SOFTWARE RESTRICTION POLICY PROCESSING. THE OBJECT CANNOT BE TRUSTED.

Okay, I am in Safe Mode and I just tried to install the application. I received this message: (Click on the image to enlarge it.)



It is not often that an application will not install in Safe Mode but I believe this is one of them. I am going to flip over into Windows XP Safe Mode to confirm that I get the same error message as you. Once I do get it installed, I will also test to see if I can run the application in Safe Mode.

Just so you know, I have .NET 3.5 installed in Windows Vista. I will check what I have in Windows XP.

[mphenterprises]

Okay, I am in Windows XP and I was unable to install the application in Safe Mode...same message. However, I confirmed that I have the required .NET that this application needs to install. In Windows XP, I have everything from 1.1 to 3.5 installed. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)



If you check the Add or Remove Programs utility and you do not see 2.0, that may indeed be the issue.

The last test I will run will be attempting to run the application in Safe Mode when it is already installed. Give me a moment and I'll post my results.

[mphenterprises]

Quote

{quote:title=slevywrote:}{quote}

And... when accessing Administrative Tools through the Control Panel, .NET Framework 1.1 Wizard and .NET Framework 1.1 Config are both shown,
but .NET Framework 2.0 is not. Could this be the problem?

>
>




I do not think .NET 2.0 is available through the Administrative Tools. I just checked mine and it is not there. However, at every turn, I am able to use this application so I do not believe that is a factor. As long as you confirm that you have .NET 2.0 or greater installed on your computer (via the Add or Remove Programs utility), you should be able to use this application.

I am currently in Windows XP Safe Mode with USPS Shipping Assistant already installed and I was able to open the application with no problem. At this point, all signs are pointing to .NET 2.0. Can you please confirm whether or not you do indeed have this installed? At the very least, upgrading to the latest .NET version may not be a bad idea.

[bontiveroz79]

I think it has something to do with the software itself or maybe the firewall is preventing it from accessing it try either reinstalling it on the computer or make sure that the firewall will let it go through as an application.

[mphenterprises]

Hi bontiveroz and welcome to the PCWorld Communities. :D




I do not believe that is the case. While my computer is in Windows XP, our configurations are identical in relation to this issue. We both use Windows Firewall. I have had no problems installing or opening this application while the firewall is active and I did not have to make any adjustments to the firewall. Also, he or she has uninstalled and installed this application several times with the same result. Even installing an earlier version gave the same outcome.

[bontiveroz79]

Ok then this one has me stuck then ... because of what I heard emachines are really not that good of computers and all sorts of problems exists with them ranging from software issue to hardware issues... I would like to think of them as one big ASS headache excuse my language ... lol

[mphenterprises]

:D No problem. :D

Yes, I am not fond of eMachines myself either but I do not believe this is related to the computer. It may come down to missing components but who knows.

[mjd420nova]

Slevy: Welcome to PCW. The problem you are having is one familiar to me and a number of users who I've serviced in the past month. It basically stems from other programs that were loaded before the USPS download. It seems that other programs are using certain resources that are needed for the download and as a result it is being blocked by the other program. The cure can be rather extensive and time consuming. The difficulty lies in figuring out which program is causing the interference and then uninstalling it, downloading the USPS program and then reloading the uninstalled program and making sure they both work. Getting some programs to place nice with others can be a problematic thing and the resolution is often more hassle than it is worth. One cure might be to try downloading and installing the USPS program to another partition on the drive or another drive altogether. You say that the computers are similar but apparently different enough to prevent the proper install. Good luck

[mphenterprises]

Hi mjd. That is definitely a good suggestion. My only concern is if that were the case, that should affect me as well....or not depending on the applications we have in common.

Since slevy's computer is new, I would presume that I have many more applications installed on my computer than he or she has on his or her computer. Also, I probably have many more applications set to start on boot up as well.

If we run with this suggestion, do you know of some common applications that may cause the Shipping Assistant to fail to open?

[slevy]

I wish there was a box for YES, MY QUESTION HAS BEEN ANSWERED. ... SORT OF!

Yes, I definitely have .NET 2.0 Framework installed. USPS site states that it is required to run the Shipping Assistant software and that during the installation process, if the .NET is not found, it will be downloaded and installed during the Shipping Assistant download. Having read this, I uninstalled .NET Framework 2.0 prior to downloading Shipping Assistant, and sure enough, it downloaded a new copy of .NET framework 2.0 with Shipping Assistant. But all to no avail.... Honest I tried to figure this one out myself before I started this thread!

In response to the recent post about "programs not playing well together," I decided to try installing to a different drive. Since Shipping Assistant isn't terribly large, I thought it might install with no problem to my flash drive.... and ... VOILA! :D ... Shipping Assistant loaded and started without a problem at all. Just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, I even printed a shipping label!!! Piece of cake!

In the meantime though, I am still wondering what fragment of information is on my hard drive (c:) that won't allow it to run once installed there. Since my needs are simple, I'm running very few additional programs and have been running the same combination for years.

As to eMachines, this is our second one. The first (the other computer on which Shipping Assistant installed and ran without a hitch) is about 6 months old and replaced a 1998 (?) HP. This one replaced a 2004 Compaq with 256 K RAM. As I said, my needs our simple; I sell baseball and football cards on the web. To run my business, I need access to my spreadsheet which is now HUGE, MS Word to print regular mail envelopes and Shipping Assistant to print mailing labels with Delivery Confirmation (at a significantly reduced rate from what the post office charges for their little green form!).

As I type through this, I may have stumbled on something... Previously, I was using Star Office 5.0 for my spreadsheet files and MS Word 97 for envelopes, with Shipping Assistant. Since I now have more RAM (my main objective with this computer purchase), I downloaded Open Office and am using it for both the spreadsheet and the envelopes. I didn't install MS Word at all.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.................................

In addition to my business, the computer is used for household budgeting and money mangement (using Microsoft Money) and browsing on the web (eBay or read the news). So our demands of our PCs meet our needs which are barebone, much like the eMachines.

Even though I can run Shipping Assistant off my flash drive just fine, it's still a mystery I'd like to solve. Do you think it's worth a shot to try uninstalling/removing Open Office and try again?

[mphenterprises]

slevy said:

Do you think it's worth a shot to try uninstalling/removing Open Office and try again?

Absolutely. It appears that mjd was dead on with his suggestion. I do not have OpenOffice so I cannot test this out but it is definitely worth a shot.

[slevy]

It will be tomorrow late afternoon/early evening before I try this. But I promise I will and will update here.

Again, THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO READ AND RESPOND.