Error on some machines when installing MIT App Inventor Tools 2.3.0

[John Swendsen]

I recently downloaded the MIT App Inventor Tools 2.3.0 for our programming class. I was able to install it on my Windows 7 machine with no problems, but then I tried to install it on 7 machines in the lab, 2 laptops and 5 desktop. I logged in with my ID as network administrator to give me full rights to the machine, three of the desktops and two of the laptops gave the following error.


MIT App Inventor Tools 2.3.0 Setup

Could not elevate process (errorcode 6), continuing with normal user privileges.


Sometimes the error code is 1 instead of 6, and I get the error even when I try to elevate privileges by trying to install it as the local machine administrator, it still tells me I don't have the rights. I rebooted and logged back in as local workstation administrator and same error again, it would allow me to install it to my personal account, but I need it to install for all users on the machine for the students to be able to see it.

All machine are running Windows 7 Enterprise edition 64 bit, a variety of processors, but all machines have at least 4 GB of RAM, all updates have been run since last patch Tuesday, Java is up to date, all machine are running System Center Endpoint Protection. Machines are locked down for the students, but I haven't had any other problems installing any other software logged in with my ID or as local administrator.

Funny thing is all the machine of a same type were exact mirror images of each other in September, when we imaged all of them, so if all of them had the same error, it would be one thing, but reimaging and resetting up the lab in May just to install one program isn't an option for us right now. 

Thanks, any ideas appreciated.

[SteveJG]

You said "Machines are locked down for the students" John.       Perhaps this article will help  

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GMXO_GoCRj3052Pg93dzEzJ5sXido9Ul7Xrn6HYU6Xs/edit#heading=h.lrstv5s3du9z  

and this one too  http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/ai2/support/troubleshooting.html  .

If you use a program like Deep Freeze to lock down the computers, you will probably have to use the silent install advice in the first link.

You also said "I haven't had any other problems installing any other software logged in with my ID or as local administrator."  This is perhaps because App Inventor uses the Cloud and the browser must communicate using ports 8001  and 8004 which probably require special permissions on your school network.  

That some PCs take the update and other do not using a simple procedure seems strange.  You might try right clicking on the instal exe file instead of a left click ...follow the instructions on the Windows popup and installing that way MIGHT get you a better result.  

Read a bit, talk to your IT administrator and let us know if anything here provides you with relief.

Regards,

Steve    

[John Swendsen]

I went back to the machines and logged in as .\administrator and was able to load the software without generating the error again, which seems odd as my own account actually has less restrictions on it than the local administrator account. If I had to guess what the issue was I would think it's the re-director we have to move the files from the C:\users\username\ folder to the network H:\ without leaving the files behind, I've seen other programs having problems installing that require access to the user folder. Not sure why some machine generated the error and others were fine, could be bad mapping of drives or a latency issue.

[SteveJG]

Do I understand correctly that you now have the emulator installed on all the computers.  ...and you accomplished this by installing a right - click?

Please let us know.  Thanks John.

-- Steve

[John Swendsen]

No, I didn't right click, instead of logging in with my Active Directory credentials, I logged in as local workstation administrator and loaded the software the normal way.

[SteveJG]

Thank you for the clarification John.     Others on some school networks should appreciate your solution for the strange behavior of different PCs. Glad that logging in as local workstation administrator worked.  I will make sure the MIT wizards are aware of your 'solution.' .. Perhaps one of them will have an explanation of why one process worked with most of the PCs and you had to use brute force on the others.

--Steve

[Jeff Goldstein]

I am having a strange problem as an Public School Teacher.

Our computer lab is networked, and so is my teacher's machine.

I cannot get the emulator to fully load on my teacher machine.  It goes through the 20 second cycle fine.  Then the 9 second cycle repeats again and again until the message comes up to Retry or Give up.

I am using the MIT AppInventor Tools 2.3.0. on a Windows 7 OS (Single User just for me).  I thought it would fix it if I Un-installed it, and re-installed it.  Sadly, it does the same thing.

I'm baffled.  I can use the emulator on another machine in the Math Office and it works fine.  It even asked me to update the emulator software, but my classroom computer never got that far.

Can you assist?