FAQ - Run Time Errors
I changed the machine name on my computer that hosts SQL Server and Motive Power no longer works properly. What do I do to correct this problem?
You need to change the computer name back to what it was when you installed Motive Power. Microsoft SQL installs to a machine name and an instance. The machine name is picked up automatically by the SQL install program. We control the instance name; it is taken from our company initials.For Motive Power 3.5, the instance name is CAI3. For Motive Power 3.0, the instance name is CAI2. If you really need to have the machine name different do this:
- Change the machine name back.
- Make a short term backup.
- Make a long term backup with your choice of backup software and media.
- Un-install SQL Server and Motive Power.
- Change the machine name to the new name.
- Re-install Motive Power.
- Restore the long term backup with the correct backup software.
- Run the program group menu item to restore the short term backup.
You will have to follow this same procedure for any applications on your computer that use the Microsoft SQL Server data engine.
My workstations can see my server but they can't see the SQL engine running on the server. The session seems to freeze with no error messages. What should I do?
If you are running a third party firewall or other security product you may have to modify settings to allow port 1433 traffic for internal IP addresses and/or workgroups. If you are running Norton Firewall you have to disable some of the firewall capabilities on the server. You need to allow traffic for the local workgroup with IPs in the 192.168.x.x range. If you are not running a third party firewall, follow the Help system instructions under Preparing for Additional Computers.
I get the message "Active x component can't create object" or "Unable to attach the database, SQL Server not installed" from when Motive Power tries to start up. What is wrong?
If you are on the server, then Motive Power was not installed via the Server Only choice and so no SQL server exists. If you are not on the server, you chose the Workstation install in order to make use of an existing SQL server installation but you did not make the required SQL Server instance (named CAI3 for Motive Power 3.0, or CAI2 for Motive Power 3.0) before running the installation.
I get the message "RunTimeError dbnetlib connection open" or "SQL server does not exist" from my Motive Power startup. What is wrong?
The MPReports or MPReportsLearn login isn't letting me read my Motive Power tables from Word, Excel, or another program. What can I do?Either the Motive Power folder on the server was not shared or not shared with full permissions, or you chose the wrong place when asked to select the location of the data files and the SQL engine. The data files will be in the share that you created for the Motive Power folder. If you created the default share then it will show as machine\MotivePower3 where machine is the name of the machine where you installed Motive Power. The SQL server location will be that same machine.
Note: if you are running Motive Power 3.0, the share will probably show as machine\MotivePower2.
It seems that some of my stations fail randomly, especially the ones that don't get used as often. It looks like Motive Power is up and running but nothing happens. What should I do?Go into Motive Power, press the big Reports button, then press Custom. This should recreate those logins.
When I use the Save as HTML feature from the invoice preview screen the screen freezes sometimes. What should I do?Windows has a timeout setting. If a particular station does not access the server for a period longer than the timeout setting, that station gets disconnected from the server. The default setting is usually long enough that you will not have a problem. Installation of an Internet communications program like RAS or VPN can alter this setting. For example, if your new VPN installation has a disconnect time of 15 minutes, your stations will lose contact with the server any time they are not used for 15 minutes.
To increase the timeout to 99 minutes click on the Start button, then Run and enter:
net config server /autodisconnect:99To increase the timeout to 24 hours click on the Start button, then Run and enter:
net config server /autodisconnect:1440You can effectively disable the timeout function by entering:
net config server /autodisconnect:-1For more details go here.
Event viewer is showing a error code 1355 and an event id of 19011 when I start Motive Power. What should I do?If there are any graphic images on the invoice, the screen will freeze if you change the default shown to the right of Images directory/mask. Leave this setting alone. Any images will be stored in a folder called Images that will be created below the folder you chose on the initial Save As window.
Motive Power stopped working properly. Now I am getting this message: Automation error. The object invoked has disconnected from its clients. What should I do?That depends on your network connection. You may get this error whenever SQL Server is loaded. The most common reason to get this error message is that you have a network connection, usually via DSL, but you have no dedicated server in house. You do not have a problem. This is a known SQL Server 2000.
If you are using a Windows server and getting this message, your permissions or network settings are preventing SQL from registering itself in the Active Directory when you start it up.
For more details go here.
I'm getting an error when I try to connect to Motive Power as user MPReports using Word, Excel or other SQL capable tool. What should I do?First try powering down the computer and then powering up again. If the error recurs there should be more details after this message that may not show up until after you respond to this message. If a system has been running properly and then gets this kind of error there is usually some problem with the registry or disk drive. You should run a thorough scandisk.
In Windows XP/Vista/7 you do this by going to My Computer and right clicking the hard drive, usually C: and picking Properties. Next pick Tools and then Error Checking. Check both options to fix file system errors and bad disk sectors. When you okay it you will be asked if you want to run the scan on the next restart. Say yes, close all open applications and restart the computer.
I'm getting an error 76 when I try to go into Motive Power. The next time I try to get in, the program tells me that I am already logged in. I run Log Out All Users which works. What is wrong?If you are sure the user name is MPReports and the password is MotivePower!, run Motive Power. Go to the Reports button and then click the Custom button. This will re-establish the user and permissions that allow read-only access to Motive Power data. You can use this procedure with Motive Power Learn as well.
The folder name and/or location and/or sharing status of the folder has been changed. Your registry entries for Motive Power 3.5 no longer match the current name and location of these files. Go the Program Files \ MotivePower3 and run MPHelper3.exe and set the registry entries to match the current location and/or sharename.
There are two items to set the location of the Motive Power BackThisUp folder and the SQL Server.
The Motive Power BackThisUp entry should be C:\Program Files\MotivePower3 on a stand alone computer running Motive Power 3.5. If you have more than one station with Motive Power 3.5 the entry will show as the name of the computer where the files are stored followed by the sharename for those files. For example a default installation with a default sharename on a computer named SHOP will show \\SHOP\MotivePower3.
The SQLServer entry shows the location of the SQL data engine by machinename\instance. For Motive Power 3.5 the instance name always starts with CAI3, an abbreviation for Computer Assistance Inc.
Note: if you are running Motive Power 3.0, the Motive Power folder is C:\Program Files\MotivePower2 and the SQL Server instance name is CAI2.
I'm getting a run-time error 374 Failed to activate control VB.User.Control when I go to Settings. What is wrong?
The end of that error message says "Make sure you are using the version of the control that was provided with your application". At least one DLL or OCX file is no longer correct. You need to restore the version that shipped with Motive Power or a later version. Some process has installed a DLL or OCX that is too old to work right with Motive Power. Re-installing Motive Power will correct this problem.
If you have this problem from a workstation, a computer that DOES NOT host the SQL Server database, click the Help button in Motive Power, then Introduction, then Un-installing Motive Power. When that process is finished re-install Motive Power. Be sure to choose the Workstation option and not the Server option when re-installing a workstation.
If you have this problem on a server, start by making a short term backup and then a long term backup. Copy the BackThisUp folder to a new folder on this drive or to another drive, cd-rom or other safe media. Once that is done follow the same procedure as for the workstation. Remember that you have to set sharing and security on the re-installed MotivePower3 folder before other stations can connect to the server. Look in the Help system under Introduction - Installing Motive Power - Preparing for Additional Computers.Once the new installation is running replace the current MotivePower3/BackThisUp folder with the one you saved earlier and then pick Restore ShortTermBackup from the Motive Power Windows program group.
Note: for Motive Power 3.0, the folder is called MotivePower2.