Technical Note 25
When Updates fail to update
From time to time, we make maintenance updates of our programs and driver database available via our website. Unfortunately, we occasionally receive reports that these updates, while appearing to install properly, do not seem to work because the old program or driver database still appears afterward. How do you know if an update has been successfully installed?
How to know if an update has installed
Before assuming that an update has failed, it is best to test it. For programs, check the version number. For the driver database, check the number of drivers in it.
- To determine if a program update was successful, check the version number displayed on the title window when the program is first launched. You can also view the title window any time while a program is running by selecting “About BassBox Pro...” or “About X·over Pro...” from their respective Help menus. The version number is located in the upper left corner just above the picture. The version number should match the latest update that you installed.
- To determine if the driver database update was successful, first launch the program. Then launch the Driver Locator. If a design is not open, you can launch the driver locator from the Edit menu with Edit > Database > Edit Driver Data or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+W. If a design is open, you can open the Driver Properties windows and click on the “Load from Database” button at the left bottom corner of the window. Then hover the mouse pointer over the “Drivers Found” list and the total number of drivers should be displayed. Compare this number to the value listed on our website for the updated database. Important: The driver database update page on our website lists two different totals for the database. BassBox Pro can only “see” the open-back drivers in the database so its total will be only the open-back total. However, X·over Pro can “see” both the open-back and sealed-back drivers and it will display the entire total.
How to avoid common problems
The following suggestions should help you avoid most unnecessary problems:
- If it has been a while since you last restarted Windows, restart your computer so you are using a fresh instance of Windows.
- Use a Windows user account with administrator privileges. This should be the same user account that was used when the program was first installed. BassBox 6 Pro and X·over 3 Pro are not designed for a multi-user environment and switching user accounts to use the program or install an update can lead to various problems.
- Exit all unnecessary programs before installing an update. Ideally, the only program that is running when you start the updater is Windows, itself.
- Always exit the program to be updated. For example, if you plan to update BassBox Pro, close it before you run the updater. The updater cannot update the program if it is running. The same goes for X·over Pro and the driver database.
- If you found it necessary to temporarily disable the security software on your computer when you first installed the program, then you will probably need to temporarily disable it again each time that you install an update. This includes all antivirus, antispyware, antimalware and firewall software. Important: To keep your computer safe, always disconnect it from all networks including the internet while the security software is off.
- If you found it necessary to explicity give the installer (setup.exe) administrator privileges when you first intalled the program, then you will probably need to do the same thing to the updater each time you install an update.
Advanced troubleshooting
If you followed the above recommendations and the updater appeared to operate normally, but you’ve determined that the update was not successfully installed, then the update may have run afoul of the Windows virtual storage system. Beginning with Windows Vista and continuing through Windows 7, 8.x, 10 and 11, Microsoft has used a virtual storage system to deter malicious software from harming sensitive areas of your hard drive. This includes folders where the operating system, itself, is stored. And it includes application areas like the “Program Files” folder on 32-bit versions and the “Program Files (x86)” on 64-bit versions. Major components of BassBox 6 Pro and X·over 3 Pro are stored in the program file folders during installation.
To protect applications like BassBox Pro and X·over Pro from virus attack, Windows usually creates virtual copies of key components and directs programs without explicit administrator privileges to use them in place of the original components. The problem occurs when the updater fails to update the files in the correct location or fails to update the files in both locations (original and virtual).
Troubleshooting this problem is difficult for inexperienced Windows users because the virtual storage system and many of the sensitive areas of the hard drive have been hidden since Windows Vista. In order to locate and correct the problem, we need to make these hidden folders and files visible. Fortunately, it is easy to do. But a word of caution is in order: Making the hidden system folders and files visible can be disorienting to the novice and it exposes areas of your hard drive where you can damage your software—even Windows, itself. So the following steps are recommended only for experienced users with technical competence with Windows.
If the default settings were used during installation, the relevant BassBox 6 Pro and/or X·over 3 Pro files would have been originally installed here:
64-bit Windows
C:\Program Files (x86)\HT Audio\
32-bit Windows
C:\Program Files\HT Audio\
After the programs are launched and used, Windows will usually create copies in its virtual storage area here:
64-bit Windows
C:\Users\[Your Account Folder]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\HT Audio\
32-bit Windows
C:\Users\[Your Account Folder]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\HT Audio\
You must substitute the name of your account folder for [Your Account Folder] in each of the paths above. For example, if your name is “Alin” and you used your name for your Windows user account, then the virtual storage path on a 64-bit version of Windows would probably be:
C:\Users\Alin\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\HT Audio\
If you’re not sure what your user account folder is named, you will need to search for it in the C:\Users\ folder after you have made the hidden system folders and files visible.
The solution to the update problem is usually a simple matter of examining both the original and virtual locations with the Windows Explorer to locate where the updates were installed. The updated files will usually be the largest and have the most recent date. Whichever location has the newer or updated files should be used to replace the older ones in the second location. Here are the relevant files to examine:
BassBox 6 Pro program file: BassBox6.exe
X·over 3 Pro program file: Xover3.exe
Driver database: htaudio.mdb
The above files are the only ones updated by each of the respective updates. The rest of the files can usually be ignored.
How to make hidden system folders and files visible
Remember: This should only be done by users with technical competence with Windows. If you are a novice, we strongly advise you to obtain the help of a friend or professional with the experience to understand this Tech Note and the skill to use our suggestions safely. Note: The following steps are based on Windows 7 since it is still the most common version in use with Microsoft’s virtual storage system.
- Launch the Windows Control Panel (Start > Control Panel). The Windows Control Panel should open.
- Click on “Appearance and Personalization”.
- Click on “Show hidden files and folders”. The Folder Options dialog box should open and its “View” tab should be pre-selected.
- In the Files and Folder section, locate the “Hidden files and folders” options and select “Show hidden files, folders, and drives”.
- Uncheck (turn off) “Hide extensions for known file types”.
- Uncheck (turn off) “Hide protected operating system files”.
- Click on the “OK” button of the Folder Options dialog to accept the changes and close the dialog.
- Close the Windows Control Panel.
Use the Windows Explorer to navigate to the aforementioned original and virtual storage locations for BassBox 6 Pro and/or X·over 3 Pro, determine where the updated files were installed and copy them to whichever of the two locations where they were not updated. After you’ve finished and the updates are working, launch the Windows Control Panel again and restore your folder options back to their previous settings.
It is sometimes possible to overcome update problems by purchasing a replacement installation disc from Harris Tech. The replacement discs are made to work only with your original serial numbers and they always include the latest maintenance release of the program(s) and driver database. Therefore, no prior updates are required. You would uninstall the old program(s) and driver database using the standard Windows uninstaller via the Windows Control Panel and install the new copies from the replacement installation disc. However, this doesn’t always fix update problems because the Windows uninstaller will sometimes fail to remove all vestiges of a previous installation from the virtual storage area. It may be necessary to manually delete all old BassBox 6 Pro and/or X·over 3 Pro program and database files from the virtual storage area after the uninstaller has been run via the Control Panel.