I'm using SignLab 5 on Windows XP. When I try to open a job it says corrupt file! I can see it in the preview window. I can import it most of the time, but it's starting to not even import! What do I do?
Posted by Mark Tucker (Member # 6461) on :
John, I'm no guru, but you may try uninstalling SignLab and then reinstalling it.
Also, if someone sends you a .ai file, have them save it as an older version, 5 or older before they send it.
Posted by Graham Parsons (Member # 1129) on :
John,
Unfortunately the preview is just a separate bitmap stored within the file - not the actual job itself. Do you have the auto backup turned on - if so, can you open the BAK file instead? (You have to rename the file and change the extension from .BAK to .CDL)
Posted by Dan Vanderknaap (Member # 85) on :
John, Xp has something called Program Compatibility Wizard that let's old software think it's running on win 95 or 98. It worked on an old program I had. Might be worth a try.
Posted by Ricky Jackson (Member # 5082) on :
John I'm running SL5 on XP also with no problems. I bought the "upgrade" to e6 but hated it the minute I found out they had changed the hotkeys. There is no possible way I am going to re-learn all those hot keys and I sure as heck ain't gonna do the drop-down menu thingy. I would start by reloading the software. Actually, I think I'd start by calling Cadlink.
Posted by Bill Preston (Member # 1314) on :
John, have you added RAM lately? I did once upon a once, and it screwed up the "undo" function. It may be such a thing that added RAM did the same for "corrupting" files. Some versions of SL5 don't like RAM over 512.
edited to add----also, try "open" file rather than "import."
bill preston
[ May 10, 2007, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: Bill Preston ]
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
Wow Dan! That was the ticket! That Program Compatibility Wizard did the trick. Now I don't have tro buy the upgrade from SignLab. Thanks Dan. . . . .I love this place!
Posted by Rod Young (Member # 6707) on :
quote:John Arnott I'm using SignLab 5 on Windows XP. When I try to open a job it says corrupt file! I can see it in the preview window. I can import it most of the time, but it's starting to not even import!
Good advice about using WinXP compatibility mode for older versions of Windows software. John, I'm somewhat curious as to what type of files you're trying to import. I presume they're customer-supplied artwork?
A little tidbit about AI files. After Illustrator 8, the AI format is essentially the same as a PDF file. This is where one can encounter trouble with file versions of files, and get joy from asking customer to save a version 8 AI file. The situation is similar with EPS files as well, so newer SignLab versions provide a choice between using either the classic EPS import filter, or the newer PDF import filter. The latest SignLab has a much expanded range of import functionality, including PSD files and PDF support for those various low-end PDF generators.
quote:Ricky Jackson John I'm running SL5 on XP also with no problems. I bought the "upgrade" to e6 but hated it the minute I found out they had changed the hotkeys. There is no possible way I am going to re-learn all those hot keys
I'm not certain what difficulty with hot keys there would be. Perhaps a misunderstanding. One of the primary considerations when upgrading SignLab is that one need not relearn the software between versions. At the same time, the workflows are supposed to be customizable, such as going Options menu >> Customize Shortcuts to set up one's favorite hot keys. For example, when I enable Multiple Instance to have several SignLab windows open simultaneously, I like having [Ctrl + w] bound to the File menu >> Close Window command, so as to be consistent with common Windows behavior.
quote:Bill Preston John, have you added RAM lately? I did once upon a once, and it screwed up the "undo" function. It may be such a thing that added RAM did the same for "corrupting" files. Some versions of SL5 don't like RAM over 512.
Something to keep in mind about Windows programming (and operating systems in general) is that as an operating system is upgraded (i.e., Win95 >> Win98 >> Win2000 >> WinXP), the function calls into that operating system get outmoded. For example, a Win95 function call to query the amount of hard drive space might have been originally designed with an expectation that 2GB was an extraordinarily large amount of hard drive space. This would be something set by Microsoft engineers. Of course, the years go by and hard drive space gets bigger, and those old function calls produce unexpected behavior. For this reason, you want to make certain your software is patched to the latest version available, and you are advised to upgrade your software in step with the operating system.
Cheers,
Rod at CADlink
Posted by Bill Preston (Member # 1314) on :
Rod, with all due respect, my SL5 was on an XP system with a gigabyte of RAM, and worked just fine for quite a spell. It was SL5, version 6.2
Later on for no good reason I visited Cadlink's site and downloaded revision something or other--a higher number whatever. Bye-bye "undo." I won't go into the gory details, but eventually I reloaded rev. 6.2 on an ancient Win 98 computer with 384 of RAM, and no problems since. Like Ricky, I did spring for SLe6 in an effort to get back up and running, and disliked it from the get-go.
bill preston
Posted by Rod Young (Member # 6707) on :
Hi Bill,
Thanks for taking the time to elaborate on the issue. I appreciate that.
Something to keep in mind about Undo functionality is that it relies on a thing called "swap memory" to store the various image data and operations in the undo steps. Now, swap memory is an operating system concept that operates behind the scenes. If the available RAM is exceeded for the assorted applications, then the operating system (e.g., Windows) will literally swap RAM data out onto the hard drive, and vice-versa when that data is needed again. So the term "swap memory" is equivalent to "hard drive space that is reserved for swapping data between memory and the hard drive." Under Windows, swap memory to referred to as Virtual Memory, and it is accessed under the Control Panel >> System >> Advanced settings. You don't need to touch this. I'm just stating this, FYI.
An interesting tidbit is that if you've filled the hard drive to capacity, such that there is merely a fraction of the allocated Virtual Memory, then this can create a racing condtion in which the operating system slows to a crawl because there isn't enough drive space for efficient memory swapping.
Now, as previously mentioned, Undo functionality relies on "swap memory," and SignLab actually provides you with the ability to tweak the amount of swap memory that is available for the Undo function. This is done via Options menu >> SignLab Setup >> Undo Setup. In the newer versions of SignLab, the amounts are listed in MB (megabytes), as opposed to kB (kilobytes) under SignLab 5 (and perhaps e6, I think). Regardless, notice that the available memory far exceeds the RAM (in your computer) because swap memory is part of the available memory calculation.
Long story short, if you're working with images and finding that you don't have enough Undo steps, then you need to go into the Undo Setup and increase the amount of memory that the Undo command has to work with. For the other details that I've touched on here, I am going to suggest that there was a MISMATCH between the Windows application (in this case an older version of SignLab) and the Windows operating system (XP).
As it turns out, there is a Knowledge Base article about this on the CADlink site. Here is the link:
![[I Don t Know]](graemlins/dunno.gif)