Installation problems?

Having problems trying to install PsiWin 2.x? Be reassured that you're not alone.

The problem

This is one of the most common problems that I get asked about when people are trying to install PsiWin 2.3.3:

Q. When I try to install PsiWin 2.3.3 the installer from another program runs and not PsiWin -- or nothing runs at all. What is going on?!

The problem is mostly likely that you need to clear out your Windows Temp folders. For some reason, when trying to install PsiWin Windows gets confused easily if your Temp folders are not cleared out.

What are Temp folders?

Your Temporary (Temp) folders are locations where Windows keeps certain files and fragments of data that you are currently working on. Sometimes programs don't properly clear up after themselves, and they can leave fragments of your files in this folder.

Please note that these are not your actual files, these are copies of files or simply fragments of files that Windows has been using.

Installation applications frequently leave temp file debris in your temporary folders.

Windows XP / 2000

In Windows XP and 2000 there are two locations for temporary files:

• C:\Windows\Temp
  
  
• C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp
  The quickest way to navigate to this location is to open My Computer and in the address bar type: %temp% and then press Enter/Return.

Open each folder in turn in My Computer / Windows Explorer. Select all the files and folders (Ctrl+A) and delete them all. Then empty your Recycle Bin and reboot.

Note that in some cases you won't be able to delete all the files as some may still be in use by Windows. That's ok, just delete as many as you can.

Windows 95 / 98 / Me

In older version of Windows there is usually only one location for temporary files.

• C:\Windows\Temp

Open this folder in My Computer or Windows Explorer, select all the files and folders (Ctrl+A) and delete them all. Then empty your Recycle Bin and reboot.

Note that in some cases you won't be able to delete all the files as some may still be in use by Windows. That's ok, just delete as many as you can.

Still having bother? Use WinZip

If you are still having trouble then it might help you to know that the PsiWin installation file ('psiwin233_english.exe', for example) is simply a self-extracting file that will open in WinZip (other archiving applications are also available).

Either

1. Start WinZip
2. File > Open and locate your PsiWin installation file.
3. Extract the contents to a folder of your choice, e.g. My Documents\PsiWin
4. Close WinZip (or other archiving application)
5. Double-click the 'setup.exe ' file to start the installation

or

1. Rename your PsiWin installation file giving it a .zip extension. For example, change 'psiwin233_english.exe' to 'psiwin233_english.zip'.
2. Now double-click the new Zip file to open in WinZip (or your default archiving application)
3. Extract the contents to a folder of your choice, e.g. My Documents\PsiWin
4. Close WinZip (or your archiving application)
5. Double-click the 'setup.exe' file to start the installation

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Uninstall problems?

One error message that some users have reported is that when they try to uninstall PsiWin via the Add/Remove Programs window in Control Panel they get the following window:

This is indicating that the Psion connection program is still running.

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Clean the Registry

Some people have experienced problems installing or uninstalling PsiWin, including removing the My Psion icon from the Desktop.

There is a special Registry Cleaner that removes only the Registry entries that PsiWin makes. I discovered it from Mike McConnell's excellent website.

If you are experiencing problems upgrading from an older version of PsiWin to a newer version, or just general uninstallation problems I recommend that you run this file.

Download

PsiWin Registry Cleaner (Zip, 6 KB)

How to use the Registry Cleaner

The Registry Cleaner file is a Windows Information (.inf) file.

Contents

You may be a little hesitant about unleashing the contents of an .inf file on your precious Windows Registry; this is understandable. You can view the contents of the .inf file by opening it in a text editor, such as Notepad, before running it.

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MS Outlook plug-in

When you install Psion's PsiWin 2.x and you have
Microsoft Outlook (not Outlook Express) installed
you will see a new button added to the tool-bar.

This button gives you a one-click option to sync your EPOC Agenda with Outlook.

How to remove this button

If you would like to remove this button from MS Outlook follow these simple instructions.

Outlook 2000, 2002 and 2003

Outlook 2007

I'm informed that you should look for the option to deselect under:

1. In Outlook click Tools
2. Click the Trust Center option
3. Click on Add-ins
4. Locate Com Add-in

Registry

If you would prefer to remove this button manually by foolishly tampering with the Windows Registry then you can find it located at

You are looking for a String Value with the following data:

Value Name : Psion Sync Plugin

Value data: 4.0;C:\Program Files\Psion\PsiWin\
pwolplug.dll;1;01010000000000

(Where "C:\Program Files\Psion\PsiWin" is where PsiWin is installed to.)