How to use OptoControl and ioControl on a computer with Windows Vista or Windows 7

Applies To:

FactoryFloor Software - OptoControl
ioControl Basic
ioControl Professional

Versions Affected:

Problems affect: Any OptoControl version
Any ioControl version

Symptoms:

Opening an OptoControl or ioControl strategy in configurator mode on a computer running Windows Vista or Windows 7, returns an error message that reports the .inf file has an invalid path.

NOTE: ioControl and OptoControl are older, mature products and were released before Windows Vista or Windows 7 were available for personal computers. Consequently, ioControl and OptoControl were not designed for, and were never formally tested on Vista or Win 7.

Recommendations

Run ioControl and OptoControl strategies on computers with operating systems that support ioProject and FactoryFloor. Windows XP and Windows 2000 support the software suites.

If the control strategy needs to run on a computer with Windows Vista or Windows 7, consider migrating the system to the latest PAC Project software. PAC Project has been tested on the 32-bit version of the Windows Vista Business edition, and Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit).

However, there is a work around for ioControl and OptoControl strategies that need to run on computers with Windows Vista or Windows 7.

Workaround:

Caution: Since ioControl, OptoControl, and their associated software suites were not tested under Vista or Win 7, the results of this workaround may be unpredictable. Use at your own risk!

The error is caused because Vista and Win 7 uses a different version of a .dll named MFC42.dll. Search the C:\Windows\System32 folder on a Windows XP/2000 computer to find the MFC42.dll file. Copy and paste the file from that computer into the folder on the Vista or Win 7 computer that contains the software application executables. Typically, the path the file goes into is:

For ioControl:

C:\Program Files\Opto22\ioProject Software 7.1

or for OptoControl:

C:\Program Files\Opto22\FactoryFloorR4.1a

Procedure

Close the OptoControl or ioControl application if it is running.
Copy the .dll to the appropriate folder as described above.
Restart the application. The strategy should now open properly.

Questions?

Contact: Opto 22 Product Support.
Phone: 800-835-6786 or 951-695-3080
Email: support@opto22.com

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