Matchcad 30 day trial / Express does no install

[GW_10327498]

I have downloaded the 30 day trial / Express installation program, from the link PTC sent.
I am trying to install on:
Dell Inspiron laptop with i7 processor, 64 bit, running Windows 11 64 bit. Hard drive is encrypted with Bitlocker. Usually runs Norton. There is > 10 GB free disk space. Windows Defender is not set to block any software. NET. Framework 4.8 or higher is already installed.
There have been no previous versions of Mathcad / Prime on the laptop.
A straightforward attempt at installation failed. No other software has every failed to install from my standard setup, including with Norton, Defender and Bitlocker running.

Since then I have tried:
1. Switching off Norton.
2. Suspending Bitlocker.
3. Testing with the Windows compatibility tester - it recommends changing setting to Windows 8, but it makes no difference if I do not change the compatibility settings, change to Windows 8, or go all the way back to Windows 7.
4. Unpacking the installation files to an unencrypted USB drive (D:\Prime).
5. Freeing up more disk space.
6. Downloading a new version of the installation file.
7. Downloading an installation file from a different site.
8. Cleaning the registry and deleting all temporary files in case an initial installation attempt has created an entry / file that is blocking later attempts.
9. Combinations of any or all of the above.
(10. Checking Community links to installation problems with Prime 8.)

In all cases the results are the same - the program starts, asks for administrator privileges, an in progress circles spins for a few seconds (no messages / windows appear), and then it disappears. There is no sign of the program in Task Manager.

I have examined the Windows log files, and the error is the same every time, the only thing that changes is the path to the installation folder depending on whether I am running from the hard drive or USN drive. I have appended a log below (computer name redacted).

Log Name: Application
Source: Application Error
Date: 30/08/2022 14:39:14
Event ID: 1000
Task Category: (100)
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: #######
Description:
Faulting application name: setup.exe_Creo, version: 36.0.2022.13, time stamp: 0x62011a99
Faulting module name: baselibmt.dll, version: 36.0.2022.13, time stamp: 0x6200de01
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x00000000000183da
Faulting process ID: 0x4398
Faulting application start time: 0x01d8bc75de3deda4
Faulting application path: D:\Prime\setup.exe
Faulting module path: D:\Prime\pim\x86e_win64\baselibmt.dll
Report ID: 8119992e-7308-4c24-8bb8-863c3a562c99
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:
Event Xml:

[LucMeekes]

Have you checked here:

https://community.ptc.com/t5/Mathcad-Installation/All-About-Mathcad-Software-Installation/m-p/706433#M26

?

Success!
Luc

[GW_10327498]

Yes. I note that in the installation files I have downloaded there is a setup.exe not pim_installmgr_mathcad.exe. 

Graham Woodman

[VladimirN]

1. Try running the installer from a standard hard drive - "C".

2. Use another installer: https://free-dl.ptc.com/install/pim_installmgr_mathcad.exe

[GW_10327498]

Thanks for the ideas. I had been testing on the standard hard drive, but I tried moving the installation files to C:\ - with the same results. I also downloaded and tried the alternative source - exactly the same results. The error messages in the Windows log file are the same. Looking at the contents of the alternative download they are the same as the file that PTC sent me a link for.

[VladimirN]

Can you show a screenshot of the most recent installer window?

[GW_10327498]

There is no installer window. The program crashes before any window displays.

For some additional information:

1. The file "C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Roaming\pim\sessioninfo.xml" is created when the program runs, before it crashes; but I cannot see much of use in the file. The version is given as PIMSETUP datecode="2022014" version="8.0.4.0; which matches the file properties for setup.exe.

2. I tried running the installation program Sandboxed, but the result was exactly the same.

[GW_10327498 · Accepted solution]

A lot more searching came up with a solution (https://community.ptc.com/t5/Mathcad-Installation/Error-during-Installation-Error-at-1/m-p/721256#M409 ), although it needs a bit more work since in my case the file "pim_installmgr_mathcad.exe" provided by PTC left no extracted files when it ran.

The complete solution is:

1. Open "pim_installmgr_mathcad.exe" in a zip manager (e.g. WinZip or 7-zip) and extract the contents to a suitable location (e.g. c:\prime).

2. Do not run the obvious "setup.exe", which causes the problem.

3. Go to the folder ...\ptcsh0 (e.g. c:\prime\ptcsh0)

4. Run "PrimeWixInstaller_64bit.msi" - which should install Prime.

[VladimirN]

Glad you solved this problem!