MathCAD - not a valid XML worksheet error

[BentPilot]

I have been using MathCAD 14 for several years and it does an excellant job for me. I don't make any complex calculations, just simple algebra. I just got a new computer and I installed my MathCAD14 license on it and it works fine. That was much easier than the previous times I had to do that.

Now I have a problem with some of my existing files. I get this error message.

I still have the old computer with MathCAD and I can open these files fine with the old (but same version) of MathCAD 14. I have tried opening them againg and resaving them, moving them from the network to my local computer and also saving them in older MathCAD version i.e 13 12 and 11. Nothing works.

Is there a way around this?

Eldon

[BentPilot]

I see my snip does not show in the previous post. The error is "The requested file is not a valid Mathcad XML worksheet."

[Werner_E]

Yes, you can't simply copy and paste pictures in your post - you are supposed to use the appropriate icon to insert a picture.

Can you provide one of those worksheets? If you click on "Use advanced editor" at the upper right you get the option to attach files at the bottom of your post.

[VladimirN]

Can you attach this worksheet to the message?

[BentPilot]

The attached file opens fine using Mathcad on my old computer but refuses on my new computer.

I did find a work around. I open a new worksheet on my new computer and save it as a empty worksheet. I then open that file on my old computer and copy and paste the contents of the bad file into the blank worksheet. I can then open that worksheet on my new computer. I have only tried it on one file so it may not work on all of them.

[RichardJ]

This opens fine for me, so it's your new installation of Mathcad that's the problem, not the file.

If you go to "help", "about" in Mathcad, do you see the exact same version numbers on both PC's?

What's the OS on the new and old PC?

[BentPilot]

Both versions of Mathcad are identical 14.0.0.163 and both computers run Windows 7 Enterprise SP 1

[Werner_E]

I guess you should update to MC14 M020 - this maintanance release used to be free for all, no matter if under paid maintanance or not. Not that I would think that this would cure your problem but the versions before M020 had some really serious bugs and as far as i remember 14.0.0.163 was the first release of MC14 (F000).

Just to be on the safe side: The files are really identical on both machines - no chance of a file damage on the way from one machine to the other - file size is exactly the same when checked on both machines?

[BentPilot]

I will look for the updated version of Mathcad 14. I have been using this for ?? years and it does what I need. I only use it occasionally so it sits for long periods. What kind of bugs does it have? Could it give incorrect answers in basic calculaitons?

These files are actually on our network so I am accessing the same file.

[RichardJ]

Try moving the file to the local machine and then opening it.

No, I forget exacty what bugs were fixed, they won't give wrong answers in basic calculations.

[BentPilot]

Thanks but I also have files on my local machine that will not open.

I found M020 download and they list a print preview crash bug that I knew about and another print bug that I may have seen. Nothing else.

They also require an account with numbers for sales order etc that I will have to try to dig out. I have changed computers several times and it was a download when we bought it. I am not sure I have all of the required documentation.

[RichardJ]

One other thing that may make a difference is to right click on the installer, and select "run as administrator".

[Werner_E]

Thats really a strange effect you are encountering. I guess you already tried to de- and reinstall Mathcad. I can't see where this behaviour could stem from as software and OS version are the same on both of your machines. So I still find it hard to believe that both Mathcad's are presented the same file. What if you don't load the file directly from a network drive but first copy it to a local drive, inspect it for consistency (filesize, etc.) and then load from there? Just having in the back of my head the idea that a nasty filter in your new machine could prevent the transfer of some files and so Mathcad is possibly presented with a zero byte file without you knowing it.

As of the bug fixes in MC14 M020: I am not sure about incorrect answers in basic calculations but there were definitely wrong results for some integrals and inverse laplace. Some of them were not fixed until Mathcad 15.

But there sure was a reason why PTC had decided to make MC14 M020 available also to users not being under maintanance.

I attach the release notes for Mathcad 14 M035 so you can look up the bugs fixed yourself. But it is recommended to upgrade to M020 (better of course to M030 if possible, but keep away from M035).

[Werner_E]

Yet another idea: There are some prerequisites for MC14 which have to be installed before program installation.

Amongst them is

MSXML 4.0 SP2 Parser and SDK (this exact version of MSXML is required )

the others are

Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8 or later

Microsoft .NET Framework® 3.5 or later

Did you install those on the new machine?

Ad bug fixes: The two fixes you mentioned above describe the change from M011 to M020. You also have to look at the changes and bug fixes made in M010 - this list is quite longer. But as already written I don't expect your problem being cured by upgrading and none of the bug fixes mentions XML.

MC14 M020 used to be downloadable from here http://download.ptc.com/download3/products/MCD/Mathcad_14.0_M020/CD_English.exe

[Werner_E]

Hmm, thats strange. I only can confirm that I can open your sheet without any problems with my Mathcad 15 M030.

We had the problem with the invalid XML a couple of times here. But the cause was everytime a corrupt Mathcad file - very often a file with zero length.

[VladimirN]

Werner Exinger wrote:

Hmm, thats strange. I only can confirm that I can open your sheet without any problems with my Mathcad 15 M030...

The same for me.

[BentPilot]

Latest update:

Thanks for the help but some of those things are beyond me.

Yesterday I had Mathcad crash when I tried to change the units on an existing worksheet. I got an error that it could not find a file. The path given went to the old computer (I shared most of the files across both computers) and then back to the new one. Strange! I don't remember exactly how I installed Mathcad but I wonder if I accidentally used the install file on the old computer?

I decided to reinstall Mathcad. The uninstall process has hung. See the attached snip. Does anyone have a suggestion how to proceed from here?

Computers are great when they work but when things go wrong it gets complicated. Sometimes I wish for DOS days when I would simply erase the file and copy it over. I guess I could go into the registry and try to erase all traces of Mathcad but that seems pretty dangerous. I know just enough to get myself in real trouble! 🙂

[BentPilot]

Update again. It works.

I had the uninstaller hang, the installer hang, unauthorized user from PTC license site but eventually I got it to work and it opens all the files that I tried so far.

Thanks for all your help.