Re: Mathcad Prime 3.1 Doesn't Start Up Anymore

ndziedzic · ‎Oct 09, 2015

Just yesterday, my Mathcad Prime 3.1 (free version) started acting up. When I double click the icon or run from the start menu (Windows 8.1 shell mode) I see the "splash" logo for Prime but then it disappears and a main window never shows up. Also, nothing shows up in the taskbar.

If I go to the Task Manager, I see the program, even multipe copies if I keep double clicking the icon but no window and no icon in the taskbar.

Has anyone seen this before?

VladimirN · ‎Oct 12, 2015

Hi Norman,

What about reinstalling the program?

ndziedzic · ‎Oct 12, 2015

I tried uninstalling both PTC Mathcad Prime and PTC Diagnostic Tools. Then I rebooted the machine. Then I re-downloaded, reinstalled, rebooted and still no joy

LucMeekes · ‎Oct 12, 2015

Did you get any .Net updates from MicroSoft in the mean time?

ndziedzic · ‎Oct 12, 2015

It looks like this update ran about the time my issue starter (I don't use Mathcad every day):

Update for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems (KB3035583)

From reading the notes on the update, it seems to do mostly with putting the Windows 10 upgrade path stuff on your computer.

Thanks,

Norm

LucMeekes · ‎Oct 12, 2015

So....what if you uninstall that update?

BTW. My Prime (3.1 express) still runs (on W7/64).

ndziedzic · ‎Oct 12, 2015

Did the uninstall, rebooted and still doesn't run. It's really strange also, I pinned the Mathcad icon to the taskbar and when I first start the program the icon highlights like any program that is open, then after a few seconds, the highlight faces away.

LucMeekes · ‎Oct 13, 2015

Sorry, I'm out of options other than completely re-install your PC...

Let's hope another collab has a bright(er) idea.

ndziedzic · ‎Oct 13, 2015

Thanks for the replies. I have one other thought that I can try later today. When I last used Prime successfully, I was connected to a second monitor. Although I have played with my computer settings and made sure it's set up for only one monitor, perhaps the software is confused. I'm going to set up to connect to the 2nd monitor again and see if the window for Mathcad Prime pops up there. I'll post back it this solves it.

VladimirN · ‎Oct 13, 2015

You can also contact with PTC's tech support by using "Mathcad Support Center":

http://www.ptc.com/support/mathcad_supportCenter.htm

http://blogs.ptc.com/2011/09/22/how-to-use-the-brand-new-online-mathcad-support-center/

afalzone · ‎Oct 13, 2015

I tried that, you get a guy from india that can't speak a lick of english. told me to have my IT department check my computer and contact him. even after i repeatedly told him there is no IT department, this is a home computer. so have fun with tech support. i also like how they try and pretend they are from the US by using a US caller id.

ndziedzic · ‎Oct 13, 2015

I tried my idea of connecting up to a 2nd monitor to no avail. I normally close the processes that start but I'll leave one running to see if the program ever actually starts.

This is frustrating but I guess it's free so I can't complain too much.

AlvaroDíaz · ‎Oct 13, 2015

For take back a program from a not existent 2nd monitor, I use the click in the left-up corner, which came from windows 1.0. Obviously, if you don't see the program window, can´t "click", but what you can is, with Alt+Space, when the program window is selected, to get the menu for restore the window. Then type "M" for Move, and next use the arrows keys to move the window to the correct monitor.

Regards.

afalzone · ‎Oct 13, 2015

I have the same problem on Win 7 x64. If I leave the program sit for 12 minutes it does eventually open and run. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling. I also tried uninstalling and reinstalling .net. No luck. Eventually just uninstalled Prime until a new version comes out. No idea why it no longer starts up properly. Tried to contact tech support and that was useless. You are the first person to post something about it. I had searched the internet for a fix but nothing showed up. So figured I would add my two cents.

rjørgensen · ‎Mar 28, 2016

I am having the exact same problem. Have any of you found a solution to this very unexpected problem?

afalzone · ‎Mar 28, 2016

Hi Rasmus,

I could never find a solution to this problem. The computer I was having this issue with finally died, due to old age. When I installed Mathcad on a replacement computer everything went fine. So I'm up and running again. My thought on the issue was that a software dependency must have been broken. However, I could never find what Mathcad was depending on to run. I think it would help if Mathcad offered a separate removal tool and that it checked and reported software dependencies during install. I recall I had turned off various Windows features that I didn't need. I thought perhaps Mathcad was relying upon something I turned off or removed in Windows.

rjørgensen · ‎Mar 29, 2016

Glad you moved on!

I've tried reinstalling mathcad without any luck at all. Even if I for some reason removed a program mathcad depended on, wouldn't it reinstall that depending program, or tell me it is not possible to reinstall mathcad, when I reinstalled it?

I agree with the tools, or at least a warning of sort.

It really suck, as i need Mathcad for educational purpose, so i am in a pickle.

afalzone · ‎Mar 29, 2016

Yes I agree completely. That is why this problem was so frustrating. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling a bunch of times. Eventually just had to give up and uninstall it. Originally it worked, then stopped working, and would never work right again regardless of how many times you tried to uninstall and reinstall. That is why I say they need a better check of the dependencies and tell you if something isn't right. Also they need an uninstall tool. Because just uninstalling and reinstalling wasn't working and like you said it should. For me the program would hang for like five minutes and then open. So unfortunately probably the only way for you to get it to work is to reinstall windows or use a different computer. Unless Mathcad finally does something about it.

bcamerer · ‎Jun 05, 2016

I know this was from a while ago.

But i just had a similar problem and following this removed it completely and reinstalled and worked for me.

How to Completely Uninstall / Remove a Software Program in Windows without using 3rd Party Software? - AskVG

hope it helps if anyone has a similar issue.

afalzone · ‎Jun 06, 2016

i'm glad that worked for you. i wish that would have been the case for me. i have a different computer now and when i installed mathcad it worked and i had no issues. not really sure what really caused the issue for me before.

rkaiser · ‎Nov 28, 2016

Hi Bart,

Thanks for your post. I had the same problem on a Win 7 64bit computer and the link how to "complet uninstall ..." helped me to solve the problem. In addition I also deleted the Mathcad Prime folders in the path "%UserProfile%\AppData\Local\PTC\...".

Maxo · ‎Nov 27, 2017

hey, I have the same problem... has anyone found a proper solution for the issue ?

-MFra- · ‎Nov 28, 2017

Hi,

I suppose you have installed one of those free antivirus found on line...

Unfortunately, I must say that without a good antivirus, you can not do anything .... aggression takes place slowly in time ... at the end, it makes you crazy.

If I remember well, in the past, when I was using one of the free antivirus downloaded from internet, I found myself in similar situations. It may be a symptom of a hard disk problem namely it is going to "die". As it happened to my HD. So I recommend you make a backup of all the work done and replace the hard drive with a new one.