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[tim]

Wlll I'll tell you what i read most of the
messages here bfore getting X10 stuuf and I
STILL bought it. First AHP now pantiltpro.

Had a problem with getting the proper
software for AHP (THANK GOD there are users
helping each other -thanks agin Todd)

Now I download pantiltpro v1.0 and guess
what? - it downloads okay but boimbs when i
run it. I sent a report including all
applicable info and the reponse i get refers
to AHP and trouble downloading the software.

I made it clear the problem was NOT with AHP
but Pantiltpro and NOT a problem with
downloading but running. I also sent he
error reported (oh by the way pantilrtpro,
fircracker etc NONE of it worked). It was
obvious the responder to my report did not
read it - a one Mr. Aaron Filson. I
responded with a reference number etc and
apparently he was taken aback by my inquest.

The last e-mail i sent was on 3/16 and i
have not had a response sense.

Since i handle help calls and develop
programs for a living I am appalled by the
lack of response.

I will have to decide whether to return the
$500 buck worth of equipment and begin
patronizing "smarthome" or some other vendor
or keep the equipment and design my own
software.

I wonder if X10 is "outsourcing" their tech
support to India or Pakistan?

[WaltK]

There is a patch kit that fixed all
problems with PTP and Multiview.  You can
get it applied by installing PTP AND
MULTIVIEW first and THEN installing the
latest version of AHP.  AHP installation
will detect the install from the other
products and UPGRADE them with patches and
then will continue the install of AHP.
That procedure solved it all for me.  As an
aside, at least when I called X10Support
they offered to email a patch kit which
does the same thing without having to
UNINSTALL AHP first and THEN reinstall it
after the PTP and MV are on the machine.  I
can assure you that after this is done both
of those products work very well on the
same machine as AHP.  You may need another
transceiver (TM751 or other) depending upon
how your house codes are setup and what you
are doing in terms of motion sensors etc.
Hope this helps.

[WaltK]

i forgot to specifically mention the
obvious in my prior posting... you MUST be
connected to the internet through the whole
process of PTP-->MV-->AHPPatchin-->AHP
install.  Of course with the method of SW
delivery that is implied unless you have
made a kit yourself for restores...

[tim]

Thanks WaltK,

that worked. my concern (growing each
minute) is that this need to
perform "software acrobatics" in order to
get things properly installed. Version
control is a serious problem for X10. If I
sent out software like this I'd be fired.
hmmm what was smarthome's web address again?
oh yea thats a simply one.

thanks again!

[donald mcmow]

Tim: Things like this happen all the time -
not just with X10/AHP. I know of a number
of cases where certain packages have to be
installed before others or they won't work.
The same happens with un-installs. It
depends upon what the installer is looking
for in previously installed products. You
don't want to install an older driver
overtop of a newer version even if both
will work - most installation programs look
for certain versions before installation.
And not all people keep their software
current - even if the program prompts you
to update.

[tim]

Donald.
I respect your comments and agree to some of
what you say. There is a lot of software out
there that won't work when other stuff is
not up to date, drivers get wacked etc.
Saying it happens all the time does not
change the reason why it happens.

However this does not excuse X10. I am sorry
but software developers should provide
software that is properly developed. Those
that don';t will die. Software version
control is a very important aspect of
development. The install itself should
clearly identify problems it finds and
relate these to the user (or at least in
documentation) the problem and how to fix.
For instance, if netmeeting us required
there is a faily easy way to find out if it
exists on the system, if its not found a
simple message saying "please install
netmeeting. The same can be done with
drivers etc. Also if they are developing
software for windows there are standards
which they should follow. The example in
this case is that in development the proper
drivers were not "rolled up" into the
pantilt pro install and it wiped things out.
The user has to re-install the update to get
them back. This is bad software version
control. period.

again i respectfully disagree. to me its bad
software version control- nothing more
nothing less.
regards