Hullform 9P fresh download won't run properly ?

[langdon2]

Hi - a plea for help - Hullform 9P, the latest and last full professional version of the program is now free for download from the Hullform website and probably has been for awhile though I've only just found that out.

I've been using the 9S student version for quite awhile and like it, so downloaded the 9P version. On first run of the program after installation it opened with the error message:

Can not read configuration file. Failure at ITSF []

and does this everytime I run it.

The program doesn't run correctly and crashes everytime I try some of the evaluate statics commands, for instance. I've tried downloading and installing on another computer with exactly the same failure. I'm running Windows XP, by the way. The site makes clear that no support is available as the program is now free, so I'm not surprised I've had no answer to email.

The developer has also made the source code available, sadly I know next to nothing about programming so don't know how to get the source code to form a program that will run. I've tried to get to grips with 'make' and 'makefile' without success. I did try swapping the config file from the source code package into the full program but that didn't work either.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get 9P up and running, as it has quite a few extra features compared to the student version.

Thanks for any assistance (and for reading all of this! A bit lengthy, I know)

[quequen]

Attached my own copy. It's running without errors.
It's installed on C: drive (c:\program files\hullform 9p)
Help command don't find "hullform.chm" help file, so you must to pick it up manually.
I don't use hullform regularly so can't tell you wether it's running without bugs, but don't show any Error message.

[langdon2]

Hi, quequen. Thank you very much for putting up the program, much appreciated. I've downloaded, installed carefully - but I'm getting the same failure and error message. It does suggest there's something odd going on possibly between the program and XP. I don't know and don't know what 'ITSF []' means. Yet.

[langdon2]

Okay, now I know what ITSF means - Info Tech Storage Format. It appears somewhere along the line Microsoft decided .chm files could be some kind of security weakness and have done something to stop windows using/ reading them. If Hullform is storing its configuration file as a .chm, then that might explain why it can't set itself up properly. So far, don't have a work-around for this.

[Olav]

Originally Posted by langdon2

It appears somewhere along the line Microsoft decided .chm files could be some kind of security weakness and have done something to stop windows using/ reading them.

Admittedly I have no idea about *.chm files and their potential security risk, but I tried Hullform 9P on my computer and it runs flawlessly even on Windows 7 (despite its age).

[quequen]

Then it's a local problem. I'm using XP also. Perhaps your antivirus and/or Firewall?... Frozen hard disk?...

[langdon2]

Thanks Olav, thanks quequen. Yes, if you're running XP then it does look as if it's a local problem. Though two totally separate machines in my home are showing the same problem. I'll look at firewalls and anti-virus.

[Olav]

OK, I just tried it on my other system that runs with Windows XP as langdon2's and got the same error message.

So I guess after all it has something to to with XP and not just a local problem with anti-virus software or firewall settings.

Very strange, as I never had problems with Hullform's student and demo versions on XP...

Edit: Now it's getting really weird: I was able to remove the error message window by clicking "OK" and immediately Hullform started with no further trouble. I closed the program and tried it again and it now starts even without any error message...

[langdon2]

Hi, Olav. Does it really run properly? Try opening an example hull from the hulldata file, then go to 'statics' - settings, give it some figure for sinkage ( a good guess will do). Then go to evaluate statics. My program crashes when I click on the 'centres' button on the statics results page. Also gives a zero for the co-efficients and sometimes zero for the linear and area results.

[Olav]

langdon2, you're right, when I do as you write, it will crash.

From your first post I understood it didn't run at all on your system and so I didn't investigate if all the program features would work.

With Windows 7 there's no problem, though...

[quequen]

I'm performing statics without problem using the example files. Coefs. and Centers look OK. (but shure it will not last !).
If you fix the problem please let me know, using hullform is not as easy as Delftship free, but gives you much more hidrostatic posibilities.

By the way, why must you enter Sinkage when you allready have water density, displacement, heel and trim?. Shouldn't hullform calculate it for you?
Thanks

[Olav]

Originally Posted by quequen

By the way, why must you enter Sinkage when you allready have water density, displacement, heel and trim?

You don't have to.

You either enter sinkage, heel and trim and let Hullform calculate displacement and centre of gravity/centre of bouyancy ("Evaluate Statics")

OR

input displacement and CG and have Hullform evaluate how the vessel will float, i.e. draught, trim, and heel ("Balance Hull").

Values that are not required for the respective calculation will be ignored accordingly.

[quequen]

Thanks Olav! Hullform has a lot of capabilities I didn't know, it diserves more attention as a well done hydrostatics analyzer, I thought...

[quequen]

langdon2, I readed a little on the web. As you sayd, .chm files can carry viruses, just as .exe files. Seems like Windows fixed the problem on XP service pack 3. I'm using Servicepack 2 and hullform runs properly because of that, but my system is exposed. I must to update to SP 3 and say goodbye to hullform9... (and welcome to Maxsurf, whom don't work under SP 2 and needs at least SP3)

[quequen]

Just to say that I installed Hullform 9p on a Windows 7 PC and it works really nice...