HOBOware Pro 2.3.0 (and 2.3.1) fail to launch on Vista

The basic scenario is that the user installs HOBOware 2.3.0 and does not currently have Java installed. The HOBOware installer detects this, and prompts the user. The user elects to install the Java runtime environment (JRE), and the installer proceeds to download the JRE from the Sun website and install it. The installation then proceeds to completion. On Vista the user then installs the 2.3.1 update, and encounters the failure-to-start problem in HOBOware. The problem may be exacerbated if there are no physical COM ports on the Windows machine.

The root cause is an old version of the JRE. While there is a copy of Java 5 on the CD, this is included only for the case where a user has no Internet connection and requires the JRE. In the normal case the JRE can be downloaded directly from the Sun web site. At the time of the 2.3.0 release Java 1.5 update 10 was current, and that is the version included on the CD. However, the Java installer stub embedded in the HOBOware installer references JRE 1.5 Update 4. HOBOware, on Vista, with no COM ports, and Java 1.5 update 4, experiences the problem reported. If the JRE is updated to the current version the problem is resolved. The final version of Java .15 (aka Java 5) is update 11.

To correct this problem the user should install JRE 1.5 update 11. The URL to access this is:

http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index_jdk5.jsp

Scroll down the page to the entry entitled "Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 5.0 Update 11" and click the download button to the right of that entry. On the next page that is displayed accept the license agreement by clicking on the radio button near the top of the page, then scroll down to choose either the "Windows Offline Installation, Multi-language" or the "Windows Online Installation..." - click the checkbox. Then scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Download selected with Sun Download Manager" button, and follow the instructions from there. The process involves first installing the Sun Download Manager, then running the manager to download the JRE.

For additional help and guidance please contact Onset Technical Support by telephone at 1-800-LOGGERS or via the web at /technical_support_form