hhguide_en.pdf keeps wanting to be updated?

[gilbo2]

For some reason today everytime I start Railmaster it keeps downloading and "updating" the hhguide_en.pdf

I seem to remember something similar in the past but unable to find the post.

Any ideas why its started doing this?

[Fishmanoz]

I've only turned it on once and it downloadd the new HH guide dated today. It's clearly done it because they have produced a new guide for this, probably as part of the preparations for v1.56. 

Don't know why it's failed to recognise it's done it though. Until it does, it will keep downloading what it thinks is a later version. You might find it is fixed tomorrow. 

[Augustus Caesar]

Sometimes a small corruption in either the download or the installation prevents completion of the update and thus you get a circle that never ends. Copy that file in your original setup to another area of your drive...

Then delete that original and turn on RM in the hope that it installs the fresh copy. If not you can always copy back the saved original. As Fishy says waiting for a fix may be worthwhile if indeed the file is corrupt. However, it worked on his setup so it shouldn't be.

One thing I check is making sure that file is not read only... stranger things have happened... let us know how you get on.

[gilbo2]

Thanks AC, had actually tried deleting hhguide earlier but made no difference, it still keeps updating on every switch on today. No evidence of any corruption.

[gilbo2]

Thanks Fishy, the actual guide that is downloaded though is still the version from February 2013, no evidence of an update to the document itself. Very Strange.

[gilbo2]

This is what the log is reporting;

25/08/14 19:13:27 Checking need for: HHGUIDE_EN.PDF (Size=3437193 Date=08/08/2014)
25/08/14 19:13:27   Installed size=5385812 installed date=25/08/2014
25/08/14 19:13:27   Downloading: HHGUIDE_EN.PDF (Size=3437193)
25/08/14 19:13:31   Downloaded successfully
25/08/14 19:13:31   Successfully deleted prior to updating: C:Program Files (x86)RailMasterHhguide_en.pdf
25/08/14 19:13:31   Successfully decompressed to C:Program Files (x86)RailMasterHhguide_en.pdf
25/08/14 19:13:31   Set the file date to 25/08/2014 19:13:31
25/08/14 19:13:31   Confirmed file date as: Hhguide_en.pdf

[Augustus Caesar]

Hi dg... I have downloaded the update and it worked fine. Now we know two updates have installed properly it seems there is an issue at your end somewhere. It won't be anything untoward but just something simple.

From the log file you can tell straight away the file has also updated on your system as the old file is deleted first... standard process... then the new version is decompressed to its location along the shown directory path. This means the file is placed immediately the decompression is done. Then the file is date stamped... this is how the update process spots out of date files etc. So it seems there is a glitch in recognition of the datestamp on the new file. I have checked mine just now and it is, as you say, the February revision. From that you will be happy you are not missing anything just yet... :-)

Quite why the software is always writing the same file every time and not recognising that datestamp is what we need to find out. It IS actually updating the file correctly but for some odd reason isn't noting that datestamp.

Have you tried restarting the PC/laptop? This is a longshot and not likely to work but sillier things have happened. Of course, with this update, there is no mandatory restart required. However, it may just settle something down in the system...

[gilbo2]

AC, have restarted the computer but it still wants to keep updating hhguide. I have an old XP machine which has an unregistered version of RM and thats doing the same thing, updates the file at every RM startup.

Has yours only updated the once?

[HFM]

Mine been trying to update file for the past 2 days 

[Augustus Caesar]

OK... since that last post of mine I now see where this is occurring within RM. Every time RM is restarted it says within its own window, just below the main icon set, that the guide is being downloaded... however, when thinking about this, it may be that RM is actually downloading the file but carrying out checks against itself to see if updates are available or some other reason. It may not be reading the datestamp after all but may be self checking and this can be for many reasons.

I've seen this before but it is rare and I wouldn't normally have associated this kind of thing with RM for example...

If it is not self checking then a glitch will appear to be running on all RM copies around the globe and it may just be that this is deliberate or at worst a simple bug. As it is not affecting anything I won't worry about it. I must say I have not noticed this before but if anyone can check this on their RM copy and confirm they too are getting the constant download then maybe the guys who need to know could be informed?

So, dg, it is not an issue with your machine after all. Maybe I was a detective in a former life.... I wonder if I was any good? :-)

[Augustus Caesar]

It could be a test for Hornby in preperation for the upcoming 1.56 release where each current download of this file is showing as successful. Fishy has already mentioned this of course so it could be possible that they are carrying out tests in readiness for our super new version of RM in all its glory.

Once that download is complete and RM is upgraded to v1.56 just have another check and see if this situation continues... if it does then something may not be quite right from their end. If it stops after the upgrade then fine... we know it's been deliberate.

[gilbo2]

As for 1.56 testing we'll have to wait and see :-)

In terms of this issue, its only really if you have a slow broadband connection that this would become a pain as you have to wait for the download each time.

We'll see what happens in the next few days now.

[poliss]

There was an Adobe Reader update recently. Perhaps that's what's trying to update?

[Fishmanoz]

Definitely seems to be the guide poliss from everything said earlier and from what I've seen. 

And this is not the first time RM has downloaded things multiple times from my memory. This time it is a much larger file than previously so more obvious while we wait for the download to complete. Must have eventually worked last time or it would still be happening. 

[Fishmanoz]

A new day and opened RM and it downloaded the full manual with no sign of wanting to download the HH again.  And exactly the same procedure - the file date is now today but the version is 1.55 dated December 2013.

[SHEDINGTON]

Yep quite right Fishy

mine was doing the same yesterday, just tried it today ( 3 times ) and fires up no problems with no interuption when loading 

I can't wait if it is an update maybe it's a softener for the other promised releases ..........smiley face

Dodge

[RB51]

Same here. R-

[Augustus Caesar]

OK... I have the same experience to share with you as Fishy does except my manual is still dated Feb 2013. That doesn't matter to me as I don't use it anyway. :-)

What seems to have been happening is that there has been a small glitch in the file downloaded or the actual download itself (whilst saying successful) has not been. There are many reasons why this can occur. Forgetting all the technical stuff it is suffice to say that whilst this sort of thing happens and there is no operational issue with RM then no worries should be brought to bare. (See what I did there Fishy... 'no worries'? - never mind... it was quite droll anyway!).

On the other hand it is a good thing that this happens to a certain extent... whilst a file may only attempt a download once and you then have to force it, this situation offers a constant attempt until absolutely successful. As it seems to have settled down and completed the job, maybe because it was picked up that it was causing issues, there is no need to be concerned now.

Of course if one still has the older file with Feb 2013 stamped on its innards and you want the new Dec 2013 one as Fishy has then simply copy out the old file to a new directory or whatever... delete the original from its proper location and open RM and it should download the new one as it will see it is no longer there. If it does NOT download the new one then simply copy back the original file. Simples! :-) - gotta love those meerkats... :-)

[gilbo2]

All seems back to normal again night, I guess it was somekind of issue with their update server.

Only one file seem to get an update tonight, LOCOS.DAT. Is that the speedtable file?

[idlemarvel]

locos.dat is the list of hornby locos, curves.dat is the speed curves

[gilbo2]

Thanks for that. I'm paranoid about my programs getting messed up if the speed curves get tweaked, having spent hours getting all the timings right ;-o

[Fishmanoz]

That's interesting too. Now there is a good and proper reason for locos.dat to be updated periodically without change in RM version as Hornby releases new locos. 

[Augustus Caesar]

For those who don't know... a .dat file is a database file by default... hence it being able to store and accept changes to any part of a loco's data apsects without change to the main program. :-)