Knowledge Base

Retired product versions, as well as some older service releases of active products, are known to experience two minor issues with the Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems that have simple workarounds. For most active products, these issues have been resolved in service releases and upgrades. This document lists the specific products and versions that are still affected and presents the workarounds.

Specifically, these issues are related to:

1. Licensing and activating the software
2. Accessing the online help files

1. Issue with Licensing and Activating:

You may be required to re-enter the license and re-activate the product every time you start it. This is due to a new "default" security implementation under Windows Vista and Windows 7, named User Account Control. With this option turned on, ReliaSoft's license manager cannot store your license/activation information in the Registry on your computer.

The following products/versions are affected:

• MPC 3
• RENO
• RGA 6 Standard / RGA 6 PRO
• Lambda Predict 1 and 2
• Weibull++ DE (Developer Edition)
• Weibull++ (prior to version 7.5.9, build date 02/03/10)
• ALTA / ALTA PRO (prior to version 7.5.9, build date 02/03/10)
• BlockSim (prior to version 7.0.10, build date 12/14/09)
• DOE++ (prior to version 1.0.6, build date 02/03/10)
• Xfmea Standard, Xfmea Enterprise and RCM++ (prior to version 4.0.9, build date 1/22/10)

Solution: You can temporarily turn the User Account Control feature off, license and activate the product and then turn the option back on (if you wish).

To do this in Windows Vista:

• From the Windows Vista Control Panel, select User Accounts and then select Turn User Control on or off.
• Turn it off and license/activate the product.
• Repeat these steps to turn the feature back on if you wish. Restart the computer.

To do this in Windows 7:

• From the Windows 7 Control Panel, type UAC in the search box and then click Change User Account Control settings.
• Move the slider down to Never Notify and license/activate the product.
• Repeat these steps to turn the feature back on if you wish. Restart the computer.

2. Issue with Accessing Help Files:

Microsoft has made the decision to stop supporting the WinHelp (*.HLP) help file format in Windows Vista and Windows 7 (as discussed in this Microsoft Support Article). ReliaSoft has transitioned to newer formats for online help files but, like thousands of software applications developed prior to Microsoft's decision, some of ReliaSoft's existing products are still shipped with 32-bit WinHelp files. ReliaSoft's newer products are distributed with HTMLHelp (*.CHM) or Web Help (*.HTM), which are both fully compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7.

The following products/versions are affected:

• Weibull++ (version 6 and earlier)
• Weibull++ DE (version 6 and earlier)
• ALTA / ALTA PRO (version 6 and earlier)
• BlockSim (version 6 and earlier)
• RGA 6 Standard / RGA 6 PRO
• Xfmea Standard, Xfmea Enterprise and RCM++ (version 3 and earlier)
• MPC 3
• Lambda Predict (version 2 and earlier)
• RENO (prior to version 1.0.10, build date 3/26/08)

Solution: To view 32-bit .HLP files, Microsoft requires users to download the program (WinHlp32.exe) from the Microsoft Download Center, and then install it on their computers.

NOTE for Weibull++ 7 Developer Edition (DE) Users: Although the *.HLP file is still packaged with the installation, a new HTMLHelp (*.CHM) help file is now available. Click here to download the new help file, which is compatible with Windows Vista.