FAQ

FAQ - Windows Versions, System Requirements

SpecView will install and run on:

Windows 11: 32 bit & 64 bit
Windows 10: 32 bit & 64 bit
Windows 8 / 8.1: 32 bit & 64 bit (Not Windows 8 RT on Surface Tablets)
Windows 7: 32 bit & 64 bit
Windows Vista: 32 bit. Vista 64 has been shown to have some instabilities
Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2008 R2 & 2012 32 and 64 bit versions
Windows XP:, 32 bit ( NOT 64bit)
Some Hyper-V or VMWare setups, please contact us for details.

SpecView will not run on: Windows 8 RT (on the Microsoft Surface Tablet), Windows CE, Windows Phone, iPad, Android tablets & phones, Mac or Linux.
HOWEVER: you can view & use a working SpecView system on these devices using TeamViewer.

For the answers to the following questions please see the FAQ section of SpecView’s Help or the Manual:

FAQ - Installation/Upgrade
- Does SpecView work with Win95/98/NT/2000/Me/XP/2003/Vista/Win7?
- Do I need to send the dongle back in order to get it upgraded to add further options?
- Will upgrading affect my existing configurations?
- Can I copy SpecView to another PC & how can this be done?
- During installation I get an error about DCOM.

FAQ - Instrument
- Why am I getting XXX's on the screen where the instrument's values should be?
- On my generic Modbus instrument how do I access higher registers?
- Why are the instrument values shown 10 or 100 times too big (or too small)?
- Why are the wrong values being returned from the instrument?
- How do I use a Barcode Scanner with SpecView?
- How can I avoid affecting communications throughput if some instrument(s) need to be turned off or disconnected for a reason?

FAQ - SpecView Runtime
- Can I monitor SpecView remotely?
- How do I view previous Event Logs?
- How can I restore the Historical Replay Control Panel window to its original size?
- Why am I getting steps or gaps on my Trend Chart rather than a smooth curve?
- I am getting empty logfiles, what could be the reason for this?
- How can performance be improved - so that the rate that instrument variables are updated is increased?
- How can I make the color of things on a GDW change according to a value?

- How can I modify one of SpecView's Demo Configurations so it will work with my instruments?
- Running a program using "SpecView: Run External Program" the program's window is minimized.
- How can I improve the speed that SpecView starts up?
- Can I run SpecView from the Windows Startup Group?

- Why am I not seeing all the Instrument Parameters I expect to see in the Parameter List?

- The Trend Chart doesn't appear to be updating, why might this be?

FAQ - SpecView Configuration
- Can I develop complex screen(s) for one instrument (e.g: Furnace1) then copy it/them for another instrument of the same type (e.g: Furnace2)?
- Double-clicking on an item on the GDW seems to have no effect, when usually it would display the relevant attributes box for that item.
- I can't seem to add a variable on a GDW into Recipe.
- I can't seem to edit a value's Dynamic Attributes.

- Changing the color of text on the screen (using Object->Text Font...) doesn't appear to have any effect.
- How do I configure SpecView Networking (Remote/Local)?
- What can I do if Auto detect doesn't work for my instrument?
- How do I do a Strategy Controller event every second?
- How do I do a Strategy Controller event every minute?
- My variables list box doesn't appear, why not?
- How do I animate a graphic using the Strategy Controller?
- How do I make clicking somewhere on a GDW do a button-type action?

- I've set the Fill Color of a shape but it isn't being filled, why?
- Why is it that using the Edit->Paste of an object doesn't appear to work?
- What can I do if comparing an instrument value (with decimal places) with an integer in the Strategy Controller doesn't work?
- Can I get SpecView to send a text message to the operator's mobile when something happens?
- Can I get SpecView to play a tune when something happens?
- How can I send email from within SpecView?

- If copying objects doesn't preserve their Dynamic Attributes, how do I copy them?
- Can I copy a whole Configuration?
- Adding a bitmap to a GDW makes the GDW much larger, why?
- How do I archive logfiles?
- How do I delete logfiles?
- I am confused about the difference between Log Files and Log File Reports created by Log File Conversion.
- How can I setup a Log File Conversion to occur, on a regular basis, for example, every day at Midnight?
- Can Log Files be written into another separate folder?

- How to I make a copy of SpecView's Log Files to, for example, a Network Server?
- How can I make the Strategy Controller run another program?
- How do I run a DOS .BAT file from the action: SpecView: Run External Program ?
- How do I setup the Strategy Controller to do a delay (for example, 5 seconds) ?
- How can I make a button on a GDW do more than one action ?
- How can I make a button toggle a Boolean so that successive clicks turn it On/Off/On/...?
- What is the maximum value for an Integer or Number variable?

- How can a value be displayed on a GDW using scientific notation (showing mantissa & exponent)?
- Opening a screen in Runtime mode with a Trend Chart; the chart is always initially blank with no pen lines. What can be done about this?
- How can a screen (GDW) be printed to an Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) file?
- How can I make a Strategy Event which will keep 'firing' all the time that something is 'true'?
- How can I make something blink/flash on screen?
- How can I position items on a screen & align them to within a pixel & stop them 'jumping' to the grid?

- How can I make some text appear on the screen using the Strategy Controller when something happens?
- How can I run a Help (HLP) file from a button on the screen?
- How can I use COM ports 10 and above?

- Why am I not seeing all the Instrument Parameters I expect to see in the Variables List?

FAQ - Can SpecView send an Email or SMS Text message when something happens? Answer = Yes, see here for details.

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