Troubleshooting Update and Addon Installation Errors

TOPIC

Q: When checking for updates, or when trying to download and install, AROS, AmiKit or AmigaSYS from inside the Amiga Forever player, an error occurs.

DISCUSSION

A: Errors such as "It looks like an antivirus application may be blocking file downloads" or "The login request was denied" are likely to indicate an antivirus, firewall or proxy server application blocking a download.

Errors like "Element not found", "The download is not available", "A version mismatch issue has been detected" or a "Your software is up to date" message in spite of a known application availability or update may indicate the need to update Software Director.

Amiga Forever and C64 Forever use Cloanto's Software Director to install updates and add-ons. This makes it possible to reuse components, keep scheduled checks secure and reduced to a minimum, while offering a single user interface. It also helps us to apply the latest experience to work with antivirus applications and in other scenarios that may otherwise conflict with checks for updates, and related downloads.

Lastly, it makes it possible to keep updating Software Director itself, even when the original application maybe isn't upgraded for a long time. For example, even an Amiga Forever package from the 1990s could still enjoy automatic updates on the self-update components, with enhancements like a high-DPI user interface and pervasive support for HTTPS (TLS) for integrity and confidentiality.

If the installation of an add-on or a check for updates inside Amiga Forever or C64 Forever fails:

1. Check Windows Update and make sure that the latest system and browser updates and service packs are installed
2. If a system reboot is pending (e.g. due to Windows Update or for other reasons), complete the reboot first
3. Make sure that the system date and time are correct
4. If any instances of Amiga Forever or C64 Forever are open, close them
5. Launch Software Director from the Windows Control Panel (or use the Search box in the Start menu)
6. In Software Director, if a check for updates was not automatically started, select "Check for Updates" from the File menu, or click the "Check Now" button (if displayed)
7. If a Software Director self-update is listed, install it (on older versions: right-click the Software Director self-update entry, and select the Install option)
8. To report and help resolve a malfunction via Software Director, please select Help/Write Log File, and Help/Send Feedback (the log file may be included in a follow-up)

You can also manually download and run the Software Director standalone installer to update or repair the installed version:

• Software Director Setup

A manual installation also resolves an issue that could lead to repeat "A version mismatch issue has been detected. A repair procedure will be started." messages. These could happen in the completion of an update was pending after the reboot, yet this was disrupted. We became aware of one case in which this had been caused by a major Windows upgrade.

Once Software Director is up to date, retry the operation that initially failed inside Amiga Forever or C64 Forever.

If the issue persists, please try any of these additional troubleshooting steps:

• Temporarily disable any antivirus or "download accelerator" software. If you are running any personal firewall software, you may need to grant permission to Software Director in order to unblock check for updates and downloads.
• In Software Director, select Downloads from the Tools menu, and Delete (right-click for options) any items that are giving issues, if present.
• If you need to contact Support, you may want to include a log, which can be generated with the Write Log File (on older versions: Save Status) command, from the Software Director Help menu.

Error codes like 0x80072EFD and 0x80072EE2 during a download generally indicate a server connection or timeout issue. This may also be caused by antimalware of firewall software blocking a download. Antivirus applications that caused this in the past include Avira Antivir Premium and ESET NOD32. Ad blocker and "download accelerator" applications may also interfere with network access. We recommend Windows Defender (formerly Security Essentials) as a good and free antimalware solution for Windows.

Older versions of Windows may not support modern secure connections unless all updates are installed and specific settings are enabled. Make sure that any updates listed in Windows Update are installed. Update error codes like 0x80072EFF indicate a specific issue with a secure connection that may affect application updates as well as Windows Update. If the error message indicates a failure to download a specific file, try and download the same file with Internet Explorer. If it fails in the same way, check if a newer version of Internet Explorer is available (this may be the case on older versions of Windows, in which Internet Explorer updates also update shared system components). In Internet Options, check that the TLS protocols are enabled.

Related Links

• Software Director in Windows Startup Apps
• Software Director Indicates "The list of publishers is empty"