PixInsight 1.8.8-3 Released

[Juan Conejero]

Hi guys,

I am glad we have found the culprit of these problems. The Direct3D compiler is a necessary component for PixInsight on Windows, since it is used to translate OpenGL ES API calls to native Direct3D calls. The d3dcompiler_47.dll file is a system component, which should be available on any clean Windows installation. So you can safely delete (or rename) it and PixInsight will use the one available on your operating system. We include it in our distribution because, believe it or not, there are Windows machines lacking this file. This time we simply have included a newer version, which requires API sets only available on Windows 10.

By the way, API set files (the "api-win..." files) are not real DLL files. They are just 'links' to actual system components, which vary among different Windows versions. This is just an application of the fundamental theorem of software engineering: a new level of indirection, trying to achieve a 'uniform' development platform on top of a total mess, in the purest style of Windows.

We'll upload later today new installation files for the Windows version of 1.8.8-3 with the same D3D compiler used in version 1.8.8-2.

[gkunz]

Hi Juan, thanks so much for this update. As a consequence of switching to the Qt ANGLE mode on Windows per default, are those nasty bugs with Laptops that only use the Intel graphics card (no GPU) gone? I'm using a Surface Pro 7 and I always had to bypass the OEM driver and install the official Intel one (which came with other problems) to make it work half ways.

[Juan Conejero]

Hi,

Yes, most OpenGL related issues on Windows should be gone. Please let me know if the new version works better on your Surface.

[Felipe]

HI Juan
Almost resolved !
I've just renamed d3compiler_47.dll (added.old as you told)
Now just 3 times the message :<< No disk D: >> continue 3 times and PI starts.

No more error message about dll missing !!

I've tried to reinstall completely : same. (always the dec 13th version)

Great progress but I think there's two problem in fact, and just one is solved now ?

About my idea to add the dll this is NOT a good idea for several reasons.

In attempt of the complete resolution !

Thanks

Philippe LAURENT

[Juan Conejero]

Hi Philippe,

Now just 3 times the message :<< No disk D: >> continue 3 times and PI starts.

This has nothing to do with PixInsight. Our software knows nothing at all about the 'D:' disk of your computer. This is a machine-specific issue and there is nothing we can do to solve it.

[toni]

Hello everyone, renamed file d3dcompiler_47.dll.old successfully with windows 8.1.Pixinsight 1.8.8.3 already works.
Thanks to all the team.
Toni

[Felipe]

Hi Juan
In spite of this message at launch (3 times : no disk into D: ) PI seems to me to work well
I understand that my machine has a problem, but why only with this last version of PI ?
Please I would like you help me to find the problem, if you have an idea ?
Here only disk C: an external 2 To SSD named I: ; and DVD reader named H:
Thanks again
Philippe LAURENT

[jwaters125]

Felipe - Does or did your PC have a D Drive? 

[Felipe]

Hi Juan
No there's no disk D here !
really stange !
Philippe LAURENT

[Felipe]

Hello Juan
Perhaps I've forget to tell you a remark:
After loading file(s) to updates like this morning, when I reset PI  'quit' 'UPDATE SYSTEM' PI restarts WITHOUT error message...
Another thing: Process Explorer, Preferences, Directories and Network : I see: C:/Users/Philippe/AppData/Local/Temp
Into that there's several folders here
Perhaps problem to access that's reason it claims for an hypothetical D disk that not exist ??
Sorry for this msg today of course,
Juan,
thanks again

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Philippe LAURENT

[OldSkyEyes]

The problem is probably related to the problem I had a few days ago when I moved my license from windows 7 to a new 16 core Windows 10 Pro.

I also copied the file PixInsight.ini to my new PC but it contains paths from my previous PC.
I had to press the reset button in a window forgot which one (some basic one maybe image integration) before it would work with the new path.
I didn't get the same error as yours but I saw the wrong path as error in the process console.

There are still a few non existing paths in my .ini file (like 'Global\FileDialogs\....'), how can I easily reset that without deleting my settings?

Also how should I copy the image solved data to another image, the copy script doesn't seem to work?

[Felipe]

Hello OldSkyEyes,
thank you for your answer,
It's true I migrated my old PC from Windows 8 to 8.1
But nothing to report with the precedent version of PI
This (minor ?) problem appears with only the last version.
I've my PI licence in 2013, with same PC !
After reading you, I looked for the file PixInsight.ini
I found this one dated 25/12/2019 probably new with the last version
Also old as PixInsight.ini.NI2636 09/06/2017 and
PixInsight64.ini 13/07/2015
About the recent ini file I think that the solution is inside, but where ?
It's a great file with so many configuration instructions, and I'm afraid of doing wrong !
Maybe this subject is minor and without consequence but I would still like to no longer see an error message at startup !
Wishing you a nice 2020 year !
Thank you
Philippe LAURENT

[sky2orion]

Hello
The download speed of the new version is dramatically slow,
many interruptions, however I have a fibre optic link at high speed.
Solutions ?
Regards
 

[dave_galera]

Hello
The download speed of the new version is dramatically slow,
many interruptions, however I have a fibre optic link at high speed.
Solutions ?
Regards

I have just downloaded this latest version at a rate of 2mb/s.....super fast for me, no dropouts at all, and I am on a slow 10mb radio link living in the mountains in the middle of nowhere....could be your network?

[Tony Finnerty]

Thank you, Juan and PixInsight colleagues and contributors for ongoing development.  I've been running PixInsight 1.8.8-3 on Fedora 29 (kernel 5.3.11-100.fc29.x86_64) with nVidia video drivers and Xfce desktop environment.  F29 will not boot from a NVMe SSD, so /boot is on a SATA SSD.

When upgrading to Fedora 31 (kernel 5.4.8-200.fc31.x86-640) and Xfce I did a fresh installation, including nVidia drivers, to a new NVMe SSD, with /boot put on a different SATA SSD.  PixInsight 1.8.8-3  was installed just as on F29.

When I try to start PI on F31 from the Applications menu nothing appears onscreen.  When I start from /opt/PixInsight/bin/Pixinsight using the command line, the error message is:

"This application failed to start because no Qt platform plugin can be initialized.  Reinstalling the application may fix the problem." 

After a long list of available platform plugins, the error message closes with:

"/opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight.sh: line 37:  3134 Aborted                 (core dumped) /opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight"

Reinstalling PI makes no difference.  On both Fedora 29 and 31 installations, /opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight.sh reads the same.  Also, both installations of /opt/PixInsight/bin/qt.conf read the same.

I'm no Linux expert, so now I'm stuck.  Any suggestions?