Can't find AVR complier on W7 64Bit

[stewartbaker]

Hi,
I took advantage of the 50% offer and upgraded my licence to add AVR for Arduino UNO R3.

Although I have generated much code for PIC's in the past without any issues I have spent 2 days without being able to compile a single Arduino program. GRR !

I have gone through all the settings a number of times, but the process always halts (255) with no HEX being generated due to no file being found. It does not seem to find the compiler.

The simple program (LED flash) compiles OK if I set it to a PIC (16F877A), but errors if set to the AVR compiler.

Thinking the problem is to do with my system being W7 64Bit, and reading various posts, I have tried the following to no avail:-

Made sure that Flowcode has been installed in Program Files (X86)
Switched off both Eset Virus Checker and MalwareBytes during both installation and compiling.
Set the short name value in the registry to 2. 8Dot3
Checked that all the files that are being called are there and run without error.
Tried running in Safe Mode.

Surely, it can't be that hard to compile a program ?

I am out of ideas !!!

Stewart

[kersing]

After (attempted) compile there should be a txt file in the same directory your flowchart is stored. Could you attach it (or copy/paste the contents) to provide a bit more detail about the errors? Also, can you check in the directory if the .c file is being generated?

[stewartbaker]

Hi Kersing,
Thank you for your reply.

The .c file is being generated.

Please find 3 files attached. Hope these give a clue as to what is going on.

Regards

Stewart

Test1.c

(3.96 KiB) Downloaded 366 times

Test1.fcfx

(4.25 KiB) Downloaded 350 times

Test1.msg.txt

(855 Bytes) Downloaded 349 times

[Benj]

Hello Stewart,

The 8.3 file naming system may have been disabled on your drive. To test this click the start menu and type in "cmd" without the quotes.

Right click the CMD icon and select run as administrator.

Type in the following and hit enter.

fsutil.exe 8dot3name query C:

where C:\ is the drive where Flowcode is installed.

You should get something like this.

The volume state is: 0 (8dot3 name creation is enabled).
The registry state is: 2 (Per volume setting - the default).

If the 8dot3 filename system is disabled then this will cause the compiler to have problems.

[stewartbaker]

Hello Benj,
That was one of the settings I had previously looked at.

I have checked again using the command string you suggested and get the desired results.

Last line of the message says:-

"Based on the above two settings, 8dot3 name creation is enabled on C:"

regards

Stewart

[Benj]

Hi Stewart,

Please can you try creating a directory off your C root with the a short name and no spaces e.g. "FC". Then try creating an AVR project in that folder and see if that will compile.

From your compiler messages I'm not sure if the file that cannot be found is the compilation batch file or the C file created by Flowcode, my guess is it's the C file.

I have also created a simple batch file that you can place into any folder. When you run the batch file it will tell you the short path to that folder if it exists.

ShortPathTest.bat

(58 Bytes) Downloaded 255 times

[stewartbaker]

Hi Benj,
I created a directory in the root named FC. I tried to compile a one step AVR program with it stored there. Same error message.

Ran the batch file as Administrator. It opened in the command window with the directory that I had the batch file stored in.

Printed "press any key to continue". Key pressed - nothing except command window closes.

Guess it's still not recognising short path names, even though it reports set up to do so.

Stewart

[stewartbaker]

Hi Benj,
I think that I have found the answer, although it's a right P.I.T.A.

When I started investigating this problem looking at the 8dot3 mechanism I found that my system was set with 8dot3names disabled i.e set to 1.

I then changed it to = 2, and verified that it had changed. It gave the expected messages.

What seems to have happened is the company that built my system did so with 8dot3 switched off. If they had not done that both the long and short names for files and directories would have been generated. So no 8dot3 names were generated, and from what I can see short of rebuilding windows the only way to get things to work is to install FC in a new directory with 8dot3names enabled.

I tried this by installing FC6.1.2 into the directory FC which I had created, and it works !. The file compiles...

However, I don't know what the implications are for FC when installed in a directory other than Program Files (x86).

Your thoughts please.

regards
Stewart

[Benj]

Hi Stewart,

That's great news. There is a slight optimisation by switching the 8.3 filenames off but I'm talking so small you would never ever notice it. Optimisation software like system mechanic also does the same thing. I don't get why companies switch it off as it's bound to cause an issue sooner or later.

There should be no bad side effects with having Flowcode installed in a none standard location but I think there is a way to force the 8.3 paths to be created if you did want to move back to the norm. I'll see if I can dig out the info.

[stewartbaker]

Hi Benj,
If you can find that info it would be much appreciated as I would like to try and make FC conform to the norm.

Good old Microsoft don't make things easy !

regards

Stewart

[Benj]

Hi Stewart,

I managed to find the info, it was in the FAQ

http://www.matrixtsl.com/faq/index.php? ... artlang=en

Good old Microsoft don't make things easy !

They certainly do not.

[stewartbaker]

Hi Benj,
Thanks for the info. That was the way that I enabled 8dot3 while trying to fix the problem.

However, I believe that if 8dot3 was disabled when the system was built, there were no SFN's created and there is no way to change those original entries to SFN's.

If after enabling SFN's 8dot3 will be used for everything "new" generated.

I may be wrong....

regards

Stewart

[Benj]

Hi Stewart,

You might be right if the 8dot3 system was somehow disabled before installation then I can see this potentially causing problems. If you copy your current installation folder to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Flowcode 6\" then does this work? The copied folder should hopefully create a new 8dot3 path now the registry setting has been altered. Otherwise if it's working then as I say not having it in the default location shouldn't cause you any issues.

[stewartbaker]

Hi Benj,
I will try that and get back to you.

Cheers
Stewart

[stewartbaker]

HI Benj,
Yup, that seems to have got it...

Moved the working folder to under Program Files (x86), checked that it worked, then renamed it Flowcode 6.

Hopefully that fix stays in place during future updates of Flowcode.

Many thanks for your help.

Cheers
Stewart