Restoring a Mach3/Ajax Computer

[skyg]

Recently, the machine I use to run my mill decided to no longer find some of the system files and will no longer boot up. The hard drive appears to be just fine, but the OS may need to be re-installed. If this is the case, the local computer tech is going to backup all my files before he re-installs XP on it. So, my question is this - obviously my Ajax configuration files are saved SOMEWHERE on my machine - what are the relevant files I need to find/copy when I re-install Mach/Ajax, so that I don't have to re-tune/setup the whole thing.

-Sky

[Centroid_Liviu]

Your Mach/Ajax files will be in whatever directory you installed Mach3 in. Most likely this is something like C:\Mach3 if you used the default installation. The Ajax Mach3 Plugin will create a sub-directory under Mach3 so if you copy the parent you will get that one as well. Other sub-directories under Mach3 will contain your brains, macros, ect. As Mach3 and the plug-in create a registry entry you will need to re-install them again. Check the sub-directory called XMLbackups (under Mach3) for backups of your configurations.

[skyg]

Thanks!

-Sky

[skyg]

Okay, so the computer had to be totally wiped, and so I'm starting from scratch. Oh well, so it goes. I've got Mach3 back on the computer, with the Ajax plugin installed as well. Right now, the computer is here at my house - I don't have internet access at the mill location, and so I'm doing as much as I can w/o the computer connected to the hardware. The computer was connected to the mill, but the Configuration Utility in section 5.2 of the manual was not appearing, and so I brought it home to install the .net framework, as is suggested in the manual. I have now installed that v 4.0 of the Microsoft .net framework, but the Configuration Utility is still not appearing when I click on the yellow square. Is the 4.0 version of the .net framework correct? Should the Config Utility still be appearing with no hardware connected, or does it need to see the hardware? The mill is about 30 minutes away from here, so just figured I would ask some basic questions before hitting the road.

-Sky

[skyg]

So here's an update - we connected the computer, and it detected the Ajax hardware. However, we still cannot get the Configuration menu to pop up. Ideas?

[skyg]

According to this site:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/bb822049.aspx

There are three versions of the .net framework that should work with XP. Which one is the recommended/approved version for Mach/Ajax?

-Sky

[skyg]

It appears from looking at some prior posts that the last recommended version by Scott was V3.5. I'll put that on the computer this evening and see where that gets me.

-Sky

[Centroid_Liviu]

The Plug-in has been tested with version 3.5, I would have assumed that the 4.0 version would be backwards compatible but it has not been confirmed. I would recommend trying it with 3.5 just to eliminate .Net as an issue.

[Centroid_Liviu]

I just got it verified from Microsoft "Apps that were built for versions 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5 can all run on version 3.5, but they will not work on version 4 or later." So .Net 3.5 is what is required, although you can have 3.5 and 4.0 installed at the same time if you have an application that requires .Net 4.

[skyg]

Version 3.5 did the trick. So, even though 4.0 is more recent, 3.5 is the ticket. Got it hooked up now - only problem is that the plot screen does not seem to appear. The plot brain is enabled, but when we hit F1/2/3 nothing pops up. Ideas?

-Sky