Problems moving HS2 to a new computer - Solved!

[KLisiak]

After 6 years of continuous service, the Power supply in my Windows XP machine died and would be tough to replace. RIP.

Trying to avoid starting over with over 50 nodes and events, I reinstalled that master drive into another WIN-XP PC frame of similar vintage (removing its master drive for now) and reconnected everything as before. The good news is that HS2 starts up and shows all my events, licenses, devices matching my Z-troller. At first glance, all appears normal. However, I get an error message at startup that the Z-wave initialization failed and and the interface page shows no devices. No commands work, repeating a message that init failed.

No doubt it is something in the PC setup or the steps that would accompany a fresh HS2 install, but what? Would it make sense to save everything, then do a clean install followed by restoring my files? I worry that I risk losing all, just trying a solution that might not address the root cause, so I need to find a comprehensive checklist if that is the right path.

To do that much, I wonder if I am better off to buy a minimalist new PC on WIN7/8? Any issues with HS2 on Win7/8?

Right now I am dead in the water.

[Rupp]

Your best bet is to load the base OS and Windows updates then load the latest version of HomeSeer. Lastly use the How-To in the How-To forums on how to move HS from one PC to another.
Here's the link to the How-To:
http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=120948

[KLisiak]

Great! I'll look into it and give it a try.
Thanks,
Ken

[KLisiak]

I have completed the prescribed steps for moving to a new computer and still have exactly the same problem. Since this is not a completely "new" computer (I moved the HS2 hard drive in a new PC frame), I hid or removed all config files and then put them back per the instructions. I then copied over everything but the licenses after the update, so that matches the instructions. In my case, the active mdb file was kept on the desktop and labeled as "Homeseer.mdb" and the sample.mdb file in the config folder was there, but inactive, but I hid both and restored both anyway.

Even before I tackle the license installs, I still get "In Z-wave init(A), no response getting initialization information". This message repeats along with a similar reference that "...status set to: init failed". I suspect the corrupt file is among those I overwrite, but which one? All I can think to do now is to decline to copy over any old config file which has a corresponding new file in the new config folder other than overwrite the mdb file which is created by the reinstall. Option B would be to completely uninstall HS2 and start over (or just not reuse this hard drive). The possibility is I need to overwrite files more selectively in the config folder, but which?

Any thoughts on why this still fails the initialization?

Thanks,
Ken

[Rupp]

So in esscense you started with the same disk? If so you may never resolve this. Format the drive, load the OS, load HS and test the interface. Then do the overlay.

[KLisiak]

I reused the disk because HS was working without issues. Now that we know it isn't the licenses (and I have copied off everything HS related, which was key), I don't really need that old disk. I am somewhat concerned that the new PC that doesn't match HS in some way, but it is more likely that the old disk OS doesn't match the new PC (different brands of PC). I have the original disk for that new PC and will start with that as it also worked fine and never ran HS. To be sure, my backups will be on a different PC (not just a different hard drive) in the future.

[Pete]

Any thoughts on why this still fails the initialization?

Yup; it's talking to the wrong com port.

Personally I would get granular checking the serial port you are using with the Z-Troller. PC to PC that part might have changed. My virtual com ports change unless I configure them manually. You can also go into cleaning up "ghost" comm and USB ports. Google procedure; easy to do. Lots of times the registry will save unused or older used com ports and state that they are being utilized when in fact they are not. Older BIOS will also have the option of adjusting the IRQ / Comm port number on the built in serial ports. If you are using a serial to USB device you can change the virtual com port under properties.

That said validate that the Hometroller is using the correct com port. Easy fix.

Use the Homeseer zseer tool here to check before loading up Homeseer.

Then shut the tool off and load up Homeseer and change the port such that it is the port that the ZSeer tool used.

ftp://ftp.homeseer.com/pub/setupzseer1_20.exe

[KLisiak]

Pete,

That was it! While both PC's have two serial ports, something didn't line up. I have a USB to serial interface box for the sprinklers and RFID and simply moved the Z-troller to the first open port, put that port number into HS and I am back in business. I have noticed that this machine is a bit slow, so I will now look into a newer PC in its place and converting to HS3. For now, I am 95% back to where I was when that old PC gave out.

Thanks guys for all the help!!

Regards,
Ken

[Pete]

Good news Ken!

[KLisiak]

So, with all the helpful hints, I was almost 100% back to where I was before my PC fried. However, a few shortcomings of that old PC box (speed and sound issues) lead me to try a brand shiny new Windows 8 box.

I repeated the migration procedure to move Homeseer to this system, only this time it keeps telling me it can't find my sample.mdb file. HS2 is looking for sample.mdb in the Program/HomeSeer HS2/config folder, right where I put it, and pronounces it will create one, which it doesn't. Huh?

It turns out in Win8, there is a Program folder and a Program (x86) folder. The plug-ins seem to accept Program (x86), and the HS2 install goes into Program (x86) even if you point it to Program. However, HS2 mdb pointer seems hard-wired for "Program" folder even though it won't install there. I tried to spoof this by simply replicating the entire HS2 folder inside "Program". No dice. I uninstalled HS2 and reinstalled it pointing to "Program" but Win8 put it in "Program (x86)" anyway. I did a search and no other "Sample" folder is created anywhere on the hard drive. This sounds like a bug/incompatibility in migrating from Win XP to Win 8.

Any ideas? Is there a way to edit the entire path name for the mdb file? The pull down has no mdb alternates. Where can I add new mdb file names/paths to the pull down inside HS2?

Thanks,
Ken