Swann USB DVR

[oldbob 0]

I really hate to have to ask, but...

I bought a Swann megaflood cctv USB DVR system.

First of all my PCTools blocked it, but allowed me to by-pass it, but it then cancelled that on the next boot up, became increasingly difficult, and having now spent about eight hours talking to Swann, deleting my PCTools, knocking out my Norton, installing, reinstalling, deleting, screaming, and jumping out of the window, for the last three hours all I get is that it cannot find DVRConfig.dll. The Swann site doesn't appear to have it: the dvd supplied certainly doesn't have it, and a search of the internet finds nothing at all. All that Swann said before they went back to their wives and girl friends was that didn't understand how it was going wrong

Now, I know that you young twiddly fingers can solve all the stuff which us seventy year olds can't solve, - so please - has anybody out there got any idea how the heck I get out of this one?

[Soundy 1]

First thing I do on any machine having troubles, if it has Norton anything on it, is remove Norton. Not just with the Add/Remove Programs method, but using the "removal tool" that Symantec has for just about all of their products - something that will (should) remove all traces of the application. Norton's "consumer security" products are, in my experience, worse than the problems they purport to protect against.

 

Unfortunately, between that and PC Tools messing things up already, you may be at the point of needing to simply reinstall Windows clean, without these hindrances. Either one may have blocked the Swann install from making some change it needed to make, while the install still thinks that change was made. That can lead to a repair or reinstall of the app not working because it thinks that original change is still in place.

[oldbob 0]

Many thanks for the reply.

It is undoubtedly better than the solution I was about to try - a bloody great big hammer!!

Bob.

[Soundy 1]

Better in the long run, yes, but not nearly as satisfying!

 

So yeah, first thing I'd suggest is hit symantec.com and find the removal utility for whatever suite of theirs you have installed... see if that helps.

 

If not, a reinstall may be necessary.

 

And if all else fails.... follow these example:

(NWS lyrics)

[RickA 0]

I agree with what Soundy has posted and like the video too! Good advice all around!!

[oldbob 0]

Thanks for advice and - video. Yeah! Computer cide, printercide. Kill the lousy Mechs.

Trouble is, I've now tried to load the soft onto a couple of old computers which have no Norton on them, and still can't get past the apparent disappearance of the DVRConfig.dll. Tomorrow, I am going to get my entire system wiped and reinstalled, then see.

If that doesn't work, I'm gonna go looking for Gates with a hatchet.

Thanks,

Bob.

[Soundy 1]

If you search the drives, does the missing file show up anywhere? If so, where? It could be that something is depositing it in the wrong path.

 

If this is older software, and the installer is poorly coded, it may be trying to install the file into a non-existent location... for example, properly-coded Windows software, if it wants a file in the 'system32' folder (as is common for DLL files), should use the path "%WINDIR%\system32" - that way, no matter what the actual name of the Windows folder is, it will find it.

 

Now if, say, the program was originally written with Windows NT or 2000 in mind, the default Windows folder name is C:\WINNT, so a poorly-coded installer might want to put the file in "C:\WINNT\system32"... except on XP, they went back to using "C:\Windows" as the default system folder. In that case (not saying that is the case, just postulating out loud as to a possible cause of the file going missing), the file may not get put on the system... or the installer might CREATE the "C:\WINNT\system32" path and put the file in there, but Windows won't know where to find it because that won't be in the system-environment path, which is a list of places Windows can look for application files.

 

Anyway... search the drive for that file and see if it actually exists somewhere, and if so, where. Make sure to set the search options to include hidden and system files and folders.

[oldbob 0]

Thanks: will try that now, - well in about five minutes, - after I've entered a period of silent prayer and voodoo curses onBill Gates.

Thanks, Bob.

[oldbob 0]

Although, thinking about it, the pubs shut in about two hours, this being Sunday and Briatin, so I might just try the alternative. Mind you, it didn't worlk last night: all I got was a hangover.

Bob.

[Soundy 1]

Well over here in British Columbia, we still get tomorrow off (in observation of Queen Victoria's birthday)... so a hangover for tomorrow is fine

[Kiwi 0]

I had one of these Swann USB DVR's about a year ago and it installed and worked perfectly under WinXP Pro on two different computers. I sold it after testing but wish I'd kept it as the video quality was quite good.

 

Where does the problem show up, during the DVR install or when the two remote applications are installed using IE/active-X?

 

I used the driver pcdvr5.4.0.3.exe available here:

http://www.swann.com.au/s/products/view/?product=497#download

 

This is most likely to be a result of having PC Tools or Norton present rather than a direct fault of the Swann software. You also haven't mentioned what OS you are running, or what the computer hardware is. I assume you have USB 2.0 ports and WinXP. Vista is not acceptable according to the Swann site, and I believe I tried it myself on a laptop and it failed.

[scorpion 0]

I sell a few of these in my shop, and I have never heard of any issues back except the vista issue.

 

Thanks for the heads up with your issue. I will follow along to see if you come up with a resolution, and I will pass it along to the next person with the same issue.

 

 

With the silence on returns in my shop then that speaks volumes. I am surprised that you are having problems.

 

SOUNDY,

It sounds like I need to hire you! Wow! Now that is PC knowledge!

[Soundy 1]

Scorpion, I did a decade or so of IT support before getting into CCTV - first for a small digital recording studio (my actual schooling is in audio engineering), then some phone support for IBM OS/2, then a stint with the same digital arts school I took my audio training at (oh, the irony), a couple years with our local government-run auto insurance company (did a bunch of new server/desktop rollouts all over BC), and finally another term back at the digital arts school. CCTV happened for me almost by accident