Installation Issues and Troubleshooting

There are several possible causes for problems or errors when downloading or installing ChurchTrac or Access Runtime. Here are some things to check:
 

Does your computer meet the minimum system requirements?

This is the most common reason for installation issues. ChurchTrac 8 (the 2011 version) requires that you have Windows XP with Service Pack 3, Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, or Windows 7. Older operating systems, such as Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows ME will not work with ChurchTrac 8. If you have XP or Vista, you can check to see which service pack you have installed by clicking on Start, then right-click on Computer and choose 'Properties'. The System Properties window will tell you which, if any, service packs are installed. Service packs can be installed for free from Microsoft or by using Windows update in your Start menu.
 

Is your hard drive assigned to C: or some other letter?

We recommend installing ChurchTrac on the C: drive. Most PCs (about 99% of them) have the letter C: assigned to the main hard drive. ChurchTrac may not install correctly on a computer with the main drive assigned to another letter. You can check this by clicking on Start, then Computer (or My Computer).
 

Do you have an Office 2010 (64-bit) Program installed?

If you have previously installed a 64 bit edition of Office 2010 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), then ChurchTrac will not work. ChurchTrac requires the 32 bit edition of Microsoft Access, which is part of the Office 2010 suite of programs. You cannot install both 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Office 2010 on the same computer. Instead, uninstall the 64 bit version of Office first, then install the 32 bit editions of those programs. Note: ChurchTrac will work fine on 64 bit computers with 64 bit version of Windows. The only limitation is in regard to 64 bit versions of Microsoft Office.
 

Error messages in ChurchTrac

ChurchTrac is designed to detect and correct certain errors. If you see error messages right after installing ChurchTrac, and those error messages are still present on subsequent launches of the program, then make a note of the error messages and contact technical support. Be sure to include error numbers and descriptions in your submission.

Click here if you see this error message: "The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect."
 

Do you get an error message when installing Access 2010 Runtime?

There are several possible issues when installing Access Runtime. Unfortunately, the Access 2010 Runtime installer does not always give details on on what error was encountered. Instead, it will generate a generic error like: "The installation of this package failed."

• First, be sure you computer meets the minimum system requires mentioned above. Access will not install on a computer that does not meet these system requirements.
   
• Sometimes installation errors are caused by a corrupted copy of Access 2010. When downloading a large file like Access 2010 Runtime, even a momentary break in your internet connection can cause the downloaded file to be corrupt. If possible, we recommend downloading Access 2010 Runtime on a computer that has a wired connection (not wireless). If wireless is your only option, move as close to the wireless router or access point (a strong signal strength will minimize the changes of a corrupted download).
   
• Try using the link on the download page to download and install Access Runtime manually instead of using the ChurchTrac installer to download and install it. If the ChurchTrac installer detects that it is already installed, it will bypass the Access download and complete the ChurchTrac installation.
   
• Access Runtime is a 175 megabyte download. If your completed download is less than 175 megabytes, then the download is definitely corrupt. However, it still may be corrupt, even if the download is 175 megabytes. You can check the file size by right-clicking on the AccessRuntime installer file and choosing Properties.
   
• If you encounter an error, clear your browser's cache (temporary files) before trying the download again. If the first download was corrupt, clearing the cache will ensure that your second attempt will download a fresh copy from the web and not used the corrupted file that may be saved in your temporary files folder. You might even try downloading Access on another computer, saving the installation file to a flash drive, and copying the installer to the computer you're trying to install on.
   
• If you get an error message during installation, make a note of it. You can also force the Access installer to create a detailed log of the installation process, which can be helpful in troubleshooting the cause of the error. To create a log, download and save the AccessRuntime.exe file to your desktop (do not choose the Run option). Once the download has completed, right-click on the AccessRuntime installer file and choose "Send to", then choose "Desktop (create shortcut)". A new shortcut will appear on your desktop. Right-click on this new shortcut and choose Properties. In the Target field, you'll see something that resembles this:
  
  C:\Users\Owner\Desktop\AccessRuntime.exe
  

  Add the following text to the end of the target field:

  C:\Users\Owner\Desktop\AccessRuntime.exe /log:artlog.txt
  
  then click OK. Now when you double-click on this shortcut, a log file named artlog.txt will be generated on your desktop. Technical support should be able to assist you with reading the log file and determining the source of the installation problem.

  Note: The Access installer also automatically creates a log file in the temporary files folder on your computer. Click on Start (and Run if you're using Windows XP) and type %temp% then press Enter. Find the SetupExe.... log file that corresponds to the date/time of the attempted install, and forward that log file to the support team.
   

• Access 2010 is a Microsoft Office 2010 program. If you have a previous version of Office installed on your computer, Access 2010 may not install if it detects a problem with the previous version of Office on your system. You might need to repair or remove the older installation first before Access 2010 will install.
   
• Try disabling your Anti-Virus program before installing Access. There are several antivirus programs with known issues that prevent Access from installing correctly: Forefront Client Security, Panda Cloud Antivirus, Clam Antiviru. Other (unlisted) security applications may also cause issues.
   
• If the Access installer gives a vague error messsage like: 'Microsoft Access Runtime 2010 encountered an error during setup', then check WMI to see if it is broken. If the WMI repository is corrupted on your computer, then Access (and other programs) will not install. Follow the steps in this knowledgbase article to test and repair WMI.
   
• If you get an error about the 'side-by-side configuration' being incorrect, follow the steps in this Microsoft article. Note: You may also need to reinstall Access and restart the computer after following the instructions in this article.
   
• Access 2010 will not install on a computer where a 64 bit edition of Microsoft Office 2010 is also installed. Uninstall the 64 bit edition of Office 2010 and reinstall the 32 bit edition first, then Access should install correctly.