IK Multimedia seem unable to help ... can KVR?

[TobyB]

A rather sad tale of underachievement by IKM ...

At the end of February I had been updating my extensive collection of IKM software and to take advantage of their Soldano amp "Give Away"... and ran into a problem where Custom Shop won't install, apparently confusion as to disk locations ...

I raised a ticket, with 5 careful sequential screenshots detailing the problem on 27/2/21.

On 8/3/21 I get a "thanks for your patience" and the suggestion "Go to your Documents > IK Multimedia > IK Product Manager folder > manually run the installers from here and it should install."

Pretty unimpressive, considering the picture sequence I had sent demonstrated me doing exactly that! I reply explaining that I have already done that.

Same day (Good!) I get the suggestion "Can you install it on the default C: location? I would recommend having it here and let me know."

Hmmm ... as I had already detailed, I had been attempting to do just that, and it didn't work, as already illustrated ...

Replied explaining again ... reinforcing again that I had tried all the obvious things like setting Admin permissions, running primary downloaded files, etc., all from both the C: and the D: drives to resolve the installation failure.

Same-day reply (Still good!) ...
"I am waiting to see what the dev team says on this as its rare this is happening.
Right click on the install icon and RUN/Install as Admin on the main C: and see if you get the same issue. Also do a video of the full install so the team can see it.
Download the Licecap application below and do a GIF movie of what the issue and attach it so we see it please."

Not encouraging ... as reading my emails and/or looking at the pictures show I have ALREADY DONE THAT (there's a consistency to this!)
I download Licecap from Cokos and send them a video ... so on the 9th March I sent them just that ... fully detailing in video what I had already illustrated and explained in still pictures ...

And now, 30th April ... 9 WEEKS after the ticket raised ... I get a really confidence-boosting and inspiring message ...
"Thanks for your patience while we got back to you.
Can you show us a video of the full install so we can check a few things?
Download the Licecap application below and do a GIF movie of what the issue and attach it so we see it please."

I do ... and (laughably?) they reply ...
"Thanks for your patience while we got back to you.
Thanks, that helps as we needed to see something specific.
Can you go to your Control Panel > Uninstall applications > Is the Custom Shop here at all listed? If so uninstall anything listed here.
Then retry the reinstall here after the UNinstall if it was there."

Hey. Cut'n'paste something off the crib sheet ... regardless of the email trail with screenshots explaining that's already been done!

GREAT! Progress ==> Resolution = Zero!

My email is full of offers to obtain new Amplitude presets and the Uno Pro.
Why would I consider these when the company producing them demonstrates such poor support of their products ... some of which I have owned since 2017?

Since IKM "Support" don't seem to be able to help, could any of the clever people on KVR suggest how to resolve a problem of an installation program looking for files in the wrong place ... perhaps a Config file or something?

[glokraw]

Assuming you're on windows, Native Instruments have a free tool that will remove a software's install details from the registry, designed I think for issues involving Native Access, found at the bottom of this NI support page:

https://support.native-instruments.com/ ... s-Windows-

After you find and remove any CS registry mentions, manually remove any folders like Program Files (x86)/IK Multimedia/Custom Shop and
Program Files/IK Multimedia/Custom Shop

I would then rename all the folders for IK Product Manager, clear your internet cache,
enpty the trash, shutdown, reboot, and do new downloads and installs of both CS and the Product Manager.

Hope this helps...

[rageix]

I think you're a little too hard on them. I'm not saying you shouldn't feel disappointed, but It sounds like they have tried to help you with basic logical troubleshooting stuff that is the issue 99.9% of the time. Computers, and software, are very complex things and there are a lot of ways they can get screwed up either though user error, malware, component failure, or other reason. Some times things get so screwed up that it's extremely hard to diagnose your random problem because you might be the only one suffering this issue due to some random thing. It's unfortunate but it happens.

Honestly the fastest way to fix this problem is to back up your important docs, wipe your hard drive, reinstall your OS and start over fresh.

[Examigan]

I would try Glokraw's suggestion first.

Wiping a drive and starting over takes quite a while, depending on how much you have installed. If you do that, don't forget to de-authorize any plugins first: IK, iLok, and Arturia plugins, etc.

[yobare]

Can you ask them to send another license? And then remove your old one? i dont know if it will work but if its a license problem mybe it can help?

[Teksonik]

ran into a problem where Custom Shop won't install, apparently confusion as to disk locations

I had the same problem that the Custom Shop wouldn't install on this system. Did you get a "can't find cs2_inst.exe" message ?

I did and what I had to do was manually copy the missing file "cs2_inst.exe" from C:Program Files> IK Multimedia to D: Program files>IK Multimedia.

Apparently the Custom Shop wants to install on the C Drive but since Amplitude 5 was installed on the D: drive it got confused. Their product manager is a bit wonky.

[GusGranite]

ran into a problem where Custom Shop won't install, apparently confusion as to disk locations

I had the same problem that the Custom Shop wouldn't install on this system. Did you get a "can't find cs2_inst.exe" message ?

I did and what I had to do was manually copy the missing file "cs2_inst.exe" from C:Program Files> IK Multimedia to D: Program files>IK Multimedia.

Apparently the Custom Shop wants to install on the C Drive but since Amplitude 5 was installed on the D: drive it got confused. Their product manager is a bit wonky.

Same. There’s a bug in the Custom Shop installer that always looks for C:drive path even if you have set it to install on a different drive.

OP issue might be different though as they are trying to install to C:?

[Teksonik]

Well he does mention "drive confusion" which is what happened here:

and ran into a problem where Custom Shop won't install, apparently confusion as to disk locations

Anyway the solution worked for me we'll just have to see if he was getting the same missing file message.

As for being too hard on IK "Support" the times I've had to deal with them I've gotten the impression whoever I was communicating with had never used their software so yea their support has been pretty pathetic in my experience.

That's why I always laugh at "Open a Ticket" as if it's some kind of universal solution.

[Hink]

tek did you ever bring it to peter's attention?

[Teksonik]

It's been so long ago I don't remember for sure but I believe he was aware of my dissatisfaction at the time.

All I do remember for sure is "open a ticket" has not been a solution for me in the past. Others I'm sure had good service and I think support can handle things like registration and sales issues but in my experience giving them anything technical to solve has been futile. I won't bother opening another ticket unless it's the very last resort.

One simply needs to read the OP in this thread and the fact that the issue has drug on for nine weeks without solution causing a paying customer to come here and ask for help from the community to get a sense of IK's "support".

I've always found IK's decision to allow their sales and marketing guy to post here but not anyone from the tech department who could actually solve issues without the need for multiple users to submit support tickets for the same issue a source of frustration. But it is what it is.

Anyway I had the same problem or at least a similar problem with the Custom Shop not installing because of drive confusion as the OP had and found a solution so maybe that solution will work for him as well. We'll have to wait and see.

[TobyB]

I have done all the legwork myself Rageix, and told IKM "Support" about it ... but useless suggestions to try things already done have been the "Support" offered.

Thanks Teksonik & GusGranite for the suggestion of copying the .exe file ... I am fairly sure I have tried something along these lines already ... but it sounds like you have had a similar problem, and found a solution ... so I'll go back and try what you suggest (and variations on that theme) as it sort of fits with my interpretation of the potential problem, which is why I was pondering whether there was some sort of config file to set directories correctly in.

And yes, it's not a good reflection on IK Multimedia (a very poor one in fact) to find someone else who's also found ... "my experience giving them anything technical to solve has been futile. I won't bother opening another ticket unless it's the very last resort."

I'll report back! B)

[Teksonik]

Good luck, hope that works for you. This is the file I had to copy to the D: drive even though the Custom Shop installed on the C: drive. I kept getting a pop up message that the cs2_inst.exe file could not be found and was missing from the D: drive. It's probably because I installed Amplitube 5 on the D: drive since that's where my VST plugins folder is on this system. Everything installed fine on my studio system since it only has the single C: drive.

CS 050121-1.png

[TobyB]

The idea is good Teksonik ... and just had an email from IKM suggesting something along these lines.
No success ... YET ...
Problem apparently is that I have the installer custom_shop_2.0.0.exe copied to locations on the C: and D: drives ... but not this elusive cs2_inst.exe file which it unpacks. Perhaps I need a copy of that direct from IKM? That's my next line ...

[TobyB]

Well - reporting back. EVENTUALLY got it sorted ...
Uninstalling the failed installation in Settings/Apps and having a copy of the installer in IKM folders on both drives didn't work.
Uninstalling, then deleting instances of Custom_Shop_2.0.exe from the IKM folders on the C: and D: drives, then running CCleaner to clean the disk and also to repair the Registry.  Re-starting the PC, copying new instances of Custom_Shop to both the C: & D: drive then re-running CCleaner again (disk and registry options) ...
(Just cleaning the registry, or just the disk, with or without a restart wasn't sufficient ...)
Finally it worked! Yea!!!
It appears it's installers were finding or leaving traces of pathways or something?
Paul Hudson, Service / Support Manager, intervened, and offered a remote connection to get it sorted ... thankfully not needed, but IKM clearly can "up their game", which is good to know.
He also told me "the option to install the Custom Shop wherever a user likes is being corrected in a future upcoming update to prevent this from occurring at all." ... which is also encouraging ...

[glokraw]

Might be a good time for IK to update or create new 'best practices' FAQ's
for their new install-manager's era. What might make sense to new customers might
not fit the new arrangements and requirements. A guide for manual installation
might also be helpful for those wanting less than the full install at the first go.
Cheers