GE PAC VER 9.8 "Downloading Runtime" Hangs up

Hello,

Occasionally, i get the dreaded PAC Machine edition "doesn't want to play today" headache...In the Navigator >HMI (Rt Click) >Down Load and Start (doesn't work)...

Expecting to see HMI graphics 2 hr warning pop up (since i dont have HMI hardware with me) but it doesn't.


I get message Box "Build IN Progess"..."Shutting down View Runtime"

Anyone ever witness this, and find a solution?

There is something about the project that PME doesn't like. First thing to do is make sure you're at the highest available SIM for your version and upgrade to it if you're not. If that doesn't work you'll probably need to uninstall/reinstall PME.
Does PME also crash if you try to validate the project without downloading?

Follow up: I misinterpreted your statement about "Shutting down View Runtime", thinking that you meant PME was crashing. My response was based on that misinterpretation.

The real issue is that for some reason PME thinks that the View runtime application is still running. Are you trying to download to a Quick Panel or to a PC? Try to manually stop the View runtime on the QP or PC before attempting the download. Also, make sure you can ping the device that's running the View runtime from the device that's running PME.

Rebooting the device with the View runtime might resolve it.

Thanks Steve for your advice...

"Are you trying to download to a Quick Panel or to a PC?" - Since i shipped the Quick Panel and RT license with it, i had to download to PC (laptop) helps to have multiple screens attached to Laptop to see things.

"Try to manually stop the View runtime on the QP or PC before attempting the download". - Do you mean like what i did below? I didn't notice the RT running at all, (Green donut) ...but..I had completely shutdown PACME and rebooted laptop... (still didn't help).

But what I found out this morning, this seems to be related to the OPC server...they way i found out I Clicked on the RUNTIME OPC driver diagnostics, it sits at the bottom in Windows taskbar next to the running PAC ME toolbar...Its reads similar to Windows system log...shows level, date, and time, Source, and event. The log had many question marks (yellow Triangle) on <SOURCE> PAC View Integrated OPC Driver Configuration <EVENT > Close Request Ignored to 1 active connection(s)

I opened up Windows Task Manager again. Then shutdown the ME Executable (32 bit) and Server Configuration (32 bit) (2) (it didn't say OPC server)
I restarted the "PAC ME" and noticed the "Server Configuration" restarted then the "ME Executable in the Windows task manager.

I opened up the PAC ME program then did a "download and start" and then the Runtime started up (Green donut Runtime Circle toolbar at bottom)...hope this isn't a fluke and it just happened to work, but we'll try this again, if it happens again...

Follow up:

After shutting down and powering off laptop yesterday, this morning when i started the PAC ME and tried to do a >Download and Start< the same thing happened.

So i did what I did yeterday: <Opened up Windows Task Manager and deleted the running PAC ME and Server. Then restarted the PAC ME program and then >Download and Start< ...Still same issue...What i rembered and what i forgot to mention was to reboot the laptop after deleting the PAC ME and Server in Task manager.

After rebooting laptop and restarting PAC ME then >Download and Start< worked!

The highest version of Proficy Machine Edition I have is 9.5. I believe version 9.8 came out after GE sold the product line to Emerson. So some of the details of my comments may not exactly match what you see on your screen.

When you download and start, are you setting the "Use Simulation" property of the HMI target to True? Or are you making the HMI the active target and downloading to your laptop's IP address? If either case, are you enabling the I/O. If you are enabling the I/O, are you connected to a PLC?

I'm wondering if the problems you're seeing have something to do with communications between the HMI and the PLC and the way the communications driver is set up to handle when the PLC doesn't respond.

Also wondering if the problems might be due to trying to make your Windows (Windows 7?, Windows 10?, Windows 11?) laptop behave like a Windows CE machine.