[IT Support NDL]

You announced ActivDriver 5.12.17 a month ago. Great. However, I’d like to understand what it fixes or improves. Is there a release note available somewhere that you could share?
Thks.

[Anonymous]

Hi and thanks for posting,

ActivDriver 5.12.17 was released to add in both Windows 10 and Mac OSX El Capitan.

I hope this answers your questions. If we can be of any further assistance please let us know.

Kind Regards,
Paul

Promethean Technical Support

(Support Case: 613112)

[Anonymous]

no improvements nor bufixes for Mavericks? No need to upgrade then. Correct?

[Anonymous]

Hello,

Thank you for your post.

We always advise you to upgrade you to the latest driver as if you have any issue it would be the first thing we would ask.

Depending on the version of Maverick you have there may be some fixes built into the new driver.

Thank you,

Craig

[Anonymous]

OK. Interesting. Your answers now differ. 
We run Mavericks 10.9.5 and we haven’t had any issue with our current driver version 5.10.15.
Do you recommend to upgrade to 5.12.17?  
Can you elaborate what you mean by “Depending on the version of Maverick you have there may be some fixes built into the new driver”?

[Anonymous]

Hi, apologies for the confusion.

Each version of ActivDriver release contains bug fixes and updates for hardware which are not always OS specific so we advise staying up to date.

If you have no current problems with your hardware or software then you do not “need” to update however if you were to have any issues we would advise updating this first to see if the issue is rectified.

For example, we have released a new digital pen that can be used with our new ActivPanels and ActivBoard Touch series, these require ActivDriver 5.11 or later.

So in short, we always advise to update, however if you have no problems you are fine to stay as you are, updating when you run into any issues.

If we can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to get back in touch.

Kind Regards,
Paul

Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

OK thanks.

Providing Release Note would greatly improve our experience as System Administrator/Local Support for our users, and avoid confusion and waste time.

It is as if you were ashamed to document your improvements or bugfixes. 

Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

For you convenience, please see release notes from your current installed version to present:

*******************************************
ActivDriver 5.12.17 – Release Notes 22/10/2015

---

– L-series auto-calibration improvement
– Add support for OS X El Capitan (Windows 10 supported without changes)

ActivDriver 5.12.9 – Release Notes 10/08/2015

---

– All: Add support for L-series board diagnostics
– All: Add support for L-series firmware update
– Mac & Win: Replace FlashBridge with ActivRelay, a websocket bridge.
– Mac & Win: Standardise look & feel of the installer.

ActivDriver 5.11.7 – Release Notes 27/02/2015

---

– All: Fix calibration issues on ABT6 & AP2
– All: Add support for hid enabled AB500.
– All: Add pen proximity settings for bluetooth pens.
– Mac: HID event redirection fix for Yosemite.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. Where can I find those release notes from? Why aren’t they included in the .dmg or .zip of ActivDriver?
Why do I have to spend that time to get such basic information?

[Anonymous]

Hi,

We have taken action thanks to your feedback and the release notes will now be published on out new support site https://support.prometheanworld.com/

Please find a direct link below:

https://support.prometheanworld.com/files/public/pdfs/ActivDriver%20Readme%20v5.12.17.txt

If we can be of any further assistance please let us know.

Kind Regards,
Paul

Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

Can’t find the release notes on the SUPPORT site – just a few ‘highlights’ and bug fixes. Please put the link to the release notes on the page! Thanks. https://community.prometheanworld.com/community/topics/release-notes-for-activinspire-2-5-66477-released-10-december-2015

[Anonymous]

I upgraded to Apple’s newest version of OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) last
night.  Today, the driver isn’t working.  Help!  Any predicted date for
the updated driver for El Capitan?

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

The latest driver is already available at https://support.prometheanworld.com/product/activdriver

Please let us know if you require further details.

Thank you

Miguel
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

Is there anyway to get the latest version of ActivDriver to work without disabling SIP on El Cap?

[Anonymous]

I can’t get it to open after download!

[Anonymous]

The up-to-date version 5.12 ActivDriver will work without the need to disable System Integrity Protection in OS X.

be advised that you will need to remove any previously installed ActivDriver on the computer prior to installing that updated driver.

[Anonymous]

If you are receiving any error messages when installing the ActivDriver, can you let us know the text of those messages or provide a screenshot?

[Anonymous]

What version of the Suite does 5.12 come in?

[Anonymous]

V5.12 does not appear in any Suite at the moment.

[Anonymous]

Ok then that would be the issue. Where can I get just the driver then? When downloading from Promethean Planet, I don’t see that option.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

The latest driver can be obtained from https://support.prometheanworld.com/product/activdriver

Thank you

Miguel
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

Having read all this and seen the recommended method for deploying across a network/domain, it seems like a massive step backwards to have to use a script with silent switches to deploy when previous versions of the ActivInspire suite included an MSI which any good technician knows is far easier and simpler to deploy!

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Note that ActivInspire comes with MSI’s and all normal MSI switches work and is included with v5.11 driver.

ActivDriver v5.12 and above will no longer use Microsoft Installer technology, instead they will use a cross platform cross operating system install technology called BitRock.

Thank you

Miguel
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

So going forward on the Mac, we need to install the Suite then uninstall the driver, and finally re-install the 5.12 driver? That seems a little counterproductive.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

We are currently working on the next version of ActivInspire which will have El Capitan support this will come without the driver so the 2 will be able to be updated independently.

We do not have a final date for this as yet.

Kind Regards,
Paul

Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

The driver for Mac 10.11.2 downloads as a zip.  Mac doesn’t know how to handle zip files.  It should download as an executable installer, which it doesn’t.  HELP!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Thank you for your post.

Note that Mac 10.11 has got a built in Archiver which handles .zip files natively.

Apple’s operating system CREATES zip files.

The method to install on a MAC is to unzip the contents using the built in Archiver.

Please let us know if you require further details.

Kind regards,

Miguel
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

Where is the driver for Mac 10.11.2? The one I saw said OSX 10.8-10.11.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

That link has our latest ActivDriver which covers OSX 10.8 – 10.11.
This includes any point releases (ie. 10.8.5/10.11.2) as well.

Thank you

Miguel
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

I got the new Activboard that has the touch capabilities and I had uninstall the previous drivers to install the current driver due to the El Capitan update. Unfortunately, it did not work. I got this message.

I am able to use my board, but I don’t have the activmgr to be able to calibrate (if I had to). I am not sure what else I need to do.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Did you restart your computer after uninstalling the previous ActivDriver at all?
Please could you ensure that you are logged in with full administrative privileges and try to install the driver again.

Kind regards,
Adam
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

yes.  I tried just copying files but I can’t execute a zip file on a mac!!!

[Anonymous]

Hi Marci,

Please could you advise if you are experiencing the same issue?
Mac El Capitan can open zip files and run the application for the latest driver.
Ensure that you have uninstalled the previous driver and restarted your computer before installation.

Thanks
Adam
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

My Ibook with the updated El Capitan system also stopped working 3 weeks ago.  Is there a fix for this?  Will another driver be released?  I tried the new activ-driver for MAC 10.8-10.11 and I keep getting the message that another driver was loaded using an older utility, remover driver and then install.  I tried this, I even tried removing the complete program and new driver.  Please assist

[Anonymous]

Hi Cristina,

Thanks for posting. After uninstalling the older version of the ActivDriver you will need to reboot your computer before attempting to install the latest version.

Please let us know if you are still having trouble after the reboot.

Kind Regards,
Paul

Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

Why did programmer change from MSI files?
Do you have a script that will uninstall the old drivers and install the new ones?
Working with over 600 teacher laptops, sneakernet is not going to cut it.

[Anonymous]

I keep getting this when trying to install the newest software drivers for Mac:

[Anonymous]

When we have encountered that error message previously (There has been an error***unknown variable msg(app version.error), we have been able to correct that by removing a hidden file called promethean-activdriver.ini from the Mac’s /etc folder.

To view hidden files on the computer you will need to open the Terminal application located in /Applications/Utilities, then type the below commands as they are written:

<br>
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

killall Finder

(to undo this, use the same commands but replace YES with NO)

In a Finder window, choose the Mac’s hard drive; the etc folder will be visible, but faded slightly. Within that folder is the promethean-activdriver.ini file to delete.

After deleting that file, you should be able to install the updated 5.12 ActivDriver without encountering that error.

[Anonymous]

Thanks; will try this tonight after school.
I guess I have to go back into the Terminal after installing and undo the showallfiles.

[Anonymous]

I was able to install the Active Driver, but don’t I need something else?

I don’t see the ActiveInspire icon.

[Anonymous]

I re-installed the software, but alas the pen still does not activate on the board.

I re-installed the legacy Java software, but to no avail.

Each install I re-started the laptop, but the pen still does not respond.

[Anonymous]

My pen is still unresponsive. I installed the drivers then the active software (MACBook Pro 2011, El Captain)

[Anonymous]

Hi Peter,

What model of ActivBoard are you using?  Could you also let us know the version of firmware that shows for it within ActivManager?

We look forward to your reply.

Kind Regards,
Paul

Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

ActivBoard V8.63 Build 2  driver 5.12.17 serial number 080b4410

[Anonymous]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your response.

is the pen not working just in ActivInspire? Or is it just not working at all even on the desktop, for example?

What is the colour of the LED at the top left corner of the ActivBoard?
Does it change colour when the pen touches the ActivBoard?

Thank you

Miguel
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

Only on the ActivInspire; the LED is the nominal white-blue.

[Anonymous]

Hello Peter,

Can you please reset your profile on your computer then do a re-start and see if you can login?

Frances
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

“re-set your profile on your computer”

Do you mean my Promethean Planet Profile?

[Anonymous]

In this case, we would be referring to the resetting of the ActivInspire user profile, which can be done through ActivInspire’s Preferences (ActivInspire > Preferences or by pressing COMMAND + ,).

Regarding the lack of interaction being experienced, please look to the top menu bar of the operating system for the ActivManager where you opened a Control Panel to find the firmware version of the board previously. With a board detected by the driver and displayed in that ActivManager’s Control Panel, you should have the ability to calibrate the pens to the board by click on the ActivManager icon and choosing the ‘Calibration’ option; the 5-point process will work at this point.

If the board is still not responsive afterwards, or if using your pen at the board does not cause the calibration to proceed to the next point, please reach out to our Support Team for more in-depth assistance with this computer and board; they would be able to provide more direct assistance over the phone or through e-mail, and can action any replacements if any warranty-covered hardware is found to be faulty.

[Anonymous]

The LED-calibration does not respond to the pen. when I tried to click the link to the support team it said ‘cannot find the server.’

[Anonymous]

Hi Peter,

Please find an alternative link below :

https://support.prometheanworld.com/contact/

Thank you,

Craig

[Anonymous]

omg! omg!
I owe a student a prize.

The other day a student says, “Try a different pen.”

Well, I did; THE BOARD WORKS.

Maybe I had dropped the pen I used and it chipped off too much of the tip, making it unresponsive to the board.
I don’t use the finger tip option too much, so I never thought about checking that to see.
Thanks!!!

[Anonymous]

If you saw my previous post, I figured out the problem; it was the pen!

[Anonymous]

On our networked iMac machine, the driver was installed using the local
admin and everything works fine but when logged out and another user
logs in with his/her credentials the error “There has been an error (***
unknown variable msg appversion.error ***)” appears. The user account
is a network account binded to our active directory server.

What is wrong?

With
all your previous drivers I never had these problems. It is only with
this new version for El Capitan that these problems are happening.

[Anonymous]

On our networked iMac machine, the driver was installed using the local
admin and everything works fine but when logged out and another user
logs in with his/her credentials the error “There has been an error (***
unknown variable msg appversion.error ***)” appears. The user account
is a network account binded to our active directory server.

What is wrong?

With
all your previous drivers I never had these problems. It is only with
this new version for El Capitan that these problems are happening.

[Anonymous]

Hi Jojo,

Thank you for your reply.

From what you have mentioned, this would be an issue relating to that user account. 
Please ensure that these users have the correct permissions to install.
You will need to ensure that the previous ActivDriver is fully removed from the computer and then restart the MAC before installation of the latest ActivDriver.

If you still experience issues please let us know.

Kind regards,
Adam
Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

I have already done that prior to installing the new driver. I uninstalled the old driver including ActivInspire. Restarted and then reinstalled ActivInspire and the driver.

ActivInspire works but it is the driver I am having issues with.

When logged in as a local administrator on the Mac, the driver works and the icon is green. But when I log it out and someone else logs in, the driver has an x mark on it and doesn’t work. All our teachers accounts are bound to our Active Directory server. They have permission to install but when they try to install the error appears. What we do is we install the driver for them using a local admin account and then log out so they can log in with their account and use it.

In previous versions of the driver, I never experienced this.

Could it be that the new version has an issue with network accounts?

[Anonymous]

Double check your settings. We have the same exact setup as you and do not have issues once a user logs in with their AD credentials.

[Anonymous]

We experimented and discovered on one of our imacs  that if activdriver
is installed on a mac that has been NEWLY formatted and installed with
El Capitan, the driver works properly on both local and network
accounts. However, if the computer has been upgraded to El Capitan from
Yosemite, these problems occur where it works only with the local
account that was used during the install and doesn’t work with any other
account whether local or network. I do not know what causes this.
Perhaps you might have an insight and know what might be causing this so
we can fix this? We have roughly 800+ imacs scattered in our school
originally on Yosemite. A few were updated to El Capitan by some of our
computer-literate teachers while the rest are still on Yosemite. It
would be a nightmare for us to have to reformat all these machines and
reinstall El Capitan just to accomodate the new activdriver that is why
it is a major issue that we find a way to get the driver to work
properly for upgraded  iMacs.

[Anonymous]

I checked the permissions and discovered:

/usr/local/lib

System – Read & Write

Everyone – Read only <- this was set to no access

when I changed this to read only, then activdriver finally worked and was recognized by any user who logged in.

strange for some reason why the permission got changed on imacs that were upgraded to el capitan from yosemite

it
appears that for computers that got upgraded from yosemite to el
capitan this was the case. This behavior was observed to be consistent
on ALL imacs whose OS had been upgraded.

irregardless of
whether the older driver was present/installed or not, as long as it was
an OS upgrade from yosemite this problem occurred.

on computers that were formatted and with freshly installed el capitan, the driver had no issues.

perhaps you might need to do some adjusting on the installer for your activdriver to set the permissions correctly.

thanks.

=================
On Wed, Apr 13, 2016 at 5:32 PM, Promethean Support Community wrote:

Promethean Support Community

Miguel Silva (Tech Support) replied to this problem:

ActivBoard/ActivInspire – pen use intermittently triggers right-click menu

Hi,

Please ensure the permissions on the following folders are as follows:

/Applications/Promethean

System – R & W

Admin – R & W

Everyone – Read only

/usr/local/share/promethean

System – R & W

Everyone – Read only

/Library/LaunchAgents

System – R & W

Everyone – Read only

/usr/local/lib

System – Read & Write

Everyone – Read only

Please let us know the outcome.

Thank you

Miguel

Promethean Technical Support

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to revert back to an older version of ActivInspire.  The latest update is giving me some issues. 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Please download an older version of ActivInspire using the link below:

https://promethean.box.com/activinspire2-4

Please let us know if you require further details.

Thank you

Miguel
Promethean Technical Support

[Author]

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