cronlazersnow.exe won't run

Jeff,

Yes that is what I have also,

Dennis

I wonder if has something to do with a Windows 10 update that has occurred since last season … I’m running out of ideas. #-o

I received a reply from Richard of Porcupine Labs.

From the relative lengthy description of my situation I sent, he does not feel there is anything wrong with my LR4 rangefinder. Quite frankly, I have to agree with him as all his utilities run and work properly.

Although Jeff’s suggestion to send a link to this forum was a good one, I did not as I had already sent my email. And I’m not sure it would help as Richard would have no idea as to the internal workings of cronlazersnow, which is primarily what this discussion is about.

Dennis

there might be another way
where the LRTimelog.exe is run to output the data to a file (which WD reaeds in) instead of to the console
if you run that program from a command DOS prompt and use
LTTimelog.exe → outfile.txt

I just got out an old laptop that I haven’t updated Windows 10 since May of 2018 and cronlazersnow runs properly.

It is Windows 10 Version 1709 Build 16299.125.

I cannot use this laptop as my as my Weather PC but I can use it to test cronlazersnow.

My thought is to now update this laptop to the current version of Windows 10 to confirm my cronlazersnow issue is due to an update. Is there information I should gather to assist troubleshooting before doing the update?

Dennis


I can now confirm, my issue with cronlazersnow occurs after the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, version 1809, is applied.

With version 1803 and prior cronlazersnow works fine. After updating to version 1809 cronlazersnow errors trying to open the USB LR4 rangefinder.

Dennis


there might be another way where the LRTimelog.exe is run to output the data to a file (which WD reaeds in) instead of to the console if you run that program from a command DOS prompt and use LTTimelog.exe -> outfile.txt

Brian,

I guess I was hoping that now that you know there is a problem between your cronlazersnow and the current version of Windows 10, that you might be able figure out how to fix/update cronlazersnow.

In response to your “there might be another way”, I don’t understand how to pursue this.

  • How do I get WD to input outfile.txt especially since it’s output is formated differently.
  • It’s my understanding, that a file from a programs redirected output remains open by the OS until the program ends, so this output file is unavailable until LRTimeLog is ended. So I would have to start/stop LRTimeLog for every reading.
  • LRTimeLog creates its on log file however this, also, is not available until LRTimeLog ends.

Please attempt to update cronlazersnow to be compatible with Windows 10.

Dennis

Please attempt to update cronlazersnow to be compatible with Windows 10.

Windows has made breaking change
I can’t actually perform miracles

what was working, was the ability to be able to share the usb connection, i.e cronlazersnow was piggy backing on the LRTtimelog incoming data flow
windows has it looks like stopped that USB sharing ability
by the looks
and there is not much I can do about that
there might be some setting somewhere in windows (USB settings or similar) that can be tweaked
maybe google?

Is the interface HID or serial?

Niko

It’s HID

MikeyM

I thought Microsoft had pulled 1809 due to lots of problems my laptop still has 1803 on it

Does the order in which the programs are started make any difference ?

You are right - and according to Microsoft the only people to have had problems were those who had “requested” the update before it was offered to them. Moral: never, EVER, select “Check for updates” in Windows Update.

However, I just found this: “On November 13, 2018, we will begin the re-release of the Windows 10 October Update (version 1809), Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server, version 1809. We encourage you to wait until the feature update is offered to your device automatically.”

Here we go again. . .

While I don’t deny the problems (some critical) many experienced from the Windows October v1809 Update, none of the five machines I updated the first day of it’s release, had any issues. Other than cronlazersnow, which I didn’t discover until recently.

That being said, 1809 has been re-released, and admittedly I have noticed more than usual updates occuring on my machines since the initial release.

Now that the October Update is here to stay, it appears the issue with cronlazersnow is/was not part of the October Update bugs, but rather a design change that will be permanent.

For anyone using Windows 10 or newer; this would indicate that WD is no longer a viable solution, for those of us without the skills to program our own, for using the LR4 rangefinder kit for measuring snow.

Dennis

I know this is an old topic, but I just upgraded to a new weather computer running Windows 10 Pro and came across the same problem that people had with a Windows 10 update back in 2018. When I tried to run LRTimelog it advised me that a .dll was missing and the same thing happened with “cronlasersnow.exe”. The 2 .dll’s were VCRUNTIME140.dll and MSVCR100.dll. I copied those 2 .dlls from my Win 7 computer to the “Windows” subdirectoy on the Win 10 computer and now the LR4/414D is working correctly with “cronlasersnow” and LRTimelog. I ran the Laser snow sensor in a test setup indoors for over 1 month with 100% readings. I can’t guarantee that those 2 .ddls will work for everyone, but it was easy to see what .dlls were missing when I tried to run “cronlazersnow” or “LRTimelog” independently.

“cronlazersnow” did run perfectly the entire Winter 2019 - 2020 on a Win 7 pro computer.

Hope this might help someone else that has been trying to run the LR4/414D combination in Win 10.

Cheers

MikeyM

Thanks for the update. Looks like that you have a solution for those running with Windows 10. Good job. Bring on the snow …

MikeyM, What version cronlazersnow.exe are you using? would you please send me a copy.

MikeyM’s description describes an issue very different from the one I was having.

For me there were no error messages, with dll files missing or otherwise. Also Porcupines LRTimeLog.exe always worked, in fact I had it running all last winter recording a txt file of the snowfall. My issue was cronlazersnow stopped communicating with LRTimeLog.exe only after a Windows 10 1809 update.

Dennis

Dennis

Email sent.

MikeyM

First, my apologies for being so late with this update and thanking MikeyM.

MikeyM; thanks for sending me your cronlazersnow file. I replied to your email with a thank you, but the reply bounced and I never followed through.

After giving up on WD’s cronlazersnow for the past couple years, I decided to look at it again. Without changing anything with my setup or files, including not yet testing the file MikeyM sent me, all I did was check USB Lazer Snow Sensor Enabled and Use cronlazersnow.exe in WD on the Setup > Advanced/Misc Settings page.

To my surprise/delight it worked!

My only conclusion is Microsoft backed off the change they made that initially broke it.

Dennis