XMetaL® XMAX™ 7.0 Install Readme

Installation Notes

These installation notes cover the following XMetaL XMAX installations:

Choosing an installation method

The installer lets you choose how to install XMAX.

  • If you want to use XMAX on the computer you are currently using, click Install XMAX. This option installs XMetaL XMAX, the WritingTools spellchecker, and all the dictionaries.
  • If either of the following conditions applies, click Copy the XMAX CAB file to a network server:
    • You are an administrator of a web server and would like to have a copyof the XMAX CAB file on your web server for your users to download
    • You are an administrator of a LAN and would like to provide a copy of the XMAX CAB file on your network for your users to download

Note: Do not download and execute the XMAX CAB file on a machine with XMAX installed from the CD. This will cause problems with the uninstallation process.

Desktop Installation

The installer includes the following components:
  • XMetaL XMAX 7.0
  • WritingTools 10.0 Spell Checker
  • WritingTools 10.0 Dictionaries

System requirements


  • Microsoft Windows XP*, Vista, 7 (32-bit and 64-bit), or Server 2008

    * Support for Windows XP will be deprecated after this version of XMetaL XMAX.

  • Pentium 133 MHz processor
  • 128 MB of available RAM (256 MB recommended)
  • An internet connection with port 443 open (or a LAN conncetion for on-site XMLS configurations)
  • Color display with a minimum resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher
  • Minimum 250 MB of disk space (800 MB recommended)
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 6.00.2600.0000 or later
  • MSXML v3.0 (Msxml3.dll, version 8.00.7820.0 or later)

Special note for Windows Vista and Windows 7 installations: If you are installing the software from a Limited User account, you must provide an Administrator ID and password in order to run the XMetaL XMAX installer.

Third-party software

Installing Microsoft Internet Explorer

At the start of the XMAX installation, you will be warned if the Internet Explorer is not installed, or if the version that is installed is an older incompatible version, and you will be given the option to install it.

You can also go to the Web site http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.htm and download the latest version of Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is language-specific; if you are using a non-English version of Windows, make sure that you download the version (plus service pack if required) that applies to your system.

Updates to MSIE

Microsoft regularly provides updates to their software. We strongly recommend that you visit Microsoft's web site to get any patches or updates to Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Installing Microsoft XML (MSXML) Parser Technology

XMAX uses MSXML to enable DTD validation. If you do not have the correct version of this DLL installed, the installer will warn you and give you the option to automatically install it. You can also launch the MSXML Parser Installer from the Web site http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324460/en-us.

Installing Microsoft Windows Script

XMAX depends on Windows Script v5.0 or greater being available for miscellaneous functions. This is normally automatically installed when you install Microsoft Internet Explorer. You can also launch the Windows Script Installer from the Web site http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/.

Before you begin

You must remove all previous versions of XMetaL XMAX before you install this version.

Uninstalling XMAX on a local machine

You can uninstall XMAX from Add/Remove Programs on the Control Panel. No repair or change options are available.

This removes all product files (except for files that exist in the WINSYS folder and which may be shared by other products), product shortcut icons, and product registry settings that were created when the product was first installed.

Other types of User Data, which might be files that were created directly by the user or that contain user preferences that a customer may wish to re-use in a later version installation, are not removed at uninstallation time. If you wish to remove them you must remove them manually after uninstallation has completed.

To uninstall XMAX

  1. Choose Settings from the Start menu, and then Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
  3. Select XMetaL XMAX.
  4. Click Change/Remove.
  5. Click OK to uninstall the complete product.

Silent installer

You can install XMetaL XMAX silently from the command line. If you obtained a single .exe file (sometimes referred to as the "web installer") you need to unpack it to obtain the "real" installer as follows:
Note: If you obtained XMetaL XMAX on CD you can skip this section.

  1. Run the installer's .exe file.
  2. When you are prompted for a location to unpack the installer to, specify a location you can easily locate and interact with at a command prompt.
  3. The installer will be unpacked to the location you specified and the dialog box should say "Extracting Files" (or something similar). You will know all files have been unpacked when the "real" installer has launched itself and is displaying a splash screen with the XMetaL logo and options similar to the following:
    • View Installation Guide
    • Install XMetaL XMAX
    • Exit
  4. Terminate this process once all files have been unpacked by selecting the Exit option.
  5. Confirm the location you specified in step 2 contains a number of folders and files, including a file called setup.exe and possibly a file called autorun.inf among others. These files and folders are what you would obtain if you obtained the product on CD.

You will need to use the XMetaL XMAX.msi file under the xmetal folder to install XMetaL XMAX silently. Using a license file with the silent installer is optional. If the license file is named xmetal.lic and is placed in the same folder as the XMetaL XMAX.msi file, the installer will automatically use it. Use the XMETAL_LICENSE_PATH parameter when a license file is not in the same folder as the MSI file or the name of the license file is not xmetal.lic. If a license file is not used, the XMETAL_LICENSE_PATH is not required. The license file is provided by JustSystems or by your system administrator.

Use the following syntax to silently install: 
msiexec /i "path of XMetaL XMAX.msi file" /qn XMETAL_LICENSE_PATH=path of license file
Note: The XMETAL_LICENSE_PATH parameter is required only when the license file is not in the same folder as the MSI file or the name of the license file is not xmetal.lic.
Use the following syntax to silently uninstall: 
msiexec /x "path of XMetaL XMAX.msi file" /qn
To get more options pertaining to the silent installation, run msiexec in another Command Prompt without any options.
Note: If you wish to use the copy of XMetaL XMAX on another computer, you will need to unregister XMetaL XMAX before uninstalling. See Licensing and Product Registration.

CAB Installation

Copying the XMAX CAB file to a network server

To copy the XMAX CAB file to a network server

  1. Run the downloaded .exe file (or setup.exe if you received XMAX on disk) from Windows Explorer or from the Windows Run dialog.
  2. Click Copy the XMAX CAB file to a network server.
  3. When prompted, specify the destination for the XMAX CAB file. This can be a folder on a network computer or a folder on the web server.

To deploy the XMAX CAB file

  1. Create a container application for XMAX that requests the CAB file. See the XMetaL Developer documentation for more information about how to do this.
  2. Deploy the container application. This may involve distributing .exe files to clients, or copying a HTML page to a network computer or web server.
  3. Run the container application. The CAB file is downloaded and executed on the client.

Note: Do not download and execute the XMAX CAB file on a machine with XMAX installed from the CD. This will cause problems with the uninstallation process.

Copying the XMetaL Writing Tools installer to a network server

To copy the XMetaL Writing Tools Installer to a network server

  1. Run the downloaded .exe file (or setup.exe if you received XMAX on disk) from Windows Explorer or from the Windows Run dialog.
  2. Click Copy the XMetaL Writing Tools Installer to a network server.
  3. When prompted, specify the destination for the XMetaL Writing Tools Installer. This can be a folder on a network computer or a folder on the web server.

Deploying the Writing Tools to client machines

To deploy the Writing Tools to users' systems, you must provide your own mechanism. You can use the property [myXMControl].IsSpellCheckerInstalled to determine whether or not you need to install the Writing Tools, and the method [myXMControl].ShowSpellChecker to start the writing tools if they are already installed.

Note: Prior to installing the Writing Tools on client machines, you must have already installed the Visual Studio 6.0 runtime DLLs. They can be downloaded from the Microsoft Website http://download.microsoft.com/download/vc60pro/Update/1/W9XNT4/EN-US/VC6RedistSetup_enu.exe.

Note: Vista deployments are not recommended using the stand-alone Writing Tools installer. The spell checker's functionality will be limited and end-users will be required to have administrator privileges and/or UAC turned off.

Removing the XMAX CAB file

To remove the XMAX CAB file from a network computer or web server

  • Delete the file from its location

To remove an XMAX CAB file downloaded to a client machine

  1. From Microsoft Internet Explorer, click Tools -> Internet Options...
  2. Click the General tab
  3. In the Temporary Internet files area of the dialog box, click Settings...
  4. In the Temporary Internet files folder area of the dialog box, click View Objects...
  5. Right-click on XMetaL XMAX, and select Remove from the menu that appears.

Licensing and Product Registration

Registering XMetaL XMAX is required in order for the software to be fully licensed. The license information required for registration is provided by a license file, or by a licensing server at your company.

When XMetaL XMAX is asked to load a XML file without a full license, you will be prompted with three options:
  • I have a license file - Allows you to insert a license file. Choose this option if you have been supplied with a license file. Possible names for the license file include xmetal.lic and XMLS.lic.
    Note: The system administrator can generate a license file, XMLS.lic, from the on-site XMetaL Licensing Server (XMLS).
  • My company has a licensing server - Allows you to enter information in order to connect to an on-site licensing server. Note, this option is not compatible with previous the FLEXlm-based concurrent license server option that was available for XMAX.

Regardless of how the software may be registered, uninstalling the software will attempt to unregister the software from an XMetaL License Server. Note that this action requires a https connection to be successful.

If you want to unregister XMetaL XMAX manually, invoking the following command-line: 

regsvr32 /u XMControl.dll

If the software is not unregistered successfully and you are using direct licensing, you will need to contact JustSystems and ask to have this computer's license revoked by providing the machine name.

If you are running your own XMetaL License Server (XMLS), you may revoke the license from within the XMLS server yourself.

Known issues

"Registration failed" message displayed

Confirm your CPU has a working internet connection and check that there a firewall is not blocking Tcp/ip port 443 as this port (https) is used by XMAX to communicate with a XMetaL license server.

Also check you have unused licenses available to allocate. If you have a XMetaL License server on-site, check with your IT administrator. Otherwise, contact XMetaL Support.

Installing XMAX without Administrative privileges

The XMAX Setup program warns you if you do not have sufficient privileges to perform the installation (e.g., if you are logged in as a normal or restricted user). The solution is to install XMAX on Windows by logging in as a User who has Administrative privileges.

Stand-alone WritingTools installation works only for end-users with Administrative privileges

If the spellchecker feature is deployed using the stand-alone WritingTools installer, end-users need administrator privileges to perform spellchecks. This stand-alone deployment mechanism isn't recommended for Windows Vista users.

Anti-virus program interference

Anti-virus programs sometimes interfere with the installation process, causing the installer to hang, usually within a short time after it starts up. If you encounter this problem, and you have any type of anti-virus program installed on your PC, disable it while you are installing XMAX.

Multiple installations on the same machine

Multiple installations of XMAX on a single machine are not supported.

To prevent multiple installations, installers that call the XMAX installer must be well-configured. When distributing an installer (or uninstaller) that includes the XMAX installer, you should configure your installer as follows:

  • Do not install XMAX if it is already installed
  • Do not uninstall XMAX if there is another application on the local machine that requires XMAX as a component

Removing installation displays 'Error 1730' message on Windows Vista

If a remove or repair operation is initiated but left unattended for a period of time pending additional user input, the installer will display an message noting error code 1730. This is a known issue with the Windows Vista operating system. Please don't leave the install process unattended to get around this issue.