IMatch2020 - can't get it to load

[hamishr]

I have purchased the upgrade to Imatch2020, and installed it. When I try to launch it, the mouse icon shows that blue circle animation to indicate that the computer is busy but then this disappear after a few seconds and nothing else happens. No process appears in Windows Task Manager. A soft reboot doesn't help.  I haven't had this problem with other program upgrades or installations but it yet might be a Windows issue. I just want to check that the problem is not IMatch-related.

[Mario]

1. Reboot your computer once
2. Show us the log file IMatch creates. You can find it in the TEMP folder. ZIP and attach.
3. Make sure your virus-checker is not blocking IMatch
4. Close other applications and retry

[hamishr]

1. I have rebooted.
2. The only log file is the one that was created when I used Imatch2019 before upgrading; i.e. Imatch is not being loaded at all.
3. I have specifically checked the Imatch6 directory with Windows Defender and there were no issues.
4. I have retried without success.

Furthermore, following a guide I came across, I have checked Windows security permissions and they seem to be all OK. I have also uninstalled Imatch2020, downloaded a fresh version and re-installed it, with no success.

However, I have made some progress by opening Windows Event Viewer and then running IMatch. It gave Application Error 1005 and 1000 and the Information from Windows Error Reporting was as follows:

Fault bucket 1279326938297018523, type 4
Event Name: APPCRASH
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0

Problem signature:
P1: IMatch2020x64.exe
P2: 20.2.0.2
P3: 5e56a1a3
P4: IMatch2020x64.exe
P5: 20.2.0.2
P6: 5e56a1a3
P7: c000001d
P8: 00000000000bbbe5
P9:
P10:

Attached files:
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERF0CA.tmp.dmp
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERF30D.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERF38B.tmp.xml
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERF398.tmp.csv
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERF407.tmp.txt

These files may be available here:
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_IMatch2020x64.ex_b05fdaf76381bb784911c187c0ebc7d75298d4_f7d83557_a757a12f-cf30-42a9-85aa-4381099c4526

Analysis symbol:
Rechecking for solution: 0
Report Id: 16751c12-8d06-43d1-9601-4f3f9db4e500
Report Status: 268435456
Hashed bucket: 96be6faf8a4535c561c115127cc8289b
Cab Guid: 0

Let me know if you want any of the files mentioned.
Thanks, Hamish

[Mario]

Did you consider the changed hardware requirements? Are you using a very old PC perhaps, without AVX support?

The minimal hardware requirements for IMatch have been announced several months back in this community thread.

Users who are unsure are encouraged to test their system via the free utility provided by me: https://www.photools.com/7438/the-photools-com-system-information-utility/

The requirement for a processor with at least support for AVX for IMatch 2020 is also explained in these places:

1. download page (https://www.photools.com/download/)
2. in the hardware & software requirements (https://www.photools.com/hardware-software-requirements/)
3. on the IMatch 2020 - What's New page: https://www.photools.com/imatch-2020-whats-new/
4. on the Upgrading to IMatch 2020 page: https://www.photools.com/help/imatch/#migrate_imatch2020.htm
5. in the big blue "Your upgrade voucher" box you see when you enter the customer portal.

If your computer uses an old processor (older than about 2011) IMatch 2020 cannot run. It will just crash.

[hamishr]

Dear Mario

I have used the software you have supplied and my hardware checks out fine (all OKs or dashes). Its an Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU G4560 @ 3.50GHz. It was purchased in about 2016 or 2017.

That WER file is attached.

Thanks
Hamish

[Mario]

If IMatch is not even able to create a log file, it is stopped super-early by something external. Opening the log file is the first thing it does.
My bet would be a virus checker or similar.

Have you tried to repair the installation via the Windows control panel?
I don't recall a similar support case ever so I have no advice for you.

[hamishr]

Dear Mario

Sorry, I didn't interpret the output from your hardware program correctly - there is a dash next to AVX and AVX2 so clearly my computer is not up to the job. I use Adobe Creative Cloud, which is quite hardware demanding so I assumed my computer would be fine. I use IMatch on a nearly daily basis so I have to have the 2020 upgrade, so I will need to upgrade my computer. No regrets, it was inevitable.

Thank-you for your help in resolving this matter.

[Mario]

Another mystery solved, then.

I'm sure Adobe with their vast teams of programmers in India is able to produce different versions of their customer-facing applications, and complex installers which check the hardware and then install a dynamically packed version of the software to run on whatever consumer hardware they have to run on. I cannot. I don't have large teams of developers or dedicated departments which only do installer software...

One edition of IMatch (and 7 editions of IMatch Anywhere) is all I can handle.
And, on super-old or super slow computers (without AVX) all the hard number crunching the IMatch AI has to do would be no fun for the user anyway. 10 to 100 times slower without AVX!

Note that many Adobe applications run AI code in the dedicated Adobe Sensei cloud, not on your local computer. This allows them to do the hard number crunching on their servers and to reduce the hardware requirements for their user-facing software. But that of course creates other problems, like massive legal issues considering GDPR and other laws.

[Karlchen]

Its an Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU G4560 @ 3.50GHz. It was purchased in about 2016 or 2017.

The G4560 was released in January 2017. But its no AVX support ;(
You could do a small CPU Upgrade. Which mainboard do you have? An Intel Core i3-8100 could fit and has according to this site AVX2 support:
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/126688/intel-core-i3-8100-processor-6m-cache-3-60-ghz.html?q=BX80684I38100
According to ebay a used one costs about ~50-70 EUR.

[hamishr]

Thank-you @Karlchen, that's useful to know, I will look into it. It sounds like a good option.