In XP Mode on Windows 7, after installing application as like I would normally on an actual XP system, application will not start in windows XP mode itself.

Question

Just did a clean install of windows 7.  I then downloaded windows XP mode and Windows Virtual Mode.  Everything ran flawlessly and everything is updated.  I needed to Install a program called Dentrix 10.5 which can only be installed on Windows
XP for numerous reasons and one including it needing to use Microsoft .NET 1.0.  I installed this program on Windows XP Mode as I would as if I were installing it with a computer with windows XP.  The Install of the program went fine and completed.
 Still being in Windows XP Mode I wanted to see how it would run.  I hit Start Menu, All Programs, Startup Programs, and clicked on the Dentrix Application.  Once I clicked it the time glass on the  mouse was there for a few seconds and
then went away without the application starting up at all.  One thing that I'm thinking is why after I clicked Start Menu, All programs, is why was Dentrix not in its own folder and instead in the Startup programs after All programs?  Any Ideas how
to get the program to run?  Like I said, I am trying to run the program in Windows XP Mode and not Windows 7 as I have found many Q's and A's on only how to do that.  Also this is the second application which I downloaded and the first being Microsoft
Security Essentials so I know I don't have some virus from keeping from opening the Dentrix Application.  Incase you are wondering the Microsoft Security Essentials opens and runs fine in Windows XP Mode.  So Pretty Much My Main question is: Why
my application not starting up in Windows XP Mode?  Any help is greatly appreciated! 

Answer 1

Once I clicked it the time glass on the mouse was there for a few seconds and then went away without the application starting up at all.
A couple times a week I open Dentrix 11.0 in a virtual machine on Windows 7. I experience the same thing almost every time I open the VM. I must first get Windows to "reconnect" my network for me. Do this by opening Start | My Computer, and
double-click on the mapped network drive leading to the Dentrix data. After I can see the Dentrix data drive, Dentrix will be able to read it too and will open correctly.
In Dentrix, seeing nothing (or briefly seeing a hourglass and then seeing nothing) is a classic sign that either:
- The database files are marked as Read Only
- The program cannot access the data files (probably the folder it is pointed to does not contain any data).
- Or possibly the database path does not point to the right location where the data files are located
Open the folder where you installed the program files of Dentrix (probably c:\program files\dentrix\) and double-click to run EP.EXE. The database path will be revealed. You can "Browse" to the correct location, and "OK" through the dialog to
close them. Then try opening Dentrix again.
Should that not work, open Start | My Computer, and try to open the path (starting with the drive letter, then the folder structure you saw in EP.EXE).
By the way, if your path uses UNC (starting with two back-slashes and then the computer name of the server), you'll need to map a network drive and replace your path with a mapped drive path. (Map a drive in Start | My Computer | Tools | Map Network
Drive). Dentrix really doesn't like UNC paths.
Dentrix 10.5 can only be installed on Windows XP
Microsoft .NET 1.0
Just FYI, Microsoft .Net Framework 1.0 is required only for the "Time Clock" feature of Dentrix. Windows 7 already has .NET Framework features up to version 3.5 built in, and Time Clock (in my experience) works great under Windows 7 without installing
.NET 1.0.
Have you tried installing directly in Windows 7? I have a specific reason why I don't (I have a newer version of Dentrix installed on my Win 7 machine, and use the VM to go back to an older database occasionally - so I can't mix two different program versions
on the same machine). If you were to try installing this program under Windows 7 directly, Dentrix will launch the Microsoft .NET Framework install after the Dentrix install is completed. Just cancel out at that point (Windows will probably give you an "incompatibility"
error message anyway before allowing the install to go through) and I believe you can run it under Windows 7. That might eliminate the networking-through-the-VM issue. So, if you have no other reason not to install Dentrix on your Windows 7 machine directly,
I'd try it. You might be surprised and if it works, you'd save yourself some headache with connecting the to network through the virual machine.
Is why was Dentrix not in its own folder and instead in the Startup programs after All programs?
During the installation, on the Select Program Folder screen, you must have clicked the "Startup" option under Existing Folders. By default, "Dentrix" will be typed into the box at the top. If you simply clicked Next, it would have gone
to the correct location. The screen is a little confusing, because something in the list will be highlighted by default, but what is typed into the box at the top will actually be used.