Install Fail on Flex 08 - setup crashes already when it is installing the Sql server

Captive Engineer

Hello.

Having reviewed several months of the posts in this forum, it appears that I am the first to say that I have never had so much trouble installing Flex on any previous version (going back to '04) as I have had on '08.

My computer:
Windows XP, SP3
1.73 GHz processor
2.0 GB of RAM
25 GB hdd space available on 75 GB hdd
Display adapter: ATI Mobility Radeon X600

Previously, I have successfully used Flex 05 and 07 on this machine.

I have uninstalled both previous versions and have used the CleanupSupportTool, the most recent Cleanup version being provided today by Siemens tech support.

Using the standard installation (stick the DVD in and click Yes, I Accept, OK, I'm-OK-Your-OK wherever appropriate), the install procedure installed the first time some MSDE and SQL Express stuff and then proceeded to the actual Flex '08 installation. This it seemed to perform just fine up to some point during the install of additional components. And it appears to be during the install of the Simulator program that the installer has failed in the6to 8 install attempts. (There's an old saw in here about the definition of insanity.)

At the point of failure, a very helpful dialog appears on the screen captioned with the word, "Setup." The dialog box reads:

The following program could not be installed:
SIMATIC WinCC flexible 2008
Setup cannot complet the installation.

When I click OK on this box, another window pops up to tell me that the install was not successful (uh-huh, thank you) and that I should examine the read-me file. Having looked at the read-me file, I conclude that the person who came up with that last very informative screen directing me to the read-me file was being perhaps a bit arrogant and/or lazy.

Then again, I'm sure I should not be too hasty. The one common thread in all of my failed interactions with this software is me. So, would someone please offer me an explanation of where I am erring.

Thanks,
The Captive Engineer