Can’t install Dorico trial (now can’t start)

MT1 · December 1, 2016, 8:52pm

I’ve installed Steinberg Download Assistant for the purpose of installing the Dorico trial version, but after I start Steinberg Download Assistant, nothing happens, the table to the right is empty, and there is no evident way to install Dorico trial:

Tried under Windows 7 32bit and then in Windows 10 64bit (both in virtual machines under VMware Player), the result is the same in both cases.

The result also doesn’t depend on whether the checkbox for installing some Aria 2 engine is checked during Steinberg Download Assistant installation.

Installing eLicencer (besides Steinberg Download Assistant itself) does not help as well: after I press the “Enter activation code” button and copy/paste the trial key for Dorico received previously via email, it correctly determines that the key is for Dorico trial:

but after pressing the “Continue” button, eLicencer says I need a USB-eLicencer and recommends to ask software supplier on how to obtain a Soft-eLicencer:

So there is probably something wrong with the Windows version of Steinberg Download Assistant itself.

By the way, looks like Steinberg Download Assistant is wrongly declared in its application manifest as DPI-aware while it’s actually not. Note that to provide HiDPI support for an application for Windows, it’s absolutely not enough just to declare the application as DPI-aware, you should really implement HiDPI support by scaling application windows and GUI elements and positioning those according to current system-wise DPI. For example, I use a 4K monitor at Windows-level zoom of 200%, so your Steinberg Download Assistant’s GUI is 4-times smaller than it should be. Given that there is no way for user to disable such false DPI-awareness, such software gets almost unusable. Never declare software as DPI-aware if it’s actually not — that’s pointless and harmful.

dspreadbury · December 1, 2016, 11:08pm

The only cases we’ve found where SDA fails to show any downloads are where the architecture of the system on which it is running doesn’t match the architecture of the software to be downloaded: Dorico is only available in 64-bit, but if you’re running on a 32-bit OS, you won’t see any downloads. We’ve also found that people using Windows 10 Insider Preview builds don’t see any downloads offered, because the Insider builds use a different means of specifying their architecture than the current stable release version of Windows 10.

dspreadbury · December 1, 2016, 11:08pm

The only cases we’ve found where SDA fails to show any downloads are where the architecture of the system on which it is running doesn’t match the architecture of the software to be downloaded: Dorico is only available in 64-bit, but if you’re running on a 32-bit OS, you won’t see any downloads. We’ve also found that people using Windows 10 Insider Preview builds don’t see any downloads offered, because the Insider builds use a different means of specifying their architecture than the current stable release version of Windows 10.

MT1 · December 2, 2016, 1:05am

Thanks, Daniel. Indeed, I tested in Windows 10 Insider Preview (64 bit). Such fragile programming approach is impressive. As far as I know, IsWow64Process() WinAPI function should work consistently (as any WinAPI function) in all Windows versions that support it including Windows 10 Insider Preview. For example, this C++ code works correctly e.g. in Windows XP SP3, Windows 7 Ultimate (32 bit), Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) and the latest Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview build 14971 (64 bit) (all retested just now just in case):

typedef BOOL(WINAPI *LPFN_ISWOW64PROCESS) (HANDLE, PBOOL);

bool isWow64() {
	BOOL bIsWow64 = FALSE;

	LPFN_ISWOW64PROCESS fnIsWow64Process = (LPFN_ISWOW64PROCESS)GetProcAddress(GetModuleHandleW(L"kernel32"), "IsWow64Process");

	if (NULL != fnIsWow64Process) {
		if (!fnIsWow64Process(GetCurrentProcess(), &bIsWow64)) {
			//handle error
		}
	}

	return FALSE != bIsWow64;
}

For now, could you provide a direct link to the Dorico-trial installer, or are you going to fix the SDA bug soon?

Could you confirm Dorico for Windows supports HiDPI and probably provide corresponding screenshots?

By the way, I’ve noticed the only version of Windows specified in system requirements for Dorico is Windows 10. Does this mean Windows 7 is not supported? (I suspect this cannot be truth given the huge market share of Windows 7.)

sspharis · December 2, 2016, 1:48am

Support for Win 7 & 8 is discussed here:

dspreadbury · December 2, 2016, 10:43am

Dorico does indeed support high-DPI displays. Unfortunately I don’t have a high-DPI Windows system here to hand, so I can’t send you any screenshots. Whether or not Dorico supports high-DPI displays, however, has really very little bearing on whether other Steinberg products will support high-DPI displays on Windows in the near future, since Dorico uses the Qt framework, which Cubase and Nuendo do not (though WaveLab also does, in a somewhat different way).

I’m afraid I don’t have direct links to the files downloaded by SDA as yet. As and when I get them, I will share them with you.

fratveno · December 2, 2016, 12:13pm

FWIW, this is a screendump from a 4K portrait display (half the screen)

dspreadbury · December 2, 2016, 12:26pm

The direct download links for the complete Dorico 1.0.10 installation packages are:

Windows

Mac

MT1 · December 2, 2016, 2:56pm

Thanks for the info and links to Dorico installers, Daniel.

Thanks for the screenshot, fratveno. Unfortunately it’s apparently taken at Windows zoom of 100%, so it doesn’t help to determine whether HiDPI is supported. To test HiDPI support, Windows zoom should be higher than 100% — e.g. 150% or 200%, so that we could see whether the application GUI is properly scaled with no blur.

dspreadbury · December 2, 2016, 3:45pm

Dorico’s UI is indeed properly scaled at 125%, 150%, etc. with no blur on high-DPI Windows systems. I guess you won’t take my word for it, but there you go.

MT1 · December 2, 2016, 4:07pm

I appreciate your help, Daniel. Fortunately, I’ve successfully downloaded the Dorico installer via the direct link you’ve kindly provided, so I now also have a chance to have the pleasure of trying it myself.

I’m not sure what you mean, but, Fwiw, I’ve not missed what you’ve said about technical differences like using Qt (and as a hobbyist programmer, I clearly understand what you are talking about). My hopes as for Cubase are just more based on general Steinberg’s direction as for HiDPI: if one Steinberg’s product already supports HiDPI, it would naturally be strange and unexpected for the same-vendor’s another product released later not to support HiDPI.

dspreadbury · December 2, 2016, 4:24pm

As a hobbyist programmer, you will understand that just because Dorico uses Qt, which makes it relatively easy to support high-DPI displays, this doesn’t provide any guidance whatsoever for Steinberg’s other products, which (with the exception of WaveLab) are not based on Qt. Dorico also had the benefit of being designed from the ground up with high-DPI displays in mind, and as such doesn’t use a single bitmap graphic anywhere in its UI: everything is done via typography and via CSS-style painting and shading. Cubase and Nuendo, on the other hand, have UIs that are full of custom-drawn bitmaps and are based on an in-house UI framework. I don’t know enough about the technical details of the framework or the way the UIs are put together in Cubase and Nuendo for it to make sense for me to speculate about what it would take to fully optimise them for high-DPI displays, but I imagine it would be no small amount of work.

MT1 · December 2, 2016, 5:36pm

Well, there is nothing wrong or impossible in dropping the current bitmap-based UI of Cubase and switching to a vector-based one made from scratch. Going to HiDPI and scaleable UI is inevitable, and as 4K monitors get more popular (and 8K monitors are already on the way), HiDPI support will probably become just a matter of being able to meet competition.

Just the fact that such transition isn’t technically simple doesn’t mean it’s unneeded or unreasonable. But as a temporary workaround, Cubase developers could implement at least the relatively trivial nonblurry scaling of the current unchanged bitmap UI by pixel duplication at integer zoom ratios (e.g. 200%, 300%, 400%), so that UI would be mostly sharp, just pixelated instead of being blurry.

The rest part of this message is moved to the thread about HiDPI in Cubase.

Derrek · December 2, 2016, 5:51pm

Wouldn’t Cubase suggestions be most effectively made on the Cubase Forum?

I am as interested as anyone in making my next monitor a 4K (or higher) 40" monitor to show multiple 17x11" orchestral pages at size, so getting higher-def support in Dorico is important to me; but lobbying for Cubase changes here seems to be getting a little off topic even if that topic is worthwhile on the Cubase Forum.

MT1 · December 2, 2016, 5:56pm

You’re basically right, but my latest comment was supposed to be a sort of final one in the Cubase-related subbranch of this thread. Anyway, I’ve now partially moved my Cubase-related comment to the corresponding Cubase-related thread. Thanks for your attention.

fratveno · December 2, 2016, 7:03pm

Well, here it is again, but with W zoom at 150%. There are 4 monitors sharing this desktop, 2 HD, 1 2K and one 4K, so I’m not really sure if W handles this scaling correctly.

MT1 · December 2, 2016, 7:44pm

Looks like there are a bunch of Dorico-related issues. (TL;DR: Activation process is confusing and buggy, and Dorico just does not start in the end.)

When I’ve first tried to install Dorico under Windows 10 Insider Preview 64 bit via the “Start Installation.exe” file, and it has asked me whether to install the current offline installer or search for update, I’ve chosen update, and… the installer said that my OS is 32 bit though it’s actually 64 bit.

Then I’ve tried to run directly the “Dorico for Windows/Setup.exe” file, and installation has been done successfully (Fwiw, I’ve unchecked installing additional content: “HALionSonicSE” and “HALion Symphonic Orchestra”).

Then I’ve tried to start Dorico, it said that I should enter a key, I’ve entered the key, but accidentally cancelled the last step by closing the window. After that, when trying to run Dorico, it said again that it’s not activated and suggested to enter a key, I’ve accepted again, but then eLicenser said that the activation is already done and cannot be done again.

Then I’ve started eLicenser Control Center directly, selected “Dorico 1 Trial” in the list of Soft-eLicenser licenses, and pressed the green button at the right. It said that license period has now started.

Now I’m trying to start Dorico, and… nothing happens. Tried multiple times, both on behalf of regular user and admin user. Then tried to reboot Windows just in case. No luck.

Exciting adventure with no result. %)

MT1 · December 2, 2016, 7:53pm

Thanks, fratveno. Based on your new screenshot, we can now see that Windows version of Dorico indeed supports HiDPI to some extent.

There are parts that I’m wondering about though:

Graphics in the “Common Clefs” panel is pixelated, so it’s probably bitmap-based and not vector-based.
Graphics in the main musical-staff pane (black lines and notes on the white background, located approx. at the center of the entire window, with the “4hands | 2do | Primo” tab-bar above) is small (exactly as small as at Windows zoom of 100% as on your previous screenshot). Does Dorico provide a way to zoom this pane in?

fratveno · December 2, 2016, 8:41pm

Re. 2) certainly, I had zoomed out in the last dump!

MT1 · December 2, 2016, 8:54pm

Great. Thanks for you contribution.