Troubleshooting Windows

1. Lightform devices are not discoverable on the network.

Problem: If you're using the device on the network for the first time, Windows Defender may be interfering.

Solution A: This article has good information on letting an application through Windows Defender and Firewall: https://www.sync.com/help/how-do-i-stop-windows-firewall-or-defender-from-blocking-sync-from-syncing/

Solution B: Allow the Lightform Creator application through the firewall (both Private & Public).

This is another good article about letting application through Windows Firewall: https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/uncategorized/how-to-create-exceptions-in-windows-vista-firewall/

Solution C: Allowing inbound + outbound traffic on TCP port 50051 (both Private & Public).

This article has information about allowing a port through Windows Firewall: firewall: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-open-port-windows-firewall

Problem: If you're on a desktop or laptop connected to the network via wi-fi, and you've used the device on the network before, you may just need to force your computer's network information to refresh.

Solution: Turning wi-fi off on the computer, then turning it back on is a quick way to force it to refresh its internal settings. After turning wi-fi back on, the device will often appear shortly after in Lightform Creator. This process only takes a few seconds.

2. You are unable to run Lightform Creator after installing it on your system.

Problem: You are unable to run Lightform Creator. It either does not start, or starts with an error page and most controls removed or disabled.

Solution: Ensure your Windows installation and graphics drivers are up-to-date.

• Windows operating system:
  • The minimum Windows 10 version supported by Lightform Creator is 1809. Earlier versions may work, but these aren't tested. Run the 'winver' application on your computer to see which version you have.
  • As of the writing of this document, Windows 10 version 1903 is the most recent version. If possible, you should update to this version since it has resolved a number of issues related to layout scaling that impact some users when using Lightform Creator. 
  • There are actually many different versions of Windows 10, and updating through Windows Update will often not give you the most current version. 
  • If running Windows Update does not update your Windows installation to 1809 or higher, you can manually download and run the Windows Update Assistant to get the newest version. To get the Update Assistant, visit https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3159635/windows-10-update-assistant. 
• Graphics drivers:
  • If you’ve never manually updated the graphics driver on your computer, you are probably using an outdated graphics driver either provided by the computer manufacturer or Windows Update. Having a more recent graphics driver is critical to the operation of Lightform Creator. To get the most recent graphics driver you will need to go directly to the manufacturer of the graphics hardware in your computer:
    • Intel: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/products/80939/graphics-drivers.html
    • NVidia: https://www.nvidia.com/download/index.aspx
    • AMD: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/gpu-driver-autodetect

3. Lightform Creator's layout is too small or too large.

Problem: The text and other layout elements within Lightform Creator are too large or too small.

Solution: You need to adjust the scaling:

• If all of your applications (not just Lightform Creator) have a layout that you find to be too small or too large, you should adjust the Windows scaling settings to find a more comfortable sizing. Good information on this can be found at https://www.pcworld.com/article/2953978/use-windows-10s-individual-display-scaling-to-perfect-your-multi-monitor-setup.html

• Alternatively, if Lightform Creator is the only application with a layout that appears to be too small or too large, you can use the in-app settings to adjust the sizing. Navigate to the application preferences dialog in the Edit> Preferences… menu. On the "User Interface" tab you can adjust the "User Interface Sizing" setting to your liking.

4. Lightform Creator starts with error 'Failed to initialize standard file paths...'.

Problem: Lightform Creator starts and immediately presents an error in the application window. The error states that Lightform Creator 'Failed to initialize standard file paths...', and includes additional information. No other actions in the application are possible, except to submit a bug report or quit the application.

Solution: Windows is preventing Lightform Creator from reading the standard directory locations from the system. These locations are used by the application for storing application preferences and temporary files.

• Ideal solution: Disable 'Controlled Folder Access' in Windows 10.
  • Microsoft's documentation on this can be found at: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4046851/windows-10-allow-blocked-app-windows-security.
  • Unfortunately, Microsoft's documentation isn't clear about what triggers this situation in the first place.
• Less-ideal solution: If for some reason disabling 'Controlled Folder Access' doesn't solve the problem, you can run Lightform Creator as administrator:
  • Right-click on the application's icon on the Windows desktop and choose 'Run as Administrator' from the context menu.